Radiotelevisión de la Región de Murcia (RTRM) is the public broadcaster in the Region of Murcia. It runs the radio service Onda Regional de Murcia and the television broadcaster 7TV Region de Murcia.
Media assets
Television: La 7 RM (HD)
Radio: Onda Regional de Murcia, ORM Música
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Funded and State-Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
RTRM was established through Law No. 9 of 2004 (amended twice in 2012 and 2015) as a state-owned corporation. As of 2015, the television service of RTRM has been operated by a privately owned company, Central Broadcaster Media, which won a public tender organized by the regional government to outsource the operation of TV7.
The highest governing structure at RTRM is the Board of Directors consisting of nine members all appointed by the regional parliament or Murcia. The Director General is appointed by the Board of Directors.
Source of funding and budget
Most of the funding used to operate RTRM comes from the government of the Murcia region. In 2020, the government allocated some €20.5m for the operation of the RTRM. Of that, some €5m was allocated to the radio broadcaster and €15.5m for the private company that operates the RTRM’s television channel as part of an outsourcing deal concluded in 2015 by the regional government. The budget of running RTRM is in a proportion of over 90% covered by the regional government. In 2022, the government allocated some €5.2m for the RTRM’s radio operation.
Editorial independence
There is no evidence of systematic editorial control by exerted the government at RTRM.
The editorial independence of RTRM is established through the so-called Program Agreement signed between the Murcia government and RTRM. The latest such agreement was signed in January 2020.
There is no independent mechanism of assessment or oversight that would validate the editorial independence of RTRM.
September 2023