Radio and Television of Portugal

The Radio and Television of Portugal (in Portuguese: Rádio e Televisão de Portugal), better known by the acronym RTP , is the public broadcasting company of Portugal.

The company was founded in 2004 to bring together the national public media, within a reorganization that also served to reinforce public service work. Before that year, radio (Radiodifusão Portuguesa, RDP) and television (Radiotelevisão Portuguesa, RTP) were independent companies from each other.

Currently RTP manages four television channels -RTP1, RTP2, RTP3 and RTP Memória-, three national radio stations -Antena 1, Antena 2 and Antena 3-, regional centers, a website, an Internet transmission service —RTP Play— and an international service for both the Portuguese community —RTP International— and for the Portuguese-speaking states of Africa —RTP Africa—.

RTP is a founding member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and a member of the Ibero-American Telecommunications Organization (OTI).

History

Birth

The origins of public radio in Portugal date back to 1930, when the government granted the company Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones (CTT) medium wave and short wave test broadcasts. Five years later, on August 1, 1935, regular broadcasts of Emissora Nacional de Radiodifusão, better known as Emissora Nacional, began. During its first years it depended on CTT, until 1940 when it became a state company and expanded its emissions to all of continental Portugal. It was also one of the 23 founding members of the European Broadcasting Union, created in 1950.

The development of television did not take place until 1955, when the government established the company Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP). The group was a public limited company independent of the radio, with tripartite capital between the State, private broadcasters and private investors. RTP began its experimental VHF broadcasts on September 4, 1956, in the Feira Popular studios (Lisbon), and launched regular broadcasts on March 7, 1957, with coverage for 65%. of the population. Its entry into the EBU occurred in 1959.

During the time that the Estado Novo lasted, Portuguese radio and television were state media controlled by the Salazar and Caetano dictatorships. In the mid-1960s, television coverage reached everything the territory, and on December 25, 1968, the second RTP2 channel was inaugurated in the UHF. In turn, RTP launched two regional services in the archipelagos of Madeira (October 1, 1972) and Azores (August 10, 1975).

Carnation Revolution

After the Carnation Revolution occurred in 1974, Portuguese public broadcasting changed completely. All radio stations were nationalized—except Rádio Renascença and some local stations—and the “Public Broadcasting Company”—Radiodifusão Portuguesa, RDP—was created to bring them together. Two years later, the new government decreed that RDP had to provide a public service with four national channels, three regional ones for the peninsula —RDP Norte, RDP Centro and RDP Sul — and two exclusive ones for the archipelagos —RDP Madeira and RDP Açores—, while the nationalized stations would return to private hands. In 1979, Rádio Comercial was created, which would compete in the advertising market with commercial operators.

In the case of television, RTP was also nationalized and transformed into a public company on December 2, 1975. That year it made its first color broadcasts on the occasion of the constituent elections, but the country's political and economic crisis caused delays in its definitive implementation until March 7, 1980.

Current situation

The 1990s brought changes in public media, with liberalization promoted by the Cavaco Silva administration. Portuguese radio was restructured, Rádio Comercial was privatized and advertising was eliminated on all radio stations. Furthermore, the emergence of private television (SIC in 1992) ended RTP's monopoly in the market. Both RDP and RTP became public limited companies with exclusively public capital, and both lost influence due to the entry of new competitors.

RTP and RDP were merged in 2004 to create a state company, called Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), with a new economic model and a change in programming and corporate image. This concluded the restructuring of public audiovisual media. On March 31, 2004, the new studios were inaugurated in Cabo Ruivo, near the Park of Nations in Lisbon.

In 2011, the Prime Minister of Portugal, Pedro Passos Coelho, wanted to privatize public radio and television as one of the solutions to the debt crisis that the country was suffering. At first it was proposed to sell one of the two main channels to a private operator, and leave the other under state control and without advertising. Other formulas had also been studied, such as the sale of a 49% stake. Finally, privatization It was ruled out and the company has been restructured.

RTP was the organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, thanks to the victory of Salvador Sobral with the song Amar pelos dois.

Organization

RTP is a public company owned by the Portuguese state, with a public service vocation. Its objectives are established in the audiovisual law and in the public service concession contract.

The Board of Directors is the main executive body of RTP. Below are the different general directorates of radio and television. Other management bodies are the Fiscal Council, which controls budget spending, and the Opinion Council, with representatives of social associations.

The administrative work is supervised by the Independent General Council (CGI), created in 2014 to ensure the independence of public media. Among other measures, the CGI defines the company's strategy to fulfill public service obligations and proposes the members of the board of directors. It is made up of six members: two appointed by the government (including its president), two by the council of opinion, and two independents. Their term is six years. The government has the final say to accept or reject the decisions of the CGI.

Financing

RTP has three sources of financing: direct contributions from the Portuguese state in budgets, television advertising and a direct tax charged on the electricity bill, called Contribuição Audiovisual (audiovisual contribution rate).

Radios cannot broadcast advertisements. As for television, RTP1 is the only one that can compete in the advertising market with private television, while RTP2 and RTP3 are prohibited: they only offer institutional advertising or advertising from associations attached to the channel. From 1983 to 1996, advertising sales were controlled and managed by an independent group, Rádio Televisão Comercial.

Services

Radio

Public radio has its headquarters in Lisbon and regional centers in Porto, Coimbra, Faro, Ponta Delgada (Azores) and Funchal (Madeira). The following chains have national coverage:

• Antenna 1: Generalist emissary with information and entertainment programs. Founded on August 4, 1935. There are two versions with regional disconnections for the Azores archipelagos (Antena 1 Açores) and Madeira (Antena 1 Madeira).
• Antenna 2: Emisora specializing in classical arts and music. Founded on May 2, 1948.
• Antenna 3: Youth emissary, with alternative music and promotion of new trends. Founded on 26 April 1994. There is a regional disconnected version for the Madeira Archipelago (Antena 3 Madeira)

The following theme stations can only be listened to in DAB and via the internet:

• Rádio ZigZag: Child radio transmitter.
• Antenna 1 Memory: RDP file service.
• Antena 1 Lusitânia: Emisora specialized in Portuguese music of the last fifty years.
• Antenna 1 Fado: Specialized in fados.
• Antenna 1 Life: Complementary Antenna Service 1.
• Antenna 2 Opera: Operating.
• Antenna 2 Jazzin: Emission of jazz.

On the other hand, it manages two international services, available via satellite, DAB and on the internet:

• RDP International (Radio Portugal): Since 1936 it broadcasts information, music and entertainment for the Portuguese diaspora.
• RDP Africa: Issuer with information for the Portuguese-speaking African countries. Also available on FM. It was founded in 1998.

Television

Logo	Canal	Start of transmissions	Image format
	RTP1 General Canal.	7 March 1957 (66 years)	HD Also available in SD.
	RTP2 Canal de cultura e infantil.	25 December 1968 (54 years)	HD Also available in SD.
	RTP3 News channel.	15 October 2001 (21 years)	SD
	RTP Memória General Canal.	4 October 2004 (19 years)	SD
	RTP Açores Regional channel.	10 September 1975 (48 years)	SD
	RTP Madeira Regional channel.	1 October 1972 (51 years)	SD
	RTP International General Canal.	10 June 1992 (31 years)	SD
	RTP Africa General Canal.	7 January 1998 (25 years)	SD

Internet

RTP has a live streaming and video on demand service, "RTP Play", which brings together the company's entire digital offering. In addition to offering the content of the different radio and television channels, it has its own offer of original and exclusive programs.