Otar Kushanishvili Journalist and TV presenter Date of Birth: 22.06.1970 Country: Georgia

1. Biography of Otar Kushanashvili
2. Early Life and Career
3. Television and Radio Career
4. Controversies and Protests

Biography of Otar Kushanashvili

Otar Kushanashvili is a Georgian and Russian music journalist and television presenter.

Early Life and Career

Kushanashvili decided to become a journalist while in school and published articles in the newspaper "Kutaisskaya Pravda." After completing his secondary education, he enrolled in the journalism faculty of Tbilisi University but was expelled for "non-Georgian behavior." Following his expulsion, he moved to Moscow, where he worked as a night watchman in a school and cleaned floors at the Paveletsky train station.

In early 1993, Kushanashvili became a correspondent for the renowned newspaper "Novy Vzglyad," created by Yevgeny Dodolev. He then transitioned to television under the mentorship of Ivan Demidov, based on Dodolev's recommendation. Since 1995, he has been the editor-in-chief of the popular weekly magazine "MuzOBOZ" (later renamed "Muzykalnaya Pravda").

Television and Radio Career

Kushanashvili gained widespread fame as a participant in the program "Akuly Pera" and as the host of entertainment music shows such as "Partiynaya Zona" on TV-6 and "Obbozz-Show." He also hosted programs like "Bolshoy Kush" on STS and "Na Bulvare" on DTV. Additionally, he hosted radio shows on the station "Europa Plus." Kushanashvili wrote columns for the magazine "Om" and the newspaper "Argumenty i Fakty," and his work was published in various newspapers such as "Vechernaya Moskva," "Moskovsky Komsomolets," "Moskovskaya Pravda," "Moskovskaya Komsomolka," and "Nochnoe Randevu." He even appeared in the humorous TV series "33 Kvadratnykh Metra."

Controversies and Protests

In 2004, during a match between the national football teams of Russia and Portugal, Kushanashvili stormed onto the field to protest against the expulsion of goalkeeper Sergey Ovchinnikov. He was fined 2500 euros and received a two-year suspended sentence for his actions.

In September 2008, Kushanashvili gave an online interview to the television channel Russia.ru, where he expressed negative opinions about the activities of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, chanting "Shame on the Georgian nation." As a protest against the unfair practices of the project leaders of "Korol Ringa," he did not attend a fight with Sergey Chelobanov, informing them in advance. He earned the nickname "Neustrashimy" (Fearless) during this time.