Radio Télévision Gabonaise (RTG) is the state broadcaster in Gabon. It runs two television stations, a French-language radio network, and several province-based radio stations.
Media assets
Television: RTG1, RTG2
Radio: Radio Gabon chain
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
RTG’s management, including its director general, is appointed by the government through the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy. This ministry decides about the appointments and oversees the contracts of the RTG staff.
Source of funding and budget
The RTG’s operations are financed by the government. It also generates revenues through advertising, but according to journalists covering Gabon, the bulk of the station’s budget comes from the state. The station hasn’t released any information about its budget.
Editorial independence
The government fully controls RTG’s news content policy through the appointment of the station’s top management. The broadcaster is so tightly controlled that, according to journalists covering Gabon, the first minutes of the news bulletins are, as a rule, dedicated to the President (mostly consisting of congratulatory messages about his performance).
No domestic statute and no oversight or assessment mechanism in place at RTG to validate the broadcaster’s editorial independence have been identified.
July 2024