Radio Televisión Canaria (RTVC) is a public broadcaster that serves the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It operates both a television and a radio channel.
Media assets
Television: TV Canaria (HD)
Radio: Canarias Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
RTVC was established as a public entity under the regional government of the Canary Islands by Law No. 13 of 2014.
The RTVC Governing Council consists of five members appointed by the Parliament of the Canarias and serves as the highest governing body.
Source of funding and budget
RTVC is mainly funded through state subsidies. In 2022, the government of the Canary Islands provided a subsidy of over €58.1m, which constituted almost the entire broadcaster’s budget for that year, as stated in the company’s annual report. In 2023, RTVC’s budget slightly increased to €60m, according to a media report.
Editorial independence
Criticism of RTVC’s editorial coverage occasionally arises, but there was no evidence of systematic government editorial control for many years.
However, in the past couple of years, we have collected evidence of such government interference from both public sources and journalists interviewed for this report in April-May 2024. In February 2024, a journalist was interrupted during a program while trying to explain issues that portrayed the authorities negatively. This evidence has led us to reclassify RTVC as State Controlled (SC) in our State Media Matrix typology, relegating it to an inferior category.
The law establishing RTVC safeguards the broadcaster’s editorial independence. Additionally, this law established the News Council’s legal framework, which protects RTVC’s editorial independence.
The News Councils are designed to safeguard the RTVC’s editorial independence. Their work is governed by an internal set of rules approved by the Governing Council. Another oversight mechanism for RTVC’s programming is the Audience Office, which receives and addresses audience complaints and suggestions primarily related to RTVC’s programs.
August 2024