Albanian Radio and Television (RTSH)

Albanian Radio-Television (Radio Televizioni Shqiptar, RTSH) is the public service broadcaster of Albania. It was established during the interwar period with the founding of Radio Tirana. The television division of the station, known as TVSH, commenced operations in 1960. Today, RTSH broadcasts more than 20 television and radio channels, including Radio Tirana International, aimed at audiences abroad.

Media assets

Television: RTSH 1, RTSH 2, RTSH 3, RTSH Shkollë, RTSH Film, RTSH Muzikë, RTSH Shqip, RTSH Fëmijë, RTSH Sport, RTSH Plus, RTSH 24, RTSH Agro, RTSH Kuvënd, RTSH Gjirokastra, RTSH Korça, RTSH Kukësi, RTSH Shkodra

Radio: National- Radio Tirana, Radio Tirana 2, Radio Tirana 3, Radio Tirana International, Radio Tirana Klasik, Radio Tirana Jazz, Radio Tirana Fëmijë; Regional- RTSH Gjirokastra, RTSH Korça, RTSH Kukësi, RTSH Shkodra

State Media Matrix Typology

Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)

Ownership and governance

RTSH is registered as a non-profit public entity under the authority of the Albanian Parliament. It is governed by the Law on Audiovisual Media, which created the legal basis for RTSH’s highest governing body, the Steering Committee.

While the law formally allows civil society organizations, academia, and professional associations to nominate candidates to the Committee, the final decision in appointing its members lies with the Parliament. As a result, the Steering Committee tends to mirror the balance of political power in parliament rather than reflecting the interests of civil society. Local experts note that civil society groups themselves often select candidates based on political preference, which further reduces the independence of appointments. Consequently, the Committee’s decisions are seen as heavily influenced by politics.

Management changes have reinforced these concerns. In June 2023, Alfred Peza, a former MP of the ruling Socialist Party, was appointed as Director General of RTSH. His appointment sparked controversy, as many observers considered it a political move. The immediate dismissal of several journalists under his leadership deepened concerns about editorial capture. By 2024, these concerns had only intensified, as RTSH management was accused of continuing to hire and fire journalists based on political loyalty.

Following a tumultuous year marked by accusations of political capture and mass dismissals, Peza eventually resigned as Director General of Albania’s public broadcaster RTSH in September 2024. His departure initiated a chaotic transition period with Aurora Polo, who had previously served as Deputy General Director and head of Albafilm, serving as acting director.

In the meantime, the leadership contest was marred by legal challenges and such severe dysfunction that the Albanian Parliament dismissed the entire RTSH Steering Council in February 2025. After a new council was appointed, the process concluded on April 25, 2025, with the election of prominent journalist Eni Vasili, who made history as the first woman to lead the institution.

Source of funding and budget

RTSH is funded through a mix of license fees, state subsidies, and commercial revenue. The license fee is mandatory for all Albanian households and is collected together with the electricity bill.

In 2019, license fee revenues represented around 56% of RTSH’s total budget, with state funding covering 30% and commercial activities (advertising, renting transmission facilities, and services for third parties) providing the remainder.

According to a financial report, RTSH had a total budget of ALL 2.2 billion (US$18.6m) in 2021, with nearly 65% coming from license fee revenues. In 2023, RTSH reported a budget of ALL 2.1 billion (US$22.7m), of which 60% came from the license fee. State subsidies amounted to ALL 618m (approx. 30%), while advertising revenues dropped sharply by 67%, to ALL 72m. In 2023, the license fee per household stood at ALL 100 (US$1.07) per month.

In November 2024, RTSH’s then acting director Aurora Polo presented the broadcaster’s 2025 draft budget of ALL 2.9 billion to parliament, with ALL 770 million from state subsidies and ALL 2.13 billion from own revenues, mostly the license fee. The plan included funding for Albanians abroad, cultural projects, and the RTSH Symphony Orchestra, while allocating more for new technologies and investments than in 2024.

Editorial independence

RTSH is formally bound by a statute defining its mission, operational principles, and editorial independence. Yet, as in the past, political interference has frequently undermined these commitments. An additional oversight body, the Council of Viewers and Listeners, is tasked with monitoring programming, conducting audience surveys, and issuing annual reports on RTSH’s editorial performance. While this body provides a potential mechanism for accountability, its recommendations are widely considered weak in practice and rarely constrain management or political influence.

RTSH had a long history of functioning as a government propaganda tool during Albania’s communist regime. After 1990, it formally began the process of reform into an independent public broadcaster. Progress has been uneven, and for many years RTSH was still widely regarded as politically controlled.

There were some improvements in the early 2020s. Experts such as Remzi Lani, director of the Albanian Media Institute (AMI), pointed at the time to a shift away from protocol-driven coverage, and the IREX Media Sustainability Index noted that RTSH allowed opposition viewpoints and did not overtly serve as a government mouthpiece.

However, since 2023, editorial independence has been severely undermined. The appointment of Alfred Peza as Director General was followed by the dismissal of at least 10 journalists, sparking national and international criticism. The European Federation of Journalists expressed alarm over these developments. Subsequent reports in 2024 confirmed ongoing dismissals and politically motivated appointments, further eroding trust in RTSH’s independence.

These developments prompted us to reclassify RTSH to an inferior category in our State Media Matrix Typology in 2023. Despite the election of journalist Eni Vasili as the first woman Director General in April 2025 and her pledges to modernize RTSH through reforms, audits, and new financial strategies, the broadcaster continues to face entrenched governance problems, persistent political influence, and a severe financial crisis that has forced management to seek emergency state funding. While her leadership has generated cautious optimism and some cross-party support, structural challenges remain unresolved, and therefore we have not upgraded RTSH’s classification.

September 2025