Etablissement public de radiodiffusion sonore (EPRS)

Radio algérienne (RA) also known as Établissement public de radiodiffusion sonore (EPRS) is the company in charge of the public radio service in Algeria. The company was created in 1986 as part of the former state broadcast company RTA, which had been founded in 1962.


Media assets

National: Chaine 1, Chaine 2, Chaine 3, Radio Coran, Radio Culture, Jil FM

International: Radio International

State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)


Ownership and governance

EPRS was established through the executive decree no. 91-102 of 1991 as a public establishment “with an industrial and commercial character.”The highest governing structure at EPRS is its Administration Council, which has 13 members (including the Director General), four of whom are representatives of government bodies (various ministries). The others are directors of the EPRS’ three main radio chains, representatives of journalists, a representative of the APS, Algeria’s official news agency, and others. The council is chaired by the Director General who is appointed through a presidential decree. EPRS is subordinated to the Ministry of Communication.

Source of funding and budget

EPRS is financed through a combination of state funding and advertising sales. EPRS has not published financial data recently. According to local experts who viewed an EPRS budget in recent years, the state allocation accounts for over 85% of EPRS’ total budget. In 2021, EPRS received from the Ministry of Communication a total subsidy of DZD 5bn (US$ 37.4m).

In 2022, as part of a government program aimed at stepping up its propaganda efforts, with a total budget of €120m, the government allocated some €32m to the EPRS, according to our local experts interviewed for this report.

Editorial independence

The editorial coverage at EPRS is tightly controlled by the government. Journalists are working under very hard pressures, and the editorial coverage and agenda are imposed by the government, according to local journalists and experts. Often, because of these pressures, journalists have to leave their job.

The decree that established EPRS puts forward a series of provisions governing the broadcaster’s programming. However, no independent assessment or oversight mechanism and no domestic statute that establishes the editorial independence of EPRS have been identified.

August 2023