Radio Nacional TGW is a radio broadcaster that started operations back in 1930 under the military government of the general Lázaro Chacón. Then, it took the name of Radio Nacional de Guatemala.
Media assets
Radio: Radio Nacional TGW
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Radio TGW is a government-owned broadcaster. According to article 7 of the Law on Radio-communications, the General Directorate for National Radio and Television of Guatemala, which is subordinated to the Ministry of Communications, is responsible for coordinating the operations of all the media outlets administered by the state. The director of the station is appointed by the presidential administration.
Source of funding and budget
The annual budget of TGW is GTQ 12m (US$ 1.56m), most of it coming from the government, according to the annual report of the station.The funding is allocated by the General Directorate for National Radio and Television. The station is not allowed to carry advertising. It receives the highest amount of state budget among all state-administered media in Guatemala.
Editorial independence
The ministry of communications defines the content policy of Radio Nacional TGW. The journalistic reporting on Radio Nacional TGW is purely propaganda supportive of the President. The station often refers to the government’s care and various efforts made for the good of its people and avoids any sort of critique of the government in its reporting. The government’s right to control the editorial coverage of the channel is enshrined in legal provisions.
A government decree of 2019 defines the relations of the government with the official media outlets (in the articles 39 and 40 to TGW). Far from ensuring the editorial independence of TGW, these rules empower the government to control the content of state media. No domestic statute that guarantees the independence of TGW exists nor does any independent assessment/oversight mechanism.
August 2023