Uruguay has a national television station and a group of state-dependent radio stations, all of which are under the Ministry of Education and Culture. They are operated by the National Audiovisual Communication Service (SECAN) and include Channel 5 and Channel 8 on television, as well as four public radio channels: Radio Uruguay, Emisora del Sur, Clásica, and Radio Babel. These outlets broadcast cultural, sports, news, informational, educational, and entertainment programs. State radio in Uruguay was established in 1929 by Law No. 8557, which set up the Official Service of Electrical Broadcasting (SODRE). Channel 5 of Public Television began its broadcast in 1963.
Media assets
Radio: Radio Uruguay, Radio Cultura, Radio Babel, Radio Clásica
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
The public television and radio broadcasters in Uruguay report to the Ministry of Education and Culture, specifically to an executive department within the ministry known as the National Audiovisual Communication Service (SECAN). Currently, SECAN is led by the journalist Gerardo Sotelo, who was appointed directly by the President of the country.
According to media law in Uruguay, the state media should be overseen by a board comprising three officials: a president, a vice president, and a member, all appointed by the government with the backing of the Senate. However, this rule has not been fully implemented due to different legal interpretations. In reality, the government directly appoints the Director of public media, who oversees both public radio and television operations.
The change of government in Uruguay, from left to right, after the 2019 elections had an impact on the public media coordinated by SECAN in the first few months of 2020. In February 2020, Luis Lacalle Pou’s new government appointed Gerardo Sotelo as the manager of SECAN through a presidential decree. Sotelo, a journalist with many years of experience, has been politically involved with various parties, the most recent being the coalition that won the 2019 elections.
In May 2024, Sotelo resigned from his position at SECAN to focus on politics. He plans to participate in the Independent Party’s electoral campaign as Uruguay prepares for the fall 2024 elections.
Source of funding and budget
Although state media in Uruguay may sell airtime and advertising, they primarily rely on funds from the state budget. According to government data, in 2022, SECAN received a subsidy of UYU 546.7m (US$ 12.3m) from the state budget.
Editorial independence
Uruguay’s state media, under governmental control, lack independence and have faced criticism for being editorially influenced by both left- and right-wing governments. The current director, Sotelo, acknowledged the long-standing criticism of bias in state media coverage and pledged to make changes.
After being appointed director in April 2020, Sotelo assured that the state media would be impartial and serve the public interest. However, he then sent a note to his staff stating that all journalistic content intended for dissemination would need to be reviewed by an official appointed by Sotelo, even before production. He argued that this was necessary to ensure “impartiality” and “public interest,” but the decision sparked controversy. Journalists criticized it as censorship, stating that it was not feasible for them to seek authorization from management for each interview or news report. Additionally, there was controversy over the dismissal of nearly 50 journalists from Public Radio in November 2020, purportedly due to their small audience and the institution’s need for restructuring.
A series of ad hoc content analyses conducted for this report in 2021 and 2024 revealed that state media occasionally feature members of the opposition, but these instances are infrequent. Public media have been predominantly subject to government editorial control in recent years.
Sotelo strongly rejects critical comments about the Uruguayan state media. A report from Deutsche Welle (DW) in May 2021 warned that the freedom of the media in Uruguay was under threat. After other journalists in Uruguay disagreed with the report, DW interviewed more sources and published a new report that toned down the criticism.
Nevertheless, despite all efforts by the management of public media to ensure greater editorial independence, instances of criticism of censorship in public service media in Uruguay continued to appear in recent years.
In accordance with Law No. 19307 of 2014, which regulates radio, television, and other audiovisual communication services (known as the media law), the state-owned radio and television outlets operated by SECAN should ensure “editorial and programming independence” as well as “plurality and diversity of content, to foster a critical and creative public opinion.” The same law stipulates that any journalist in the country, including those working for the state media, has the right to exercise “conscientious objection” to orders from their superiors with which they disagree.
However, the above examples demonstrate that the public media in Uruguay are still under government editorial control.
The media law mandates the presence of an Ombudsman at the state media in Uruguay. However, there is no evidence that this role has been established.
August 2024