Argentine television broadcasting officially began in 1951 with the inauguration of the state-owned Canal 7 (now Televisión Pública). Today, RTA is the network with the widest coverage. It runs Televisión Pública (Canal 7) and Canal 12 television, as well as Radio Nacional.
Media assets
Television: Televisión Pública (Canal 7), Canal 12
Radio: Radio Nacional
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
RTA was created through Law 26.522 as a state company subordinated to the Government.
The highest governing body in RTA is the board of directors that is composed of seven members appointed as follows: its chair directly appointed by the Argentinian government, one member directly appointed by the government, three members appointed by MPs and two members proposed by the Federal Council for Audiovisual Communication, Argentina’s broadcast regulator (one of the two must be an academic). The director of RTA is also appointed by the government through decree. The latest appointment of the RTA director, Osvaldo Santoro, an actor, took place in June 2021.
The appointment of the RTA board of directors is timed in such a way not to be synchronized with the election of the new government because such synchronization is believed to allow for and encourage political meddling in the appointment process.
Source of funding and budget
In 2023, RTA had a budget of ARS 25.7bn, most of it consisting of a state contribution. The budget was similar to previous years although in local currency it is much larger than in previous years. Due to the galloping inflation and exchange rate, the 2023 budget was more or less similar to the previous year, hovering around US$ 74m.A levy on commercial media companies as well as revenues from advertising, sponsorship and donations also generate income for RTA. According to the Law 26.522 of 2009, RTA receives every year some 20% of the revenues that are collected through a levy imposed on commercial media.
Editorial independence
In spite of the good quality of the RTA’s programming, the editorial agenda of the station is usually favorable to the government. That is a result of the procedures of appointing the governing structure of RTA as the most important positions are totally dependent on the government.
The RTA’s editorial content is overtly favorable to the left, but also “educational” in that it explains to the audience the political processes at local and regional levels. RTA’s TV Publica runs a number of programs that offer little information and much propaganda. The National Radio also has high quality content, but when it comes to the president, praise is a constant trend, even the interviews with the president being conducted to favor the president. In the past year, the influence of the government in the editorial agenda of RTA has intensified, prompting an increasing number of independent journalists and observers in Argentina to describe RTA more as a state media outlet than a public broadcaster. RTA’s news bulletins often repeat in detail the language used in government’s announcements or by government officials in their public speeches, which makes RTA sound more like a government news channel than a public media broadcaster.
The Law 26.522 stipulates that RTA should ensure pluralism in its content. According to article 121 of the law, RTA should “promote and develop respect for human rights”, “promote political pluralism”, “guarantee the right to information” and “contribute to education”. RTA adopted its first Ethical Code in 2021.
The Law 26.522 created a new body, known as the Honorary Advisory Council for Public Media whose mission is to oversee the editorial independence of the station. The Council consists of 17 members who are appointed by the government, but entirely based on nominations from the following bodies and institutions: two members proposed by communication or journalism universities, three proposed by the RTA trade unions, two by human rights NGOs, six by local governments, one by the Federal Council of Education, two by the Advisory Council on Audiovisual Communication and Children (representing producers of educational, children’s and documentary content) and one by indigenous peoples. The Council regularly invites the public to debates on various issues related to the RTA’s programs and presents its reports, along with recommendations, to the authorities.
August 2023