WASHINGTON, December 11 (RIA Novosti) – Veteran Russian-American broadcaster Vladimir Pozner will join US network NBC as a commentator on the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, it was announced Wednesday.
The renowned journalist and television host, who hosts a weekly chat show in Russia, will offer commentary during the network’s late-night news show hosted by US broadcaster Bob Costas and provide a Russian perspective on the games, according to a statement from NBC.
“With his deep Russian roots and American upbringing, Vladimir Pozner is uniquely qualified to provide a Russian outlook to our audience during the Sochi Olympics,” said NBC Olympics executive producer Jim Bell. “We are thrilled to be able to share his perspective on the host country and the Games.”
In comments made to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, Pozner suggested that his role would be broader than sports commentary: "My job is to comment on the way the games are seen by the Russians … There is a fair chance that there will be some other events happening; it will be my job to help the American viewer understand what Russians think about that."
"My role is not to support the Russian viewpoint, but to explain it – not to advocate it," he added.
Born in France, Pozner moved to America with his parents for eight years in the 1940s. After starting his journalistic career as a senior editor of the English language Soviet Life magazine, he crossed over to working in US television in the 1980s, as co-host of a trans-continental series known as the US-Soviet Space Bridge, in which US and Soviet citizens discussed different topics.
In the early to mid-1990s, he worked in the United States, co-hosting the weekly Pozner/Donahue political discussion show in the early to mid-1990s.
He has previous experience of covering the Winter Olympics for Soviet and Russian television – 1980 in Moscow, 2006 in Torino, and 2010 in Vancouver.
