Romanian Television (TVR)
Romanian Television (TVR) is the public service television broadcaster in Romania. It operates multiple channels: three nationwide channels, an international channel (TVR International), and a channel serving the public in the neighboring Republic of Moldova (TVR Moldova), catering to Romanian-speaking audiences.
Media assets
Television: National- TVR1, TVR2, TVR3, TVR Cultural, TVR Info, TVR Folclor, TVR Sport; International- TVR International, TVR Moldova; Local- TVR Cluj, TVR Craiova, TVR Iasi, TVR Targu Mures, TVR Timisoara
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
Under Law 41 of 1994, TVR’s main governing body is a Board of Directors composed of 13 members appointed by Parliament. The board chair also holds a four-year term, appointed by Parliament. Member appointments: eight by Parliament, two by TVR staff, and one each by the presidency, government, and political parties representing ethnic minorities.
The current President and General Chairman (Director General/CEO) is Dan Cristian Turturică, appointed by Parliament in November 2021.
Previously, there were discussions led by the Commission for Culture and Media regarding potential legislative reforms to separate the Director General (CEO) from the President to reduce centralized management power and susceptibility to political pressure, though no official change has been enacted to date.
Source of funding and budget
TVR was originally funded through licence fees—less than €2/month per household and €7/month for companies—until 2016, when that “radio and television tax” was abolished. Funding since then has come entirely from the state budget, supplemented by limited advertising permissible by law.
In 2022, TVR’s total budget was RON 501.8m (€102m), with over 85% coming from a state subsidy, as stated in a company report. In 2023, the government allocated a budget of RON 415m (€83.5m), according to media reports. In 2024, TVR received RON 430.7m (€86.4m) from the government and had a budget of RON 462.4m (€92.8m) In 2025, the broadcaster operated with a total budet of RON 453.4m (€89.67m), RON 428.3m (€84.6m) coming from the state budget.
Editorial independence
Legally, TVR is defined as an autonomous, editorially independent public service broadcaster under Law 41 of 1994, with editorial independence meaning TVR’s right to determine programming in line with its mandate, protected from interference by governments, parties, unions, commerce, or lobbying. Censorship is prohibited by law.
In practice, however, editorial independence has been undermined. For many years, the station’s leadership, especially aligned with the Social Democratic Party (PSD), has fostered a censorship-like environment, suppressing criticism of PSD figures.
A major scandal involved former president and executive director Doina Gradea, accused of unprofessional conduct, swearing at journalists, and engaging in editorial censorship. Despite legal challenges and demands for her resignation, she remained within the organization in a different role. Incidents of censorship continued to emerge.
As of early 2025, TVR, along with the public radio SRR, remains subject to ongoing allegations of politicization, censorship, and media capture, according to a study from MJRC and International Press Institute in Vienna. These concerns continue to be substantiated in monitoring reports, indicating that government or political influence still shapes editorial content and internal culture.
There remains no independent oversight mechanism to monitor or validate TVR’s editorial independence, rendering the legal safeguards largely ineffective in practice.
September 2025