This chapter examines informative propaganda—state media’s effort to appear as a credible news source, retaining pro-regime audiences. Rather than relying on political narratives alone, Russian state television invested in diverse reporting to meet news consumers’ informational needs. The chapter distinguishes informative propaganda from “honest” propaganda: its aim is not to admit inconvenient facts but to construct an impression of journalistic authority. Analyzing Channel One’s prime-time broadcasts in 2000–2021, it identifies nineteen news topics across five domains—international affairs, domestic policy, domestic problems, general interest, and soft news—showing that about a quarter of broadcasts covered non-political content. The chapter also analyzes how state media mimic journalistic credibility through signals of timeliness, field reporting, and investigative effort, documenting their growing use over time. Finally, it reexamines the “confounding” hypothesis, arguing that incoherent propaganda messaging reflects improvisation rather than a deliberate strategy to confuse. The findings explain how service propaganda keeps pro-regime audiences satisfied and reduces demand for independent journalism.