Radiotelevisão Caboverdiana (RTC) serves as Cape Verde’s national public service broadcaster, operating both the television channel Televisão de Cabo Verde (TCV) and the national radio station Rádio de Cabo Verde (RCV). Established in May 1997, RTC emerged from the merger of two former state-run entities—Rádio Nacional de Cabo Verde (RNC) and Televisão Nacional de Cabo Verde (TNCV)—following a proposal by then-Minister of Social Communication, José António dos Reis.
Media assets
Television: TCV
Radio: RCV
State Media Matrix Typology
Captured Public/State Managed Media (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
RTC is a wholly state-owned enterprise. However, since 2019, leadership appointments have formally shifted from direct government nomination to an independent media council, with the intention of reducing executive interference.
In practice, though, political influence remains pervasive. While the governance framework suggests autonomy on paper, media experts and watchdog organizations point out that key decisions within RTC still align closely with the ruling government’s interests. The broadcaster’s President of the Board of Directors, as of June 2025, remains José Emanuel Vieira, who has faced mounting criticism for alleged editorial bias.
Source of funding and budget
RTC derives the bulk of its funding from a monthly license fee—currently CVE 4.80 (approx. €0.045)—collected via ELECTRA, the national energy utility. This model continues to form the backbone of RTC’s financing:
| Year | License Fee Revenue | Approx. USD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CVE 439 million | $4.5 M | Official figure |
| 2021 | CVE 445 million | $4.76 M | Official figure |
| 2022 | ≈ CVE 450 million* | ≈ $4.82 M* | Projected |
| 2023 | ≈ CVE 455 million* | ≈ $4.88 M* | Estimate |
| 2024 | CVE 456 million* | $4.83 M* | Estimate |
* Estimates based on ELECTRA collection stability and CPI adjustments since 2021; no official releases for these years.
Roughly 70% of collected license fee revenue is allocated to RTC’s operations, while the remaining share funds digital transmission infrastructure and regulatory obligations. Despite this stable revenue stream, recent criticism has emerged over inefficiencies in fund allocation and the lack of financial transparency at RTC.
Editorial independence
RTC’s editorial mission is formally governed by two separate statutes—one for TCV and one for RCV—which emphasize professionalism, impartiality, and journalistic integrity.
Yet in practice, editorial independence remains compromised. International media freedom organizations, including Reporters Without Borders, have flagged systemic political pressure, noting that RTC’s editorial stance often reflects government messaging. Investigations in 2024 by local journalism schools and the Centro de Estudos da Mídia Africana highlighted cases of self-censorship, particularly in relation to social unrest and critiques of government performance.
In March 2025, the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) denounced what it described as “creeping partisanship” at RTC, demanding more transparent appointment processes and statutory reforms.
Moreover, there is no independent oversight body or monitoring mechanism in place to safeguard or verify RTC’s editorial autonomy. Proposals for a public broadcasting watchdog have been repeatedly shelved by parliamentary commissions over the past three years.
June 2025