A review of policy statements made in the past 10 years in Soviet academic journals and Communist Party newspapers indicates that integrating rural and urban populations has become a concern of academics, government officials, and policymakers in the Soviet Union. One means by which the rural segment of Soviet society could be pushed or helped onto the cultural, social, and economic plane of its urban counterpart is through the mass media, specifically, the newspapers. Many Soviet policymakers have concluded that mass media fare--centrally produced and distributed--is capable of "powerful effect," and have begun calling for the use of such media products in the integration of the rural and urban populations. Such integration is a complex task, complicated by differing levels of urbanization, income, literacy, migration patterns, and languages. Although the success of the Soviet government's attempt to unite its people remains inconclusive, it is clear from statements made by government officials and policymakers that the mass media are viewed as powerful agents or mobilizers of rural-urban integration. (FL)