Latvian Radio (Latvijas Radio, LR) is Latvia’s public radio company. It operates six stations: LR1 (broadcasting general content and focusing on news), LR2 (mainly playing Latvian popular music), LR3 (focused on classical music), LR4 (broadcasting mainly in Russian), Radio Pieci (a youth-focused portal and radio channel), and Radio Naba (focused on alternative music). The station also has its theater and choir.
Media assets
Radio: LR1, LR2, LR3, LR4, Pieci, Naba
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State Funded and State Managed (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
As per the Public Electronic Mass Media and Their Management Law passed in 2020, LR was restructured into a publicly owned association, with the state owning its capital shares. The newly established Public Electronic Mass Media Council (SEPLP), consisting of three members, was appointed to manage the state’s capital shares in public media, including LTV and LR. SEPLP is responsible for appointing the board of LR and the station’s editorial head.
In January 2024, the Parliament in Riga approved the merger of Latvian Television and Latvian Radio, effective from 1 January 2025. The newly formed organization will operate as Latvia Public Media (Latvijas Sabiedriskas Medijs). The internet news portal LSM will also be integrated into the merged entity. The SEPLP will appoint a new chief editor for the new entity, who will oversee the chief editors of both Latvian Television and Latvian Radio. The merger idea was first proposed in 2009, with the initial concept for Latvian Public Media being developed in 2013.
Source of funding and budget
In 2021, LR operated with a budget of nearly €11.3m, over 98% of which was contributed by the government through a state subsidy, according to a company annual report. In recent years the station’s journalists have been complaining about the insufficient financial resources at LR, which prevents them from properly doing their work. LR is also affected by legal provisions adopted in 2018, which forbade LR to carry advertising as of 2021. Since then, the government has increased its contribution to cover the lost funding from ads.
In 2022, the Latvian Radio had a total income of €12.8m, roughly €12.2m coming from a state grant, according to a financial statement published by the broadcaster. The following year, Latvian Radio’s revenue increased to €13.8m.
Editorial independence
The staff at LR has frequently resisted attempts from its former regulator (NEPLP) or politicians to influence the radio’s editorial agenda. They have consistently shown solidarity by working together as a team to oppose such pressures. Additionally, no recent evidence suggests that the government controls LR’s editorial decision-making process.
LR is guided in its work by a Code of Conduct, which establishes the station’s editorial independence and sets forth a set of editorial principles and rules that LR’s journalists must follow. Since there is no evidence of government control over LR’s editorial agenda, these rules are assumed to be followed.
In 2020, a new public media law was adopted, leading to the establishment of the office of the Public Media Ombudsman, which covers LTV and LR. In December 2021, the first Public Media Ombudsman, an independent expert who works as an academic, was appointed.
August 2024