Belteleradio

National State TV and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus
TypeBroadcast radio and television, online
Country
Belarus
AvailabilityNational
HeadquartersMakayonka St. 9, Minsk
OwnerGovernment of Belarus
Key people
Ivan Eismont (Chairman)[1]
Launch date
15 November 1925 (1925-11-15) (Radio)
1 January 1956 (1956-01-01) (Television)[2]
Former names
Belteleradio (1 January 1956 – 25 September 1991)
Official website
Official website

The National State TV and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Нацыянальная дзяржаўная тэлерадыёкампанія Рэспублікі Беларусь; Russian: Национальная государственная телерадиокомпания Республики Беларусь), known as Belteleradiocompany (Belarusian: Белтэлерадыёкампанія; Russian: Белтелерадиокомпания) or simply Belteleradio, is a state-owned[3] television and radio broadcasting service in Belarus.

From 1993 until 2021, it was a full active member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) under the name Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC).[4] In May 2021, the EBU Executive Board agreed to suspend BTRC as a member of the broadcasting union effective 11 June 2021.[5] The broadcaster later іndіcated that the suspension would expire in 2024,[6] but this was later denied by the EBU a couple months prior to when the suspension hypothetically would have been lifted as they publicly addressed that it had "no reason" to reinstate BTRC's membership "at the current time".[7] This means that BTRC's membership is indefinitely suspended, and as a result cannot rejoin the organisation. Until the suspension is lifted or another Belarusian member joins in its place, there are presently no members of the EBU who are from Belarus.

History

Early years (1925–1933)

The first service of Belarusian radio went on air on 15 November 1925, at the RB-10 radio station named after the Council of People's Commissars of the BSSR. The programs were broadcast for 30 minutes a day within a radius of up to 300 km.[8] Starting in 1926, broadcasts of radio newscasts for workers and peasants started, followed by broadcasts from theaters and clubs and music programs.[9] From 1928, wire broadcasting developed, a weekly broadcasting schedule was formed, taking into account the professional and age characteristics of the target audience.[8] The 1920s also saw the development of regional and district broadcasting. 70-80% of all broadcasting was in Belarusian.[9]

Radio Committee of the BSSR (1933–1953)

In 1933, the Committee for Radio Information and Radio Broadcasting of the Council of People's Commissars of the Belarusian SSR was established. Technical advancements, including the construction of a powerful radio station in Kolodischi, enabled live broadcasting. Sound recording devices were first utilized by Belarusian radio in 1936. By 1938, broadcasting commenced from the new Radio House, which featured three new studios and a workshop for mechanical broadcasting and sound recording.[8]

Following German invasion of the Soviet Union, the RV-10 radio station temporarily suspended its operations. On 1 January 1942, the "Soviet Belarus" radio station began broadcasting on short waves from Moscow.[10] Simultaneously, the German occupation administration launched the "Landessender Minsk" radio station. Initially under the control of the Reich Broadcasting Corporation, it was subordinated to the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda in 1944. This station broadcast in German and Belarusian, with news sometimes also delivered in Russian.[11] The RV-10 radio station resumed broadcasting in 1944, first from liberated Gomel, and subsequently from Minsk.[10]

Radio Directorate of the BSSR (1953–1957)

Broadcasting tower of the BTRC at 6 Kamunistychnaya st.

In 1953, the Radio Committee of the Belarusian SSR was reorganized into the Main Directorate of Radio Information of the Ministry of Culture of the Belarusian SSR.[12] The 1950s saw the beginning of intensive efforts to improve the quality of radio broadcasting. New equipment was installed in the House of Radio, enhancing the quality of recorded broadcasts.[8]

Work on the television station was underway in 1955, with the Minsk telecenter being commissioned that same year.[13] On 1 January 1956, the Radio Directorate of the BSSR launched its television service, "Belarusian Television" (BT).[14] The inaugural broadcast lasted two hours and was watched by 4,500 viewers.[15] The initial TV schedule primarily featured feature films, newsreels, concerts, and performances, sourced from Moscow and local movie distribution centers. Information programs were often supplemented with film and photographic materials. By the late 1950s, the Directorate had begun live broadcasts and the production of documentaries and television plays.[14] By the end of that decade, Belarus had 30,000 television sets.[16]

Gosteleradio of Belarusian SSR (1957–1991)

In 1957, the Radio Control of the Belarusian SSR was reorganized into the State Committee of the Belarusian SSR on Television and Radio Broadcasting (Gosteleradio).[12] In the 1960s, 70% of the territory of Belarus was provided with television.[14] A two-program TV was formed (based on the programs of the 1st program of the Moscow Central Television).[17] In 1960, complete radio coverage of Belarus was completed,[8] new radio stations appeared: "Belarus" (1962), which provided regular broadcasting to foreign countries,[18] "Belarusian Youth" (1963), "Rural Life" (1964).[8] In 1968, The department of theory and practice of radio broadcasting and television was opened at the Faculty of Journalism of the Belarusian State University with the aim of training qualified personnel.[19] The volume of its own broadcasting was 880 hours a year, with a third of that dedicated to political education.[16] In the mid-1960s, its own production of feature and documentary television films began (on the basis of the main editorial office of Telefilm). In 1962, with the starting of Intervision, an exchange of programs with other republics began. In 1961, the Minsk Television Studio and the Committee for Radio and Television were merged into one creative team, in March 1964 it was renamed into the Studio of the Belarusian Television.[20]

In the 1970s, 22 radio broadcasting stations operated on the territory of Belarus. During this period, the transition to 3-program wire broadcasting was carried out, stereo broadcasting was formed on ultrashort waves.[8] In 1972 the State Television and Radio Broadcasting of the BSSR launched the Krynitsa radio station on medium waves.[21] By the beginning of the 80s, there were 6 regional bureaux, 115 district, 12 city and 32 factory radios.[8] In the 1970s and 1980s, television broadcasting covered already 95% of the territory of Belarus. Since 1972, the programs have been broadcast on 3 programs, including color programs of its own production (since 1974). In 1978, the hardware-studio complex of the Belarusian Radio Television Center was put into operation, which made it possible to increase the volume and quality of the color image.[20] In January 1981, Channel 6 aired an independent Belarusian program, which was not covered by programs from Moscow. In terms of the volume of its own production, it occupied the 6th place in the USSR, and its programs were watched by 86% of the inhabitants of Belarus. The broadcasting structure of the national TV channel consisted of 3 blocks: information and journalistic, scientific and educational and artistic.[20]

State TV and Radio of the Republic of Belarus (1991–1994)

In September 1991, the State Television and Radio Broadcasting of the BSSR was renamed the State Committee of the Republic of Belarus on Television and Radio Broadcasting.[12] In the early 1990s, the unified system of state television in Belarus included 6 television centers, 50 transmitters, and more than 2000 radio relay communication lines. This made it possible to repurpose the program to a more powerful 1st communication channel. The average daily volume of republican and regional broadcasting was 14.5 hours.[20] Gosteleradio became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union in 1993. The 1990s ushered in a new stage for Belarusian radio broadcasting; during this decade, the number of non-state-owned TV channels grew to 150, and their programming increasingly focused on entertainment.[22]

Belteleradiocompany (since 1994)

BTRC headquarters at Makayonka St. 9, Minsk (2018)
Ivan Eismont, Director General and Chair of Belteleradio since March 2018

In August 1994, the President of Belarus established Belteleradiocompany.[23] News reporting was then delegated to the newly created Television News Agency in 1995. Television experimented with new modes of reporting, such as debates and talk shows.[20] The first Belarusian TV series premiered in 1999.[24]

In 1998, Belteleradio launched the Stolitsa radio station, which was the only Belarusian-language radio station covering all of Belarus.[25] Since 1998, Belarusian radio began broadcasting to Russia and Ukraine.[26] Belarus launched its first family channel, LAD, in 2003, followed by the state satellite international channel, Belarus-TV, in 2005.[22] Experiments with digital TV began in 2004, with the first transmissions starting in 2005.[27]

Since 2005, all channels and radio stations of the Belarusian Radio were now being streamed live on the Internet.[8] From 22 December 2005, to 28 December 2010, Alexander Zimovsky was the chairman of the Belteleradio.[28]

From October 2009, to December 2013, Belteleradio was exempt from paying income and value-added tax.[29] November 2011 saw the rebranding of two channels: Channel One was renamed "Belarus 1", and LAD was redesignated "Belarus 2".[30] Subsequently, in 2013, "Belarus TV" was renamed "Belarus 24,"[31] and the digital socio-cultural TV channel "Belarus 3" was launched.[32] In 2016, Belarus closed down its cable radio service.[33]

In August 2020, protests and strikes were held against the results of the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus. Hundreds of Belteleradio's 1,500 employees went on strike, demanding the annulment of the election results.[34]

In May 2021, the European Broadcasting Union suspended Belteleradio's membership, citing concerns regarding the confession of Roman Protasevich broadcast by the company, which was reportedly obtained under duress.[35] On 30 June, Belteleradio was expelled from the EBU due to its use as a propaganda tool by the Belarusian government. The proposal for expulsion was put forward by Sweden.[36][37] Although initial reports mentioned that it would expire after three years, in April 2024 the EBU confirmed that the suspension had been made indefinite.[7]

Services

Television

Belteleradiocompany operates eight television channels, of which seven are distributed nationally and one is distributed internationally.[2][38]

  • Belarus 1 – News, current affairs, and general interest programming
  • Belarus 2 – Entertainment and sports programming
  • Belarus 3 – Cultural programming, mostly broadcasts in Belarusian language
  • Belarus 4 – Regional news, entertainment and cultural programming. Broadcasts separately for Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk and Mogilev regions
  • Belarus 5 – Sports channel
  • Belarus 5 Internet – Online sports TV channel
  • Belarus 24 – International channel catering to viewers outside of Belarus
  • NTV-Belarus – Belarusian version of NTV Russia; programming consists of content from NTV Russia and other Russian channels[39]
  • The First News Channel – News channel that started in September 2024.[40]

Radio

Belteleradiocompany operates two national radio services and three regional FM services.[41]

  • First National Channel of Belarusian Radio – The largest nationwide radio channel in Belarus
  • Radio Belarus – National and international service with programming in seven languages (Belarusian, English, French, German, Polish, Russian, and Spanish)[42]
  • Radio channel "Culture" – Regional FM service, cultural and musical programming.
  • Radio "Stolitsa" – Regional FM service, local programming.
  • Radius-FM – Regional FM service, youth-oriented music station.

Internet

  • sport5.by
  • news.by

Censorship and propaganda

Main articles: Censorship in Belarus and Propaganda in Belarus

International experts and the Belarusian opposition name the state TV as one of the main instruments of propaganda by the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko. It is being accused of misinformation, advocating political repressions and rigging of elections, smearing regime critics.[43][44]

Leadership

Name Position
Ivan Eismont Chairman
Sergey Gusachenko First Deputy Chairman
Dmitry Primshits Deputy Chairman
Andrey Ivanets Deputy Chairman
Gleb Shulman Deputy Chairman
Olga Shlyager General Producer of General Production Center
Anton Vasyukevich General Producer of General Production Center of the Belarusian Radio
Natalya Gorokhovik Chief Director of the Main Directorate of The First News Channel
Elena Ladutko Chief Director of the Main Directorate of the Belarus 1 TV channel
Elena Obraztsova Chief Director of the Main Directorate of the Belarus 2 TV channel
Natalya Marinova Chief Director of the Main Directorate of the Belarus 3 TV channel
Pavel Bulatskiy Chief Director of the Main Directorate of the Belarus 5 TV channel
Pavel Lazovik Chief Director of the Main Directorate of the Belarus 24 TV channel
Ekaterina Biretskaya Chief Director of the Main Directorate of the NTV-Belarus TV channel
Maksim Uglyanitsa Chief Director of the Main Directorate of the First Nation Channel
Valery Radutskiy Chief Director of the Main Directorate of International Broadcasting (Radio Belarus)
Vladimir Kazakov Director of the Directorate of the radio station "Stalitsa"
Elena Treshchinskaya Director of the radio station "Radius-FM"
Svetlana Kolmak Director of the Directorate of the "Culture" radio channel
Aleksander Khorovets Chief Director of the Main Directorate of Internet Broadcasting
Yuri Kolyachko Chief Director of the Main Technical Directorate
Viktoriya Popova Head of the Belteleradiocompany Press Service Department

International sanctions

Employees and top managers of state TV channels, including channels of BTRC, have several times been subjects to sanctions from the EU and the United States.[45]

In 2022, the company was placed on the European Union, Canada, Switzerland, and Ukraine sanctions lists.[46]

References

  1. ^ "Administration". Belteleradiocompany. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b "TV Channels >> Television >> Belteleradiocompany". Belteleradiocompany. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Belarusian Television and Radio Company (BTRC, Belteleradiocompany)". State Media Monitor. Tallinn: Media and Journalism Research Center. 2 September 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  4. ^ "EBU-UER / Active Members". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  5. ^ "EBU Executive Board agrees to suspension of Belarus Member BTRC". www.ebu.ch. May 28, 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  6. ^ Granger, Anthony (2021-08-27). "Belarus: BTRC Reveals EBU Suspension Scheduled to Expire in 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
  7. ^ a b Farren, Neil (23 April 2024). "Belarus: BTRC Indefinitely Suspended From EBU". Eurovoix. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i "История" [History] (in Russian). First National Channel of Belarusian Radio. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024.
  9. ^ a b "С чего начиналось белорусское радио" [What was the beginning of Belarusian radio?] (in Russian). Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus. 15 November 2022. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Боролись с фейками типа «враг взял Москву», делали спецрепортажи. Как в годы войны работало белорусское радио" [They combated fakes like 'the enemy has taken Moscow,' and produced special reports. How Belarusian radio worked during the war]. minsknews.by. 9 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022.
  11. ^ Matokh, V. M. (2009). "Документы фонда Минского радиокомитета Государственного архива Минской области как источник по истории Беларуси 1941—1944 гг" [Documents of the Minsk Radio Committee Fund of the State Archive of Minsk Region as a Source on the History of Belarus, 1941–1944] (PDF). The Belarusian Archeographical Year-Book (in Russian). 19: 44–55. ISSN 2076-3468. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016.
  12. ^ a b c "Национальная государственная телерадиокомпания" [National State Television and Radio Company] (in Russian). State Institution "National Archives of the Republic of Belarus". Archived from the original on 24 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Фото из альбома. Телевизор за витриной" [Photo from album. Television behind display window]. aif.by (in Russian). 1 December 2016. Archived from the original on 17 February 2025.
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  15. ^ "62 День рождения белорусского телевидения" [62nd Birthday of Belarusian Television] (in Russian). Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus. 2 January 2018. Archived from the original on 13 June 2025.
  16. ^ a b Plavnik, A. A. (1984). "Этапы и тенденции развития белорусского телевидения" [Stages and Trends in the Development of Belarusian Television] (PDF) (in Russian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Новое на телецентре" [What's New at the TV Center]. newspaper.gomel.history (in Russian). 22 March 1964. Archived from the original on 29 July 2025.
  18. ^ Biener, Hansjörg (2009). "Radio for Peace, Democracy and Human Rights". University of Erlangen–Nuremberg. Archived from the original on 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  19. ^ "История факультета журналистики БГУ" [History of the BSU Faculty of Journalism] (in Russian). Belarusian State University. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025.
  20. ^ a b c d e "ДОСЬЕ: К 60-летию Белорусского телевидения" [DOSSIER: On the 60th Anniversary of Belarusian Television]. BelTA. 28 December 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022.
  21. ^ Lebedeva, A. L. (2008). "От радиостанции «Крынiца» к современным белорусским FM-станциям: информационно-коммуникативные особенности новостного вещания" [From Radio Station "Krynitsa" to Modern Belarusian FM Stations: Information and Communication Features of News Broadcasting] (PDF) (in Russian). Belarusian State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Белорусское телевидение" [Belarusian Television]. belarusenc.by (in Russian). 15 January 2025. Archived from the original on 14 February 2025.
  23. ^ "Указ Президента РБ № 27 от 05.08.1994. О создании Национальной государственной телерадиокомпании Республики Беларусь" [Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 27 of August 5, 1994. On the Establishment of the National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus] (in Russian). President of Belarus. 5 August 1994. Archived from the original on 16 July 2020.
  24. ^ "«Проклятый уютный дом»: съемки первого белорусского сериала проходили на Новогрудчине" ['The Cursed Cozy House': Filming of the first Belarusian TV series took place in Novogrudok region]. grodnonews.by (in Russian). 19 December 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Радиовещание" [Radiobroadcasting]. belarusenc.by (in Russian). 15 January 2025. Archived from the original on 28 March 2025.
  26. ^ "Первая программа Белорусского" [First Program of Belarusian Radio] (in Russian). 16 November 2006. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Цифровое телевизионное вещание" [Digital TV] (in Russian). Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus. Archived from the original on 11 June 2025.
  28. ^ "Зимовский: Белорусы вольны жить как хотят, а Россия вольна за это не платить" [Zimovsky: Belarusians are free to live as they wish, and Russia is free not to pay for it] (in Russian). Euroradio. 4 January 2017. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023.
  29. ^ "БТ снова освободили от налогов" [BT exempt from taxes again]. bdg.by. 22 December 2012. Archived from the original on 29 July 2025.
  30. ^ "Первый канал и "ЛАД" претерпят ребрендинг" [Channel One and "LAD" will undergo rebranding]. BelTA. 28 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025.
  31. ^ "Телеканал "Беларусь-ТВ" будет преобразован с 1 января в "Беларусь 24"" [The "Belarus-TV" channel will be rebranded as "Belarus 24" starting January 1st]. BelTA. 31 December 2012. Archived from the original on 29 July 2025.
  32. ^ "Первый социокультурный телеканал "Беларусь 3" начал тестовое вещание" [The first socio-cultural TV channel "Belarus 3" began test broadcasting]. BelTA (in Russian). 8 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2025.
  33. ^ "Проводное радио полностью отключат в Беларуси до 1 октября". BelTA. 20 July 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016.
  34. ^ "Сотрудники Белтелерадиокомпании объявили забастовку" [Employees of Belteleradiocompany declared a strike]. Euroradio (in Russian). 17 August 2020. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022.
  35. ^ "EBU Executive Board agrees to suspension of Belarus Member BTRC". European Broadcasting Union. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021.
  36. ^ "Белтэлерадыёкампанію выключылі з Еўрапейскага вяшчальнага саюза". euroradio.fm. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  37. ^ Granger, Anthony (27 August 2021). "Belarus: BTRC Reveals EBU Suspension Scheduled to Expire in 2024". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  38. ^ "Тэлеканалы >> Тэлебачанне >> Белтэлерадыекампанiя" (in Belarusian). Belteleradiocompany. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  39. ^ "NTV-Belarus >> Television >> Belteleradiocompany". Belteleradiocompany. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  40. ^ Kondratyev, Andrey (19 September 2024). "Explainer: Scepticism as Belarus rolls out its first news TV channel". BBC Monitoring.
  41. ^ "Radio Channels >> Belteleradiocompany". Belteleradiocompany. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  42. ^ "About Radio | Radio Belarus". Belteleradiocompany. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  43. ^ Посол Польщі Генрик Літвін: Втратити добрий час – це великий ризик для України Archived 2017-10-23 at the Wayback Machine - СЕРГІЙ ЛЕЩЕНКО, Ukrayinska Pravda, 8 November 2011. Henryk Litwin, former ambassador of Poland to Belarus: "Television in Belarus is exclusively state propaganda"
  44. ^ Edward Lucas Podcast: Belarus propaganda Archived 2017-10-23 at the Wayback Machine - 20.01.2017. Edward Lucas, editor at The Economist: “in Belarus the state television maintains Soviet levels of venom and mendacity.“
  45. ^ Поўны спіс 208 беларускіх чыноўнікаў, якім забаронены ўезд у ЕС Archived 2017-10-22 at the Wayback Machine [Full list of 208 Belarusian officials banned from entering the EU] - Nasha Niva, 11 October 2011
  46. ^ "Belteleradio Company". National Agency on Corruption Prevention.
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