Office de radiodiffusion et télévision du Bénin (ORTB) is the public broadcaster in Benin. Its history goes back to 1972 when it was established as Office de radiodiffusion et de télévision du Dahomey (ORTD). After the country was renamed Benin, the broadcaster was also renamed ORTB. In November 2023, the government approved the merger of ORTB and Centre multimédia des adolescents et des jeunes du Bénin (Multimedia Center for Teens and Youth, CMAJB) to create Société de radio et de télévision du Bénin (Radio and Television Company of Benin, SRTB). The broadcaster airs five radio channels and two television stations. It shut down the channel BB24 (focused on business) in June 2023.
Media assets
Television: ORTB TV, Ado TV
Radio: Radio Benin, Radio Parakou, Atlantic FM, Radio Benin Alafia, Ado FM
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
ORTB was established as a public entity through the decree no. 75-43 of 1975 (another decree, no. 81-012 of 1981, amended the original). After 1990, when Benin adopted a multi-party democratic system, ORTB’s statute was changed again several times, the most important amendment being the decree no. 99-315 of 1999, which turned ORTB into a “public establishment with social, scientific and cultural character.” Today, ORTB is regulated by the decree 252-2005 of 2005.
ORTB is accountable to the Ministry of Communication and Post, according to information from the ministry.
The highest governing body at ORTB is its Board of Directors, composed of five members (it was composed of seven members until July 2022, when the president of Benin approved a decree amending the legal provisions of ORTB). All of them are approved by government ministries and the country’s president. Before July 2022, four of the seven members of the Board were government representatives (mostly representatives of various ministries), two were people appointed by the communication ministry and one was an ORTB staff representative.
In November 2023, the government in Benin approved the statutes of the Société de Radio et de Télévision du Bénin SA (SRTB). The new entity was created through the merger of the Office de Radiodiffusion et Télévision du Bénin (ORTB) and the Centre multimédia des Adolescents et des Jeunes du Bénin (CMAJB), which runs the television channel Ado TV and the radio station Ado FM.
Source of funding and budget
SRTB is fully funded by the government, according to decree 252-2005. The government decides upon the recommendation of the communication and post ministry on the yearly state budget allocation for the station.
Editorial independence
The government does not regulate ORTB’s editorial coverage. However, the government indirectly intervenes on a regular basis in the station’s internal editorial affairs. According to RSF, ORTB is under the tight control of President Patrice Talon.
No statute and no oversight or assessment mechanism that would validate ORTB’s editorial independence has been identified.
July 2024