The Albanian Radio Television (RTSH)
The Albanian Radio Television is the public broadcaster that owns several TV channels and radio stations. The establishment of Radio Tirana by the Albanian Kingdom in 1938 can be considered the beginning of this institution. The television, initially known as TVSH, began broadcasting in 1960 and aired news for the first time in 1963.
With the establishment of television, the state-owned broadcaster was named RTSH (Radio Televizioni Shqiptar). Television is the main part of RTSH (Albanian Radio Television). Until the early 2000s, it dominated the screens in Albania.
TVSH, which was the only Albanian-language channel until 1996, lost its influence after the 2000s with the start of private broadcasts. Despite being the only television broadcast across the entire territory for a long time, its importance diminished due to a perceived political bias and questionable production quality.
During the communist dictatorship and even after the advent of pluralism in the 1990s, RTSH remained a tool of propaganda for the ruling majority. During protests, such as those following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1996-1997, demonstrators also targeted RTSH, which was suspected of biased programming. Accusations continued even after the socialists took over the country. The appointments of General Directors were often seen as political appointments.
RTSH includes several television and radio channels: RTSH 1, RTSH 2, RTSH 3, RTSH Sport, RTSH Film, RTSH Shqip, Radio Tirana, Radio Tirana 2, Radio Tirana Klasik, and Radio Tirana International. The public broadcaster has also obtained two licenses for digital broadcasting from the AMA.
TVSH is funded by a special tax paid by every household in the country along with their electricity bills. According to the institution's financial analysis for 2022, this tax accounted for 57.5% of RTSH's finances, while 25.5% came from the state budget, and the rest was secured mainly through antenna rental and third-party broadcasting, with advertisements contributing 9% of revenue.
Despite having the largest budget compared to other media outlets in the country, public interest in RTSH remains minimal. Reports from the State Supreme Audit Institution have raised suspicions of financial mismanagement at RTSH. However, these alleged abuses were not prosecuted until 2021 when former director Thoma Gëllçi and several employees were arrested on charges of abuse of office by the Special Anti-Corruption Structure (SPAK). Gëllçi and the employees were found guilty, and the former director was sentenced to 16 months in prison for abuse of duty.
Doubts about the quality of programming, the effectiveness of a structure with over 960 employees, and abuses have also been recently raised by members of KDRTSH (The Supervisory Council). Chairman Leka Bungo and members like Mevlan Shanaj have openly criticized the program's quality, focusing mainly on the lack of artistic programming and audience loss.
During the annual report to the Parliamentary Commission for Education and Public Information, KDRTSH member Mevlan Shanaj stated that RTSH had abandoned the public, and no one, including commission members, was watching.
In response to a request for information about viewership, RTSH stated that it had no data on viewership. The content of RTSH is regulated by law and is subject to oversight by the The Supervisory Council (KDRTSH), a collegiate body elected by parliament. The public broadcaster operates in accordance with its statute and regulations that provide guidelines for its content. Additionally, there are several content monitoring boards that aim to represent the interests of Albanian society.
However, public criticisms from KDRTSH members mainly revolve around the management of funds and artistic quality. KDRTSH members claim that the television is politically impartial, despite accusations from the opposition regarding its stances.
Business Form
Public
Legal Form
Public Institution
Business Sectors
Radio and Television Broadcasting; Music Production; Digital Broadcasting Network
Individual Owner
Other TV Outlets
RTSH 2
RTSH 3
RTSH Sport
RTSH Film
RTSH Shqip
RTSH Kuvendi
RTSH Korça
RTSH Kukësi
RTSH Shkodra
RTSH Gjirokastra
RTSH 24
RTSH Muzikë
Other Radio Outlets
Radio Tirana 2
Radio Tirana 3
Radio Tirana Klasik
Radio Tirana International
Other Online Outlets
rtsh.al
Media Business
Digital transmission network
RTSH
License for sports broadcasts
RTSH
Broadcast for third parties
RTSH
General Information
Founding Year
1960
Affiliated Interests Founder
RTSH was founded by the Albanian government, and after the collapse of the communist regime it became a public institution.
Employees
Missing Data
Contact
Tax/ ID Number
RTSH (J61904073W)
Financial Information
Revenue (Financial Data/ Optional)
19.6 Mln..$/ 2.229 Mln..Lek
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
Non profit
Advertising (in % of total funding)
9%
Management
Supervisory Board
Chairman of KDRTSH - director, actor, and screenwriter, was elected head of the Managing Council of Radio Television Albanian in March 2021. He was elected to KDRTSH by a Parliament abandoned by the main opposition parties. Unlike his predecessors on this Council, who were not directly involved in television management, Bungo has been much more active.
Deputy Chairman of KDRTSH - a journalist and diplomat, has a long career within Radio Television Albanian, having served as Director of Radio Tirana and head of the Albanian Telegraphic Agency. Podgorica was also Albania's representative in Kosovo and prefect of Shkodra. He was elected to KDRTSH by a Parliament abandoned by the main opposition parties in May 2021.
A painter, producer, and lecturer at the Academy of Arts. He has collaborated with RTSH on several productions and was elected as a member of KDRTSH in 2020 by a Parliament abandoned by the main opposition parties.
A director and journalist with over 40 years of experience at RTSH, where he has held leadership roles. He was elected as a member of KDRTSH in 2020 by a Parliament abandoned by the main opposition parties.
An Albanian director and actor, was elected as a member of KDRTSH in 2021. Shanaj has previously held leadership roles at RTSH, serving as Director of the Film Department from 1987 to 1992 and Director of the Film and Performing Arts Department in 2001. Shanaj is also a professor of directing at the Academy of Arts.
A journalist and editor of several cultural magazines. For two years, she served as the director of COD/Center for Openness and Dialogue, a government institution under the Prime Minister's office. She was elected to KDRTSH by a Parliament abandoned by the main opposition parties in May 2021.
A journalist and lecturer in communication and journalism sciences and an activist for the Albanian Helsinki Committee. She was elected to KDRTSH by a Parliament abandoned by the main opposition parties in 2021.
A journalist and RTSH employee for over 40 years, where, in addition to journalism, he has worked as a screenwriter, director, and television manager. He was elected to KDRTSH by a Parliament abandoned by the main opposition parties in 2021.
A director and producer with a degree from the Academy of Arts. He was elected to KDRTSH by a Parliament abandoned by the main opposition parties in 2020.
A tenor and producer with a long career at the Opera and Ballet Theater. He ran for KDRTSH membership several times but was eliminated in the Parliamentary Commission for Education and Public Information in January 2021. He accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of politicizing KDRTSH in a published article in the Telegraf newspaper. In a re-run in 2022 as a proposal of the opposition returned to parliament, Tullumani was elected with 97 votes as a member of KDRTSH.
Other Influential People
Was elected as the General Director of the Albanian Radio Television (RTSH) on June 13th, with a unanimous vote from the members of the RTSH Supervisory Council (Board). He is a former Member of Parliament and former Secretary of Media Relations for the ruling Socialist Party. Peza also has a long career as a journalist and media executive.
Has been the Deputy General Director of RTSH since February 2022 and served as the Acting General Director from April 2023 to June 2023 following the resignation of Enkelej Joti from the position of General Director. Neziri has extensive experience in the media industry and, according to his LinkedIn page, has worked as the Chief Engineer/Technology Director of Top-Channel for over 21 years. Previously, he was the Technical Manager of the former Tele Arbëria and also lists experience in teaching.
Just like other directors of the public television, including the resigned director Enkelejd Joti and the former director of the News Unit, Bledar Zaganjori, Neziri comes after a long period of work for the competitors of the private national television, Top-Channel.
Further Information
Meta Data
The ownership structure and financial statements are publicly available at the Albanian National Business Registry. 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. For assessing the assets and revenues of the company in the media market, MOM has calculated the value of assets, revenues, and profits for 8 television companies/groups that broadcast for free. The companies included in the calculation are as follows: Top Channel, Klan, Media Vizion, Multiscreen, Focus Media News, ABC News, Ora News. This calculation does not include paid companies such as DigitAlb and Tring TV, nor does it include the public television RTSH, which is mainly financed through a special tax. The data for the audiences for the main television stations were taken from Idra Media. The data for RTSH were partially obtained from the institution's own publications. RTSH responded to the information request made by the MOM team on August 14, 2023. For more information, refer to the sources.
