Syri FM

Syri FM began broadcasting in 2020 as a reinforcement of the messages from Syri TV, a media outlet close to the opposition and the Democratic Party. The radio station broadcasts the television programs and its main political shows, such as "Çim Peka Live," "A Show," "Task Force," and others.

The radio station is owned by Emi Media Group, which in turn is owned by the non-profit organization "Open Information Center," founded by journalist Çlirim Peka. Prior to being acquired by Open Information Centre in 2019, Emi Media Group was operating a radio station broadcasting on 89.8 FM waves under the name the “Best Radio”, which was renamed into Syri FM once the shares of the company were transferred to the Open Information Centre.

However, its programming changed from being primarily music-focused to broadcasting programs from Syri TV. Just like the television, the radio station was an expansion of the media activity of the Open Information Center, which had launched the informative portal Syri.net in 2015 and was officially registered in 2017. 

Key facts

Audience Share

Missingdata

Ownership Type

Private

Geographic Coverage

Local (Tiranë)

Content Type

free content

Data Publicly Available

ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc.

2 ♥

Media Companies / Groups

Center for Open Information

Ownership

Ownership Structure

Syri FM is owned by the company 3 DS & AF Entertainment, whose shares are owned by the NGO Open Information Center, founded by Çlirim Peka.

Voting Rights

The Center for Open Information, a Non-Governmental Organization founded by journalist Çlirim Peka, known as Çim Peka, holds all the shares.

Individual Owner

Media Companies / Groups
Facts

General Information

Founding Year

2020

Affiliated Interests Founder

Çlirim Peka

"Syri FM" is a radio station owned by the company Emi Media Group, which is 100% owned by the non-profit organization "Open Information Center," founded by journalist Çlirim Peka, known as Çim Peka. In 2019, the Open Information Center acquired the company 3 DS & AF Entertainment from the Shena family. This company had owned Tirana TV since 2017 and Emi Media Group (both have suspended activity), which held the broadcasting rights for radio on the 89.8 FM waves. The radio station continues to be registered with the Audiovisual Media Authority as "Best Radio”, the name under which it broadcasted until the shares of the company were transferred to the Open Information Center.
Çlirim Peka (Çim Peka) is recognized as the founder and director of Syri TV, as well as the online portal syri.net and the lesser-known radio Syri FM. Peka, who previously directed UTV, a television station owned by former Democratic Party deputy Astrit Veliaj, is known for his support of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha and former President Ilir Meta. No other businesses or companies are registered under the name Çlirim Peka. He has been accused by the pro-government media on the opposite side that the media he founded are secretly funded and owned by Shkëlzen Berisha, the son of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. There have also been reports in the media about Peka's close relationships with former President Ilir Meta. Peka has denied the accusations of hidden ownership and financing.

Affiliated Interests Ceo

Gazmir Spahija

is the administrator of the company 3 DS & AF Entertainment, which also owns Syri FM radio since October 2019. Spahija has had a career as a high-level official in the right-wing government of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked in the General Directorate of Customs until 2010 and from then until 2013, he was the General Director of Taxes, one of the most important functions at that level of governance. Spahija resigned in 2013 with the arrival of the Socialist Party in power.
Spahija became engaged in private business and directly or indirectly owns several companies, mainly related to solar energy production and financial consulting. According to data from the National Registration Center, three companies are still active, while four are suspended.
He did not completely detach from politics; he is a member of the National Council of the Democratic Party, a group led by Sali Berisha. After the violent clash between supporters of Lulzim Basha and Sali Berisha on January 8, 2022, over the Democratic Party headquarters, Spahija was accused by the faction led by Basha of being part of a group of mercenaries used to attack the democrats.
In a written response, Spahija denied the use of violence and insisted that he had been a prominent member of the Democratic Party for years, including a leadership role in electoral campaigns.
In opposition media, Spahija has been rumored to be close to Shkëlzen Berisha, the son of former Prime Minister Berisha.

Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief

Andi Bejtja

is the Director of Information at Syri TV and consequently also of the radio that broadcasts the same programming. Bejtja is an experienced journalist with a long career in print and television media. He is known for his sharp critical stances towards the government led by Edi Rama.

Contact

Rruga ''Veli Dedi'', Ndërtesa Nr.9, Kashar, Mëzez, Tiranë

Phone: + 355692090076

E-mail: gspahija@syritv.al

Website: www.syri.net

Financial Information

Revenue (in Mill. $)

Missing data

Operating Profit (in Mill. $)

Missing data

Advertising (in % of total funding)

Missing data

Market Share

Missing data

Further Information

Meta Data

The ownership structure and financial balances are publicly available at the National Business Center in Albania. The secured financial data pertains to the year 2022. To convert the amounts into dollars, the average exchange rate of the Central Bank for the year 2022 was used. The financial statement is not separated for the three media units, television, radio, and the online platform, but is presented as the balance sheet of the 3 DS & AF Entertainment company.

  • Project by
    BIRN ALBANIA
  •  
    Global Media Registry
  •  
    Funded by European Union
  • Funded by
    BMZ