"We need a TV channel that would speak about the good and the evil, set the examples of a harmonious family life, successful labor, show how to cope with mischief and vice, and how to attain spiritual renovation," Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the deputy chairman of the Department for External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, told RIA Novosti.
According to Chaplin, the TV channel should not confine itself to sermons and church services alone. "It should broadcast documentaries and features, children's programs, talk shows, programs about health, art, music, and perhaps, soap operas," he said.
As for commercial breaks, the decision will depend on the founders of the channel, said Vsevolod Chaplin. He sees nothing wrong about adverts, if they are quite decent and do not promote goods detrimental to health, such as alcohol, tobacco, pornography, and intimate services.
According to Chaplin, the final decision on launching the new channel will depend on "whether the state and society realize that the current six channels need an alternative."
As for other traditional religions of the country, Chaplin said he would only welcome Muslim or Jewish TV channels.
"If there is no other option, we could even share the air time [proportionately to the number of relevant believers living in the country], said Chaplin.
The timeframe and the financial mechanisms of the new channel have not been determined yet.
