FORMATION OF THE IMAGE OF AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE ON REGIONAL TELEVISION (USING THE EXAMPLE OF ARKAIM)

The article examines the formation of the image of the archaeological site Arkaim on regional television. According to the researchers’ theses, the image of the archaeological site was previously presented in the media in a distorted form and was a space for speculation on esoteric topics. The purpose of this study is to determine how the image of Arkaim is currently presented on Chelyabinsk regional TV channels. The empirical base is 29 materials aired by regional TV channels in 2024. The analysis uses the methods of continuous sampling (when forming the research base), observation (when analyzing the materials of the research base), analysis, generalization and description (when presenting the research results). The analysis of the stories and programs of regional TV channels is based on the classification previously proposed by a group of Arkaim researchers. Based on the results, it is concluded that, contrary to the earlier and common opinion of researchers, esoteric topics, although present in the materials of journalists, are not dominant. Most often, television programs and stories about the archaeological monument contain theses related to tourism, archaeology and politics. The main conclusions indicate that journalists form the image of Arkaim on regional television in such a way that the archaeological monument is associated by viewers rather with a place with high tourist potential and an object of scientific interest. The article also notes the importance of Arkaim as a “calling card” of the region, which forms the image of the Chelyabinsk region in such media as television.