Ens Públic de Radiotelevisió de les Illes Balears (EPRTVIB) is a public broadcaster established in 2004. It operates a television division, which runs the channels IB3 Televisió and IB3 Sat, as well as a radio broadcaster, IB3 Ràdio. It covers the Balearic Islands, a Spanish region.
Media assets
Television: IB3 (HD)
Radio: IB3 Ràdio
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Funded and State-Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
EPRTVIB was established through Law No. 15 of 2010 as a public company owned by the local government in the Balearic Islands.
The station’s highest governing body is the Board of Directors, which is comprised of the Director General and nine other members. They are all elected by the regional Parliament in the Balearic Islands, and the Director General is appointed directly by the Parliament.
Source of funding and budget
EPRTVIB receives funding from both state and commercial sources. Its 2022 budget was nearly €33m, most of which was provided by the local government. In 2024, the broadcaster operated with a budget of over €41m, most of it income from a state subsidy. This increased from the €38.1m budget in 2023.
Editorial independence
There was no evidence of government control over the editorial agenda at EPRTVIB in the past. However, there are strong indications that the Popular Party (PP) plans to exert control over the station’s editorial agenda. Like the public broadcaster in the Madrid region, the PP government in the Balearic Islands is preparing legal changes to tighten its control over EPRTVIB.
In line with the plan, the regional authorities aimed to replace the director of EPRTVIB, Andreu Manresa, whose term was extended in March 2022 for another six years. Manresa resigned in September 2023, without providing specific reasons for his early departure. In November 2023, Albert Salas was appointed as the director of the public broadcaster in the Balearic Islands, following the proposal of the Popular Party (PP), which holds power in the region.
Despite these changes, content analysis conducted for this report in April 2024 did not find evidence that the broadcaster has altered its coverage to favor the PP and the government.
The EPRTVIB law guarantees the broadcaster’s editorial independence.
As per the law establishing EPRTVIB, a Content and Programming Advisory Council is responsible for assisting the broadcaster’s management by offering suggestions and recommendations to improve its programming. The Council comprises 15 members who are appointed by the regional Parliament.
August 2024