It is the axiom that any step made or decision taken should invariably make someone more happy, otherwise the whole business makes no sense. I guess this could be a form of Utilitarianism. My question today is... who benefits from the FOCA decision to stop Eurosport F1 broadcasting?

A very narrow group of TV bosses? Mr. Ecclestone personally? Anybody else? Does the whole F1 circus exist only for them? It would seem to that WE on another side of TV fence, with our buying power, should mean something. But do we?

OK, if the whole idea of the FOCA decision is in making hypothetical viewers pay more money for ITV or RTL subscriptions, it is more or less understandable. But it works only in those parts of the globe where there is a choice; if it is necessary for me as a viewer to watch F1 championship, I will pay that price. But for those of us living in Russia and some other countries, Eurosport was the only channel able to give civilized coverage of the season (including qualifying, race itself and some analysis after). You can easily imagine that all the F1 fans (at least in relatively big Russian cities) have perceived the FOCA innovation as a personal tragedy.

Let us recollect the beginning of 1996 season: state Russian TV channel started to broadcast the championship. They ceased after a couple of races for financial reasons. Only local cable TV subscribers had the opportunity to watch Eurosport. Later, Russian TV-2 continued to broadcast F1 after a break, but was it possible to get a real pleasure while listening to the poor and almost ignorant Russian commentators? The answer is "No".

On the contrary, Eurosport F1 broadcasters John Watson and Ben Edwards were the most welcome guests in our homes during Grand Prix weekends, almost members of our families. We were very happy because we had the capability to be on equal terms with all the F1 fans around the world... to breathe, to shout, and to cry together in a synchronous way!

It may be insightful to mention that some people in our local F1 fan club started to follow this sport in 1975 when, during the Brezhnev era, the only way to get information was via subscription to the Czechoslovakian motor-racing magazines. Years later in 1986, we had the first real holiday when Soviet TV showed Hungarian Grand Prix in a recorded and shortened version. Starting from 1992, the opportunity to watch Eurosport materialized... Now, it is all over.

What shall we do? At this time, we do not have any information concerning the Russian TV policy in showing the F1 season this year. I don't want to be subjected to a Russian TV broadcast... would you? We desire competent professional commentators like everyone else.

What is the solution?

Personally, I am ready to subscribe to any of the English language channels giving full coverage of F1, but the problem is my location of Petrozavodsk. Here, there is no possibility of this option. The idea of buying a satellite system does not work because there is nowhere to by decoders in my town. And, I am unaware if there is a unscrambled channel left in the sky answering two requirements: giving coverage of F1 and doing it in English.

Where does that leave me and others in the same situation?

Answer: the same as twenty years ago.

But twenty years ago, the reason was purely in old soviet ideology. Now the reason is different. I understand the situation in this way: if TV bosses together with Mr. Ecclestone offer me the choice to pay or not to pay in order to see what I like or not to see, I can justify it as supply and demand -- a aspect of capitalism we have now chosen. When TV bosses just deprive me of the possibility to enjoy one of the rare real pleasures in my life and limit their worldwide audience at the same time, I can't understand their motivation at all.

It is simply absurd.

Andrei Los is 38 years old. As a graduated journalist, he worked at a local branch of Soviet TV as editor. Now, he is working for a Finnish news agency as a Russian correspondent. Andrei is married and has two beautiful children.

Andrei Larinin is also 38 years old. He graduated as mechanical engineer for Forest Industries and is now working as manager of a small independent radio-broadcasting company (pop and rock music) and a RDS-paging operator.

They both started their F1 interest in the 70's period when TV-coverage, pictures, and current news were unavailable despite several very ideological articles in the Soviet mass-media per year such as, "Life and death of asphalt's gladiators"

The first F1 race Andrei saw on TV was in 1981 (Germany) in time of his tour to Czechoslovakia. Before that, he adds, F1 was stuff of "legends and dreams."