On Air: Kremlin-Funded English TV Channel

Russia Today, a new government-funded, English-language satellite TV channel with a staff of 344 journalists and a $30-million budget, went on the air.

The channel will broadcast 24 hours a day in North America, Europe and Asia.

Margarita Simonyan, who heads the channel, said it would give a Russian viewpoint to world news. Critics call it Kremlin propaganda.