Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Ivanenko () was founder of the first nongovernmental cable and essential television network in the USSR (1988); initiator and organizer of the first direct satellite broadcast from the territory of the former USSR (1994); founder of the first nongovernmental TV stations in Ukraine: TONIS and TET; television and cinema producer; and public figure.
Education
His father was a career military man. From 1961 to 1971 he attended a school in Simferopol. In 1974 he enrolled into Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding in Mykolaiv, and successfully graduated in 1980.
Career
After graduation from the National University of Shipbuilding, Vladimir Ivanenko proceeded to work at the Central Research Institute of Shipbuilding Technology in Mykolaiv. This period is marked by several authors' certificates for innovative developments in the field of shipbuilding.
For several years Vladimir Ivanenko worked at the criminal investigation department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Mykolaiv. He resigned his post as captain after becoming enamored with the idea unprecedented in those days: that of creating a nongovernmental TV broadcast in the USSR.
Dreaming about independent television
Years 1987 and 1988 were completely dedicated to creating the first nongovernmental cable television network in the USSR. Having managed to schedule a meeting with academician Dmitry Likhachev and Raisa Gorbacheva at the Soviet Culture Fund, Vladimir was able to convince them to support the idea of the channel.
On February 13, 1988, in Mykolaiv (then part of Ukrainian SSR), the first experimental Youth Video Channel (“Molodezhny Videokanal”) started broadcasting on the grounds of Mykolaiv City Komsomol Committee. Vladimir Ivanenko became the channel's first Director.
In late 1988, Youth Video Channel left the care of City Komsomol Committee. At Vladimir Ivanenko's initiative the name was changed to Creative Union of New Informational Systems (“Tvorcheskoye Obyedinenie Novykh Informatsionnykh Sistem”, shortened to TONIS).
In 1991, during the self-declared State Emergency Committee, TONIS (or Channel-22) became the only source of independent broadcast in southern Ukraine. The channel prepared stories for the popular youth program by Moscow's Ostankino studio, Look (“Vzglyad”).
It is symbolic that the TONIS independent television company launched its broadcast in early 1990 with the help of a transmitter (capacity of 1 kW) placed on a tower which had been previously used by KGB to silence foreign radio stations. In late 1991 TONIS moved its headquarters from Mykovaiv to Kyiv and was eventually renamed to TET-a-TET (TONIS-Enter Television).
International TONIS Union
In early 1992 Vladimir Ivanenko initiated the first congress of independent TV companies in Kharkiv (Ukraine) under the slogan “For copyright protection”. It was at that congress that the International TONIS Union was created. Vladimir Ivanenko was unanimously chosen as its president, and he successfully united more than 80 cable and essential broadcasters from different regions of the former USSR under the brand name TONIS. Large regional centers emerged: TONIS-South (Mykolaiv, Ukraine); Tonis-Center (Kharkiv, Ukraine); TONIS-Asia (Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan); TONIS-Orenburg; TONIS-Vladivistok; TONIS-Tumen... Thus, for the first time in the history of the former USSR a powerful nongovernmental essential cable resource had been created. In 2002 Vladimir Ivanenko headed the board of the Garant-Media-International Agency for the Protection of Copyright and Related Rights.
Production Activity
Vladimir Ivanenko was one of the first independent producers on the territory of the former USSR. He produced such films as «The Passion According to Vladimir» (director Mark Rozovski); «Winter Cherry 2» (director Igor Maslennikov); «Men's Games» (director Andrey Rostotski). In 1991 Vladimir Ivanenko became one of the initiators and organizers of the legendary Pierre Cardin's show on the Red Square in Moscow.
The Velvet Season International Television Program Festival
In 1993 Vladimir and Valeria Ivanenko organized and successfully carried out the first Velvet Season (“Barkhatny Sezon”) international television program festival. 10 festivals were held.