Public Radio of Armenia is a public broadcast media outlet in Armenia whose history goes back to 1926. It operates three nationwide channels. The broadcaster also operates an international channel that is known as Radio Yerevan.
Media assets
Radio: Public Radio of Armenia
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
The Public Radio of Armenia has the same status and is governed in the same way (has the same body) as the Public Television of Armenia. Its highest governing body is the Council of Public Broadcaster, which also regulates the Public Television of Armenia.
Source of funding and budget
The Public Radio of Armenia is funded in a similar way as the Public Television of Armenia, its budget coming in majority from the state budget, according to data from the company.
Editorial independence
Unlike the Public Television of Armenia, the Public Radio is much closer to what an independent public radio should be. The lower audience of the Public Radio is likely to be a factor: as authorities have less interest in a broadcaster with lower reach than its television peer, they make less effort to control the editorial coverage of the Public Radio of Armenia. However, in the past year, the content of the Public Radio of Armenia has become more biased in the government’s favor. An ad hoc content analysis of the Public Radio of Armenia found that the channel has become more like a propaganda platform. When it comes to politics, for example, the station promotes all the working visits that the Armenian state dignitaries pay to foreign countries in a typical state media fashion.
No domestic statute or independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate the editorial independence of the Public Radio of Armenia have been identified.
September 2023