The Albanian Radio Television (RTSH)
RTSH is the Albanian Public Broadcaster, which controls several TV and Radio outlets. Its foundation dates back to The Kingdom of Albania, which founded Radio Tirana. The television, primarily known as TVSH, started broadcasting experiments in 1960, while for the first time it transmitted a news edition in 1963.
After the foundation of TV, the state-owned broadcaster was named RTSH (Albanian Radio Television), a name which it still carries today. The main media of the group is the TV station, now called RTSH, which up until 1996 was the only television station in Albanian language and for a period of time was the only broadcaster in Albania with a national reach. However, as new commercial television stations expanded their reach, RTSH lost its hold on the Albanian audience. Now part of RTSH are several other outlets, including; RTSH 1, RTSH 2, RTSH 3, RTSH Sport, RTSH Film, RTSH Shqip, and also radio outlets: Radio Tirana, Radio Tirana 2, Radio Tirana Klasik, Radio Tirana International. The public broadcaster has received two digital TV licenses from AMA.
RTSH is financed by the public, mainly through a special tariff that is paid by every household through the electricity bill, which according to an analysis made by the RTSH in 2016, accounts for 56% of its revenue, 21% come from the state budget, while the rest was secured by the RTSH contract for radio collaboration with China, (General Administration of Press and Publication, Radio, Film, and Television station), and by renting transmission antennas or broadcasting for third parties and 3% from advertising.
In their FOI for MOM, RTSH stated that they have an increase in the audience share from a low 1-2% to 5-6% over the past year. They also note that audience measurements by independent monitors are biased. According to RTSH they reach the highest number of viewers during the broadcast of football matches involving the national football team.
The television station and radios part of RTSH had served during Albania’s communist regime as a propaganda tool and struggled to change its ways after the regime collapsed. In the last two decades its editorial line has been aligned with the political majority in power. During the pyramid scheme crisis in 1996-1997, protesters apart from the government also attacked RTSH, which was seen as providing biased coverage. Similar accusations continued after the Socialist Party won the elections in 1997 and there was a change of leadership. Even in the last protest of the opposition Democratic Party, ahead of the parliamentary elections in 2017, its leader Lulzim Basha attacked the director of RTSH, arguing that the public television station was under the control of the ruling majority.
The leadership of RTSH has also been accused of corruption and abuse of office for squandering the funds at its disposal; however, nobody from its management has been charged or convicted of such crimes. Some audits of the High State Auditing office have raised suspicions over poor financial management.
RTSH content is regulated by law and overseen by the Supervisory Council of RTSH (KDRTSH), a collegial body elected by the parliament. The public broadcaster has a statute and regulations that guide its content and also several boards for content monitoring, which should represent interests of the Albanian society. However, despite the council and the regulations, RTSH is perceived to be under the influence of the ruling party.
Business Form
Public
Legal Form
Public Institution
Business Sectors
Radio and Television Broadcasting; Music Production; Digital Broadcasting Network
The Republic of Albania
The Albanian public finances the RTSH through direct tax, levied with the electricity bill, and from the state budget. The Albanian Radio Television (RTSH) is a nonprofit institution, registered as a legal public entity under the control of the Albanian Parliament.
Other TV Outlets
RTSH 2
RTSH 3
RTSH Sport
RTSH Film
RTSH Shqip
RTSH Kuvendi
RTSH Korça
RTSH 24
RTSH Muzikë
Other Radio Outlets
Radio Tirana 2
Radio Tirana 3
Radio Tirana Klasik
Radio Tirana International
Other Online Outlets
www.rtsh.al
Media Business
Digital Broadcasting Network
RTSH
Sport licensing
RTSH
Broadcasting for third parts
RTSH
General Information
Founding Year
1960
Affiliated Interests Founder
Albanian Government – RTSH was founded by the Albanian government, and after the collapse of the communist regime it became a public institution.
Employees
966
Contact
Tax/ ID Number
J61904073W
Financial Information
Revenue (Financial Data/ Optional)
18.4 Mio. $ / 2.396,9 Mio. Lek
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
non-profit
Advertising (in % of total funding)
0.57 Mio. $ (3%) / 74 Mio. Lek (3%)
Management
Supervisory Board
Some aspects of the work of RTSH are regulated directly by the law On Audiovisual media, including the way the members of the supervisory council and the general director are selected. The Council is the institution’s highest body and plays a role in the selection of the News Director of RTSH, which is proposed by the general director and approved by the Council. The Supervisory Council (KDRTSH) approves the statute and guidelines for RTSH and oversees their implementation. The Council oversees the editorial independence of the public television, impartiality and objectivity of the programs.
Kristaq Traja – chairman, former Albanian Judge at the European Court of Human Rights (1998-2008). Well known academic on Constitutional Law, and also held during early 90’s several high offices in the Albanian government.
Robert Rakipllari – vice-chairman, is a journalist and editor in chief of the daily newspaper ‘Panorama.’ Earlier, he held the position of editor in chief of the daily newspaper ‘Shekulli’.
Saimir Kumbaro – member of the Supervisory Board, is an Albanian film director. He worked in "Kinostudio Shqiperia e Re" as a director since 1970, and now works as independent film and documentary director.
Altin Shegani – professor at the Faculty of law in Tirana University, former dean of the Faculty of Law and a member of the Supervisory Council of RTSH.
Pashk Përvathi – is a well-known Albanian painter and a member of the Supervisory Council of RTSH.
Artan Peqini – a well-known Albanian sculptor who also gives lectures and held leading positions at the Albanian Academy of Arts and a member of the Supervisory Council of RTSH.
Valbona Sulçe – is a media expert, freelance journalist and a member of the Supervisory Council of RTSH.
Helidon Haliti – is a well-known painter and a member of the Supervisory Council of RTSH.
Vladimir Grosha – is a known painter in Albania, and a member of the Supervisory Council of RTSH.
Xhelil Aliu – is a director and speaker at Radio Tirana and a member of the Supervisory Council of RTSH.
Xhemal Mato – is a former RTSH journalist and director, known as an environmental activist and executive director of the NGO Ekolevizja and a member of the Supervisory Council of RTSH.
Other Influential People
Thoma Gëllçi – has a long career in the Albanian media. He started his career as a journalist during the communist regime in the satirical magazine ‘Hosteni’ and after in ‘Zeri i Popullit’- the daily newspaper of the communist party, which later transformed itself into the Socialist Party, where Gellci served for some time as editor in chief. Gëllçi has held a series of senior posts in the public administration and also worked as a spokesperson in 2001 for Prime Minister Ilir Meta, now Albania’s president. The close relationship of Gellci with the socialists has made him persona non-grata to the right-wing Democratic Party, which contested his election as the director of Albania’s public television. Gëllçi was voted to the post by the board (KDRTSH) of directors with 7 out of 11 votes of the supervisory council, a collegial body where the members are selected by the ruling majority and the opposition.
Bledar Zaganjori – is a well-known journalist in Albania. He took over the position of Director of News at RTSH in July 2016, after leaving Top Channel TV. Zaganjori has previously served as the editor in chief of the daily newspaper Shqip and later as director of news and information at Top Channel TV. There were speculations that his appointment as news director at RTSH was spearheaded by Prime Minister Edi Rama. Zaganjori led Top Channel’s news division when the TV station was perceived as supporting Rama’s policies.
Lufti Dervishi – hosts the political show ‘Përballë’ (Face to Face) in RTSH. Dervishi has been a journalist since the early 1990s. He has headed the daily newspapers Republika and Albania. Earlier Dervishi headed the news department at RTSH between 2007 and 2008, and Vizion Plus between 2013 and 2014. He is a journalism trainer at the Albanian Media Institute and since 1994 a lecturer at the journalism department at the Tirana University. Dervishi has cooperated as a commentator with the various local but also international media, including Radio Free Europe and BBC International. From 2008 to 2013 he headed the Albania branch of Transparency International.
Martin Leka – is deputy director of RTSH. After the departure of the Director General Petrit Beci, Leka directed RTSH in the absence of the director for 3 years. Leka has been a journalist since the early 1990's.
Rezart Aga – transferred from Top Channel to RTSH immediately after the appointment of the new General Director. Aga occupies the post of Programme Director and is responsible for the end-of-year music contest known as “Festivali i Këngës”, one of the main shows at RTSH.
Further Information
Meta Data
The information on RTSH and its financial statements, were obtained from reports published by RTSH on its official website and the response RTSH provided after a MOM FOI request. RTSH has the highest budget and market share, but most of its revenues come from a direct tax. RTSH is a legal public entity under the control of Albanian Parliament.
The financial data provided are for 2016. The Central Bank's average exchange rate for 2016 was used to convert the amounts into USD.
