Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTV Slovenia or RTVSLO) is Slovenia’s national public broadcaster. Its headquarters is in Ljubljana, and it has studios in Koper and Maribor, two other major cities in Slovenia. The broadcaster operates three nationwide television channels and two regional television channels. Additionally, it runs eight radio channels, one of which airs internationally.
Media assets
Television: National- TV Slovenija 1, TV Slovenija 2, TV Slovenija 3; Regional- TV Koper-Capodistria, TV Maribor
Radio: National- Prvi, Val 202, Ars; Regional- Radio Koper, Radio Capodistria, Radio Maribor, MMR; International- Radio Slovenia International (RSi)
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent Public (IP)
Ownership and governance
The RTVSLO operates as a non-profit public broadcast organization according to the Radiotelevizija Slovenija Act and is also mentioned in the Mass Media Act.
According to its statute, the RTVSLO has been governed for decades by the Programming Council and a Supervisory Board.
The Programming Council was RTVSLO’s highest governing body. It comprised 29 members from various fields and was responsible for appointing the RTVSLO’s General Director and ensuring the broadcaster’s editorial integrity. The law included specific provisions to prevent conflicts of interest among council members, such as prohibiting politicians who held office in the past five years from serving on the board. The Supervisory Board, with 11 members, primarily oversaw the broadcaster’s economic efficiency.
The governing body structure has allowed RTVSLO to protect its operational independence in the past. However, the 2005 Law on RTV Slovenia increased the government’s role in RTVSLO’s affairs by excluding various civil society groups from the composition of the Programming Council. Instead, it gave the state authorities more power to appoint those bodies. International organizations such as the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Council of Europe (CoE) sharply criticized the newly introduced legal provisions. However, the Slovenian authorities adopted the law, ignoring external criticism. As a result of these new provisions, the government gained the power to appoint the majority of members of both the Programming Council and the Supervisory Board of RTV Slovenia. Additionally, the government could indirectly influence the appointment of the broadcaster’s Director General, who also has the power to appoint all the directors of various radio and television departments and channels.
In recent years, the implementation of new appointment rules has led to an increase in cases of political interference in RTV Slovenia’s editorial coverage, which has negatively impacted its credibility.
In 2020, there was a significant political attack on the governing bodies of RTV Slovenia. This occurred after Janez Jansa, a right-wing politician, became prime minister for the third time following the elections in early March 2020. Jansa openly expressed his disapproval of RTV Slovenia’s programs, calling them a “media killer” and accusing them of having a pro-leftist bias.
In April 2020, the government dismissed three members of the RTVSLO’s Supervisory Board and replaced them with pro-government candidates. The following month, six candidates known for their support of the government were appointed to the RTVSLO Programming Council. These changes in the RTVSLO governance structures were part of a coordinated attack by right-wing political forces aimed at defunding the station and securing editorial control.
However, following the adoption of amendments to the RTVSLO law by the new ruling coalition in July 2022 and subsequent confirmation of the law’s validity by the national Constitutional Court, RTVSLO’s management has been restructured. Its two governing bodies have been merged into a 17-member decision-making structure. Members of this body will be appointed by civil society groups and the broadcaster’s employees rather than the National Assembly. Local analysts and international experts expect this restructuring to secure the broadcaster’s independence.
Source of funding and budget
RTVSLO is funded through a combination of license fees, commercial revenues (mainly from advertising and sales of other commercial products), and state budget allocations. Annually, the revenue from license fees (a compulsory levy paid by all households in Slovenia) makes up 70% to 80% of the broadcaster’s total budget.
According to the outlet’s latest annual budgetary plans, in 2022, the license was to account for over 77% of its budget, while revenue generated by advertising sales was planned to contribute nearly 13%. Thus, the contribution of the state budget allocation to the total budget of RTVSLO is marginal.
In 2022, RTVSLO had a planned budget of approximately €126m. The Slovenian government’s attacks against RTVSLO included an attempt to reduce the broadcaster’s budget and allocate some of its revenue to other media outlets in the country. These plans were likely to compromise the station’s independence (see more under Ownership and governance above).
Additionally, former Prime Minister Janez Jansa’s efforts to overhaul RTVSLO’s funding model intensified pressure on the station in 2021. Jansa publicly announced that he personally refused to pay the license fee, a form of funding that has historically helped shield the broadcaster from government control.
In 2023, the broadcaster planned revenues of €128.7m, according to a company report.
Editorial independence
There are no legal norms that impose editorial rules on the management or journalists of RTVSLO. Instead, the station’s activity is governed by a set of laws designed to protect its editorial independence. For instance, RTV is legally required to maintain independence and adhere to various rules, including impartiality, truthfulness, and the pluralism of opinions. The broadcaster is legally bound to comply with a series of provisions that dictate its programming, including the obligation to produce programs for ethnic minorities (Hungarians and Italians) and allocate time for cultural and children’s programs.
However, the editorial safeguards at RTVSLO were severely threatened during the Jansa government. This government planned to gain control over the broadcaster’s editorial decisions by solidifying its control over the station’s governing structures and financially destabilizing the station.
In November 2021, the RTVSLO Program Council approved a significant reform of the station’s programming, which included canceling various talk shows and changing some news programs. This plan was perceived as a confirmation of government control at RTVSLO and drew sharp criticism from media freedom NGOs.
Despite Jansa’s populist party, RTVSLO’s primary adversary, losing the elections in April 2022, the station remained under government control. This situation led the broadcaster’s staff to strike at the end of May 2022.
Nonetheless, the amendments to the RTVSLO law, which came into effect in June 2023 (see Ownership and governance above), thwarted attempts to influence the broadcaster’s editorial independence. According to Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, the 2023 law signifies “that politics is withdrawing from managing RTV Slovenia and giving its employees the necessary autonomy.” Media freedom NGOs, such as the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) and Article 19 in the U.K., also applauded the newly introduced legal provisions.
In addition to the legal provisions that mandate a set of programming obligations, RTVSLO operates according to a detailed statute. This statute outlines all the principles that should guide RTVSLO’s activities, including its management, organization, financing, and editorial affairs. Concurrently, the broadcaster’s journalists must adhere to a set of professional standards that further reinforce their independence.
RTVSLO has a Listener and Viewer Ombudsman appointed in 2008 following the legal requirements stipulated by the RTV Slovenia Law. The Ombudsman’s primary responsibility is to independently evaluate complaints, comments, and suggestions from viewers and listeners. They then instruct RTVSLO’s General Director on how the station should enhance its editorial coverage in response to these complaints.
August 2024