The Dominican State Radio and Television Corporation (CERTV) was established in 2003. The history of Dominican state media can be traced back to 1942 when the radio channel Voz del Yuna began broadcasting. In 1952, a television broadcast was launched in the country. After 1965, the state-owned media were brought under the umbrella of Radio Santo Domingo Television, which later became Radio Vision Nacional. Today, CERTV operates the television channel 4RD and three radio stations.
Media assets
Television: Canal4RD
Radio: Dominicana 98.9/99.9 FM, Quisqueya FM, Radio Santo Domingo
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State Financed and State Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
CERTV was established as a state-owned company by Law 134-03 in 2003. It is accountable to the Ministry of Culture. It is overseen by a Board of Directors, a Radio Committee, a Television Committee, a Director General of the Corporation, and a Director for each of its broadcasters. The Board of Directors appoints the directors for each broadcaster based on the recommendation of the Director General.
State authorities appoint the Board members. According to Article 9 of the law, the Board’s composition is as follows: a representative of the Ministry of Culture; the Secretary of State for Education; the Secretary of State for Higher Education, Science, and Technology; the Technical Secretary of the Presidency; the General Administrator of the Reserve Bank of the Dominican Republic; a representative of foundations linked to education and culture; and three individuals with proven prestige, knowledge, and experience in the field of radio and television communications, who have no direct and substantial interests in the commercial radio and television industry.
The President of the Republic decides who will hold the positions of President, Vice-President, and Secretary of the Board.
In April 2022, Iván Ruiz was appointed as the director general of CERTV, replacing Nelson Marte, who stepped down due to medical reasons. Ruiz pledged to revamp CERTV into a robust, independent, and widely recognized broadcasting network, aiming to establish a benchmark for public service television throughout Latin America. The CERTV Board fully supported Ruiz’s proposals for the overhaul of CERTV.
The government also proposes the member for the seat reserved for cultural and educational foundations and three seats reserved for individuals with prestige in the field of communication. The Board of Directors appoints the company’s director general for a period of four years.
The law requires that, apart from the director, the company’s employees must be chosen by a career service to prevent them from being arbitrarily removed. However, the selection process depends on the Board of Directors, which the government controls.
Source of funding and budget
CERTV relies heavily on public funding, with most of its financial resources coming from the state budget. In 2021, CERTV’s budget totaled US$ 8.4m; the following year, as reported by the company, it increased to $11.8m. According to Article 25 of Law No. 134-03 (2003), CERTV’s funding is derived from the state budget, special allowances provided by the republic’s presidency, and 10% of the official budget for state advertising.
Editorial independence
According to CERTV’s website, the broadcaster’s primary objective is “to serve as a means of spreading the principles and values that define the Dominican State” and to promote and defend the state’s interests.
Throughout its history, CERTV’s channels have been known for their propagandistic content. The 4RD evening newscast is a clear example of Dominican state television’s propagandist approach. An ad hoc content analysis conducted in 2021 revealed that the content on CERTV’s platforms openly endorsed propaganda.
The CERTV law asserts the group’s “operational, judicial, and financial autonomy,” yet in reality, the broadcaster functioned as a government mouthpiece. The research for this report did not uncover any domestic law guaranteeing CERTV’s editorial independence.
However, since Iván Ruiz assumed the top position at CERTV, the company has initiated a reform process to transform the broadcaster into a high-quality, editorially independent media outlet. Ruiz’s plans have been approved by the broadcaster’s board of directors and have received positive coverage in the media. A content analysis conducted for this report in October 2023 also found a much more balanced news coverage on the 4RD channel.
Considering these developments, along with the absence of evidence indicating government control over the broadcaster’s news coverage, in August 2024, we upgraded CERTV to an editorially independent media class in our State Media Matrix, specifically categorizing it as Independent State Funded and State Managed Media (ISFM).
August 2024