Tatyana, Volodya's wife, is the host of a regular phone-in show at the Irkutsk government radio, called "Good morning Irkutsk". It is on every Monday and every other Friday from 7:30 till 8:20 am. On the day I was present, the show was devoted to the new social assistance program recently established by the Irkutsk City Hall for people who need assistance with paying their rents.
I was positioned behind the sound operator in a room divided from the recording studio by a clear glass pane. The pattern on this glass pane visible in most pictures is the reflection of the perforated sound-absorbing panelling of the walls.
The first half of the show was a live presentation of two officials from the City Hall on the delivery of the new social assistance program followed by answering the questions of the listeners. The second half was a series of pre-recorded news items about the recent events in Irkutsk, with Tatyana's live introduction of each item. During the transmission of a longer pre-recorded item, she was able to leave her post before the microphone for a while.
Listeners had numerous questions on their entitlements and the details of the new procedures for obtaining the assistance. But they were disciplined - I do not recall any questions about the principles of the new regulations, only the questions about their realizations.
Still several hours after the show, using what she remembered from the officials' presentation, Tatyana was trying to answer the belated questions of the listeners forwarded to her office.