The article gives the definition of «political communication » and considers its principle theoretical and methodological concepts. It is commonly accepted to distinguish two general approaches to such research — informational and social. In line with social approach many theoretical models are developed, linear and nonlinear being most common of them. Special attention is paid to R. Craig’s dialogical-dialectical disciplinary matrix. He suggests seven interdisciplinary traditions of the communication theory: rhetorical, semiotic, phenomenological, cybernetic, sociopsychological, sociocultural, and critical. Each tradition correlates with characteristic way of defining communication and problems of communication, meta-discursive vocabulary, general notions and ways of their refutation. The article deals with R. Meadow’s matrix as well. The researcher identifies six fundamental approaches to studying political communication theory from the point of view of needs of the state and society: system, linguistic, symbolical, functional, organizational, «ecological». The author comes to the conclusion that it is R. Craig’s and R. Meadow’s matrices that could provide in-depth study of various aspects of modern Russian political and communicative situation.