The Galician Radio and Television Corporation (CRTVG) was established in 2016 as the successor of the Galician Radio-Television Company, the flagship broadcaster of the region of Galicia that began broadcasting in 1985. One of the key roles of CRTVG is to improve and protect the Galician language and culture. CRTVG airs television channels focused on the region and the world as well as three radio channels.
Media assets
Television: TVG, G2, TVG Europa, TVG América
Radio: Radio Galega, Radio Galega Música, Son Galicia Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Established through the Law No. 9 of 1984 as a company with its own juridical status owned by the Galician government, CRTVG is governed by a Board of Directors that has seven members, one of whom is the station’s general manager. All members of the Board are elected by the Galician Parliament. The general manager is also elected by the Galician Parliament.
Source of funding and budget
The share capital of CRTVG is entirely owned by the General Administration of the Autonomous Government of Galicia. The broadcaster is funded through a combination of advertising revenues and a subsidy from the local government, which is approved every year by the Galician regional government.
In 2020, CRTVG had a total budget of €111m, over 91% of which was represented by a regional government subsidy and the rest was generated by revenues from ad sales, according to a company annual report. In 2022, CRTVG operated with a budget of €126.6m, most of which, a total of €118.7m, came from the regional government, according to an annual report.
Editorial independence
CRTVG often comes under government pressure. However, there is strong pushback from the broadcaster’s journalists against these attempts by authorities to control the broadcaster’s editorial coverage. Such was a recent protest of its journalists. In spite of these attacks, the government of Galicia did not control the editorial coverage at CRTVG, the broadcaster being able to do its work independently, and reacting aggressively when attempts to manipulate its content were made. However, in the past year, the political pressures on the broadcaster, particularly from the People’s Party (PP), which has the majority in the regional Parliament. Such pressures led to intensified strikes by the personnel at CRTVG.
The law that established CRTVG guarantees the editorial independence of the broadcaster. There is also an internal rulebook, known as “Guiding criteria for the editorial direction of CRTVG” that also establishes rules aimed at ensuring quality and unbiased editorial coverage.
There is no mechanism specifically designed to oversee or assess the programming of CRTVG with a view to validating its editorial independence.
September 2023