Russian TV station runs a 5-minute news segment with an empty anchor's seat

A television station in Omsk aired a five-minute silent news segment earlier this week, with nothing but a quiet newsroom and an empty anchor’s chair. The unusual broadcast was Channel 12’s effort to draw attention to the region’s problem with missing persons. According to local investigators, 529 people have disappeared in the area since the beginning of the year.

Channel 12 says it received more than 200 phone calls regarding the silent news broadcast from viewers wanting to understand why the anchor didn’t appear to read the news.

In a later broadcast, the station’s evening news anchor, Tanziliya Bakhtiyarova, returned to explain, saying it was an effort to draw greater attention to Omsk’s missing-persons problem.

Channel 12 says its campaign to raise awareness is supported by officials from the Investigative Committee and local volunteer rescue workers.