From the linked article on the Russian media:

The sensationalized newscasts are now neck-and-neck, ratings-wise, with the sitcoms. “It keeps people in a traumatized state,” Pavlovsky says. “It’s notable in media metrics, and in conversations with people. They lose their sanity, they become paranoid and aggressive.”

Interesting how that tracks so closely with what we see here from the RWNJ news sources and consumers.