Channel 5 succeeded the nationwide Leningrad TV channel dating back to 1938, which was immensely popular throughout the
Soviet Union during the last years of
Perestroika with such programs as 600 Seconds of its editor-in-chief,
Alexander Nevzorov. However, later the channel lost much of its popularity. In 1997 its nationwide network was transferred to the newly formed
Kultura TV, and the channel continued broadcasting for Saint Petersburg and
Leningrad Oblast only.
During the tenure of Governor
Vladimir Yakovlev (1996–2003) the channel, then entirely controlled by
the city administration and supervised by Yakovlev's vice-governors for mass media and PR, Alexander Potekhin (1997–2001) and Irina Potekhina (2001–2003), became dragged into political scandals around the city's political elites. In October 2006 Petersburg – Channel 5 was licensed to broadcast nationwide again.[2]
In 2010 approximately 72% of the NMD shares were held by the public company «TRK Peterburg» (TRK - Teleradiocompany,
Russian: Телерадеокомпания Петербург) which also controls the channel.[11]
According to the owners the Channel 5 maintains its own independent news service,[12] but in reality, the state-owned media channel
Russia Today has maintained control over Channel 5 since 2009 and its news programs are subject to the government's editorial decisions.[13]
^Становая, Татьяна (Stanovaya, Tatyana) (27 March 2007).
ГЛАВНЫЙ РЕДАКТОР МАССОВЫХ КОММУНИКАЦИЙ [EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF MASS COMMUNICATIONS]. Politcom.RU (in Russian). Archived from
the original on 31 July 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
^"Ковальчук Юрий" [Kovalchuk Yuriy]. Russian Business (rb.ru) (in Russian). March 2008. Archived from
the original on 19 June 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
^
abjoint venture with Amperwelle Studio München Programmanbietergesellschaft,
Axel Springer AG, Burda, Studio Gong, m.b.t. Mediengesellschaft der bayerischen Tageszeitungen für Kabelkommunikation, Medienpool and Radio Bavaria Rundfunkprogrammgesellschaft.
^joint venture with Axel Springer, Heinrich Bauer Verlag, Lühmanndruck Harburger Zeitungsgesellschaft and Morgenpost Verlag.