BTRC is the official state-owned television and radio broadcasting service in Belarus. It is more commonly known as Belteleradiocompany. BTRC currently operates seven television channels and five radio stations, including: Belarus 1 (focused on news and current affairs), Belarus 2 (specialized in entertainment and sports), Belarus 3 (covering mostly cultural programs), Belarus 4 (with a focus on regional news and cultural programs), Belarus 5 (specialized in sports), Belarus 24 (targeting the international audience), and NTV Belarus (the local version of the national television broadcaster NTV Russia).
Media assets
Television: Belarus 1, Belarus 2, Belarus 3, Belarus 4, Belarus 5, Belarus 24, NTV Belarus
Radio: First Channel, Radio Station Belarus, Channel Culture, Radio Stalitsa, Radius FM
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
As is the case with the majority of media outlets in Belarus, BTRC is a state-owned enterprise. BTRC, the largest media holding in Belarus, reports to the Office of the President, Alexander Lukashenko. The President directly appoints the management of the station.
Source of funding and budget
BTRC receives full funding from the government budget, according to experts and journalists covering Belarus interviewed for this report in May 2023 and January 2024. In 2020, BTRC received a state subsidy amounting to BYN 123.9m (US$ 47m), representing the largest portion of total state spending on media during the year, according to the same sources.
Editorial independence
BTRC is a state-owned media outlet in Belarus that serves as a propaganda channel for the government. The station’s editorial coverage is subject to strict government control, with the President of the country determining its editorial agenda, according to local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in May 2023 and January 2024, and an ad hoc content analysis conducted for this study in May 2023.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the association of public broadcasters in Europe, has taken the decision to suspend the membership of BRTC on an indefinite basis. This is a consequence of the Belarusian government using the channel as a propaganda tool. The suspension of BRTC’s membership was initially implemented in 2021, but following a review, the association has decided to extend the suspension indefinitely.
To date, no domestic statute or independent mechanism to validate the editorial independence of BTRC has been identified.
September 2024