Set up in 1971, BRTC is the main radio and television broadcaster in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with programs in both Arabic and English. The company runs Radio Bahrain, which has six radio stations, and Bahrain TV, which also runs six channels.
Media assets
Television: Bahrain TV, Bahrain International, Bahrain Sport 1, Bahrain Sport 2
Radio: Radio Bahrain, Bahrain FM, Bahrain Radio 96.5, Indian Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
BRTC is owned by the government of Bahrain. The broadcaster is run by the Information Affairs Authority, which is the communications ministry in Bahrain. The authority holds all the decision-making power when it comes to BRTC’s internal affairs and organizational matters, appointing its management and setting its budget. The top positions at BRTC are filled through royal decrees, according to journalists and experts specializing in Bahrain consulted for this report.
Source of funding and budget
BRTC is funded through a state subsidy that is allocated to the Information Affairs Authority. The subsidy accounts for more than 60% of the broadcaster’s total budget, according to journalists and experts specializing in Bahrain. The rest of the budget is generated through advertising sales.
Editorial independence
BRTC’s editorial coverage is under strict government control. The broadcaster is known for its openly pro-government stance, its channels being fully aligned with the government policies and responding to all programming-related requests made by the government. A decade ago it cooperated with the government to identify the participants in the 2011 Bahrain uprising, people who later faced serious consequences. Such tight cooperation between BRTC and the government has remained in place to this day, according to journalists and experts working on Bahrain.
No domestic statute or independent assessment/oversight mechanism that would validate the independence of BRTC have been identified.
August 2023