RTVE

Updated on Nov 04, 2023

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Industry Mass media Area served Spain Owner Government of Spain Net income 1.2 billion EUR		Founder Spanish Government Founded 1977 Headquarters Pozuelo de Alarcón

Type Government-owned corporation Genre Public broadcasting service Key people Jose Antonio Sánchez, President Subsidiaries Televisión Española, Radio Nacional de España, La 1, La 2, Clan TV shows Around the World with Willy Fog, The Chiripitiflauticos, Soy Cámara, The Mozart Band, Wisdom of the Gnomes Profiles Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube Google+

The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española, S.A. ('Spanish Radio and Television Corporation') is the state-owned public corporation that assumed the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service formerly called Ente Público Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE Public Entity) in 2007. RTVE is the largest audiovisual group in Spain broadcasting in the Spanish language. Since January 2010 it is financed exclusively by public subsidies.

Role as a public broadcaster

In the exercise of its public service function, among the obligations of the RTVE Corporation are:

Promote dissemination and awareness of constitutional principles and civic values.

Guarantee the objectivity and truthfulness of the information provided, while ensuring that a broad range of views is presented.

Facilitate democratic debate and the free expression of opinion.

Promote the territorial cohesion and linguistic and cultural diversity of Spain.

Offer access to different genres of programming and to the institutional, social, cultural, and sporting events that are of interest to all sectors of the audience, paying attention to those topics that are of special interest to the public.

To serve the widest audience, ensuring maximum continuity and geographical and social coverage, with a commitment to quality, diversity, innovation, and high ethical standards.

History

RTVE throughout its history has undergone numerous restructurings and reorganisations, and has assumed numerous identities. The history of RTVE begins in 1937 with the first broadcasts by Radio Nacional de España (RNE—Spanish National Radio) from the city of Salamanca. In these early years, RNE served as a propaganda tool for the Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War; it would later be used by Francisco Franco to inform the Spanish public.

Television was officially introduced in Spain in October 1956, and in October 1973 the two broadcasting networks, RNE and Televisión Española (TVE—Spanish Television) were consolidated into the Servicio Público Centralizado RadioTelevisión Española (RTVE Centralised Public Service).

Further consolidations followed in 1977, at which time RTVE became an autonomous organization. In 1979 TVE, RNE were joined by RCE an old radio service which, unlike RNE, could broadcast commercials. In 1980, RTVE was configured, by statute, as a legal public entity with its own jurisdiction. According to RTVE's annual report (2003): "This law arose from the Spanish Constitution and the political pluralism which the constitution asserts as a fundamental value of the rule of law; and in this spirit granted RTVE the right to function as a democratic organization." The former cinema newsreels service NO-DO was merged into RTVE to be dismantled in 1981. Since then, the NO-DO archives are property of RTVE and its conservation is on their hands and Filmoteca Nacional's. In 1989, RCE was dismantled and its radio service was merged into RNE.

In accordance with the Law of State Radio and Television of 5 June 2006, and in the face of an enormous deficit, the RTVE Public Body and the companies TVE, S.A. and RNE, S.A were dissolved, and on 1 January 2007 the Corporación RTVE came into existence. This change in the law put Corporación RTVE in control of Spain's public radio and television service.

As part of the 2007 restructuring, a controversial plan was put into action to reduce the workforce by 4,855 through attrition and retirement incentives, in spite of the fact that RTVE is the European public broadcasting service with the smallest workforce.

In 2012 political tensions associated with the austerity program of the conservative ruling party, Partido Popular (PP) resulted in personnel changes which displaced journalists interviewed by the centre-left The Guardian interpreted as an effort to remove critical political comment from RTVE's content. In 2012 the PP began staffing RTVE with party veterans. Considerable controversy was caused when Ana Pastor was fired.

On 11 June 2013, RTVE was one of the few known European broadcasters to condemn and criticize the closure of Greece's state broadcaster ERT.

Management

Pursuant to the 2006 Law of State Radio and television, management of the national public service is entrusted to Corporación RTVE. The Administrative Council (Consejo de Administración) of the RTVE is the main body of RTVE, and appoints the executive officers of RTVE and its companies, approves its organization, and approves most major activities. The Administrative Council is composed of 12 members; 8 members are chosen by Congress and 4 by the Senate, each by two-thirds majority and each for a non-renewable mandate of 6 years, and 2 members appointed by Congress must be proposed by the 2 main trade unions at RTVE.

The President has operational control of day-to-day operations, in order to execute the decisions and guidance of the Administrative Council. The President is appointed by, and may be dismissed by, Congress. Before the 2006 Act, this position was filled by the role of the Director General, which had a de facto total control of RTVE. In practice, the Director General had been chosen by the Government for their political profile.

Corporación RTVE is described as a "state mercantile society" (sociedad mercantil estatal) with special autonomy and independence from the government and the general state administration, and it performs its functions through TVE and RNE.

Most staff are civil servants. The News Council is an internal supervisory body composed of RTVE journalists with the aim of safeguarding RTVE's independence. Several supervisory functions are currently exercised by The Secretariat of State of Communication within the Ministry of Presidency.

President of Corporación RTVE

Luis Fernández Fernández (2007–2009).

Alberto Oliart Saussol (2009–2011).

Leopoldo González-Echenique (2011–2014).

José Antonio Sánchez (2014-).

Director Generals of Radiodifusión y Televisión

José María Revuelta Prieto (1957–1962).

Roque Pro Alonso (1962–1964).

Jesús Aparicio-Bernal Sánchez (1964–1969).

Adolfo Suárez (1969–1973).

Rafael Orbe Cano (1973–1974).

Juan José Rosón Pérez (1974).

Jesús Sancho Rof (1974–1975).

Gabriel Peña Aranda (1975–1976).

Rafael Anson Oliart (1976–1977).

Director General of Organismo Autónomo RTVE

Fernando Arias-Salgado Montalvo (1977–1981).

Director Generals of Ente Público RTVE

Fernando Castedo Álvarez (1981).

Carlos Robles Piquer (1981–1982).

Eugenio Nasarre Goicoechea (1982).

José María Calviño Iglesias (1982–1986).

Pilar Miró Romero (1986–1989).

Luis Solana Madariaga (1989–1990).

Jordi García Candau (1990–1996).

Mónica Ridruejo Ostrowska (1996–1997).

Fernando López-Amor (1997–1998).

Pío Cabanillas Alonso (1998–2000).

Javier González Ferrari (2000–2002).

José Antonio Sánchez Domínguez (2002–2004).

Carmen Caffarel Serra (2004–2007).

Television channels

RTVE's own television service comes under the Televisión Española (TVE) division of RTVE. All of TVE's channels broadcast in Spanish, with the exception of TVE Catalonia (branded as TVE Catalunya) which is principally in Spanish with certain programming in Catalan.

Radio stations

RTVE's radio stations come under the Radio Nacional de España division of RTVE.

RTVE is also responsible for the Instituto Oficial de Radio y Televisión (IORTV, Official Institute of Radio and TV) and the Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE (RTVE Symphony Orchestra and Choir). RTVE (as RNE) was admitted to full active membership of the European Broadcasting Union in 1955. TVE joined the Eurovision Network in 1960. The corporation has contributed to the production of more than 300 films, many of which have received awards at international film festivals around the world. From 1979 to 1987, a second radio network known as Radiocadena Española was also a part of RTVE. RCE stations, unlike RNE, showed advertising. RCE was merged into RNE between 1987 and 1989. NO-DO was also merged into RTVE in 1980. Since NO-DO's closure in 1982, RTVE and Filmoteca Española are responsible for maintaining NO-DO's archives.

Internet

RTVE offers an online portal at rtve.es. The website is managed by RTVE's Interactive Media department and allows users to listen and watch live feeds of the network's radio and television stations. The portal also features blogs, news stories and offers an online catch-up service called "A la carta".