Launched in 2004, RTVC replaced Inravisión, Colombia’s public service broadcaster since 1964.
RTVC is an indirectly decentralized entity that operates the television channels Señal Colombia, which features a variety of programming including movies, documentaries, culture, and entertainment, and Canal Institucional, which primarily covers government events, presidential speeches, and activities of other state authorities such as the Congress. Additionally, RTVC manages the national public radio channels Radio Nacional de Colombia, which has been in operation since 1940 and now primarily airs news and music, and Radiónica, a rock music channel targeting young audiences.
In 2019, RTVC was required to launch new web channels (Señal Clásica, Señal Digital, Radiónica 2, and Radiónica 3) and make all its radio and television archives accessible to the public following legal changes.
Media assets
Television: Señal Colombia, Canal Institucional; Radio Nacional de Colombia, Radionica
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
RTVC was established as a state-controlled public media enterprise by decree 3525 of 2004.
According to Law 1978 of 2019, the government appoints the director of RTVC. The director is considered a “manager” responsible for overseeing the national public radio and television, as stated in Article 45 of the law. RTVC is governed by a Board of Directors and a Board of Partners, which primarily oversee the station’s corporate governance. The President of the Republic regulates RTVC through the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications and appoints the broadcaster’s general director. In February 2020, a new RTVC director was appointed.
Source of funding and budget
The public service media in Colombia receives funding from the government through a state fund (FONTV), the structure of which was changed following a series of legal provisions adopted in 2019.
In 2020, RTVC’s budget was COP 253bn (US$ 72m), with over 66% coming from state subsidies and the remaining funds generated from various sources, including commercial revenues. The funding for RTVC is obtained from levies paid by private radio and television broadcasters and, as of 2019, also by telecommunications companies.
In 2022, RTVC recorded a total income of COP 226bn (US$ 58.3m), with more than 70% of the funding coming from the state, as stated in a company report. In 2023, the RTVC’s budget increased to COP 301bn (US$ 74m), according to a financial report. In 2024, the broadcaster operated with a budget of COP 385bn (US$ 98m), with the state contributing the largest amount.
Editorial independence
RTVC has comprehensive internal regulations and manuals. Additionally, Law 1978, enacted in 2019, requires the government to promote public interest content across various platforms and facilitate citizen participation in public media.
In practice, RTVC is closely controlled by the government, as shown by a series of incidents in the past years. For example, in December 2018, journalist Santiago Rivas had his program “Los puros criollos” (meaning “creole cigars” in Spanish) removed from RTVC after he criticized a law on technological convergence promoted by President Iván Duque. Although station officials claimed that the decision to remove the program was not censorship, a later recording revealed that it was a deliberate move to punish the journalist for his criticism. The broadcaster’s manager, Juan Pablo Bieri, was heard saying that the journalist’s behavior was like “biting the hand that feeds you.” After facing criticism in the media, Bieri had to resign. In his resignation letter, he confirmed the close links between the President and the general director of RTVC, thanking the president for the job and his trust.
In recent years, accusations of censorship at RTVC continued to emerge. In March 2024, several journalists said that the broadcaster is entirely at the government’s disposal. They said they risk losing their contract if they try to oppose editorial decisions.
RTVC’s “code of integrity” is overseen by a collegiate body of the station’s directors. However, the code only refers generally to RTVC’s public service mission and not specifically to its editorial independence.
RTVC is subject to oversight by several external “control entities” that monitor its programming. One of these entities is a citizen oversight body that ensures the broadcaster is using state resources by existing legal provisions. However, RTVC lacks a dedicated mechanism to oversee its editorial independence.
August 2024