Burundi National Radio and Television

Radio Télévision Nationale du Burundi
Country Burundi
Broadcast areaNational
HeadquartersBurundi Bujumbura, Burundi
Programming
Language(s)English, French, Kiswahili also known as Swahili, and Kirundi
Picture format1080i HDTV
(downscaled to 4:3 480i pan and scan for SDTVs)
Ownership
OwnerGovernment of Burundi
Sister channelsChaine 1
Chaine 2
History
Launched5 October 1975 (1975-10-05)
Links
Websitewww.rtnb.bi

Burundi National Radio and Television, also known as the National Radio and Television of Burundi or Radio Television National of Burundi (French: La Radio Télévision Nationale du Burundi (RTNB)), is the national broadcaster of Burundi. It currently broadcasts in Kirundi, French, Swahili (also known as Kiswahili), and English.

History and idents

History

Burundi National Radio and Television began broadcasting in 1960 with the launch of Radio Burundi when the country was still a Belgian colony. However, television program broadcasting only began in 1984, long after Burundi gained independence.[1] The television station uses a 0.5kW transmitter in Bujumbura on UHF channel 25.[2] Among its founding staff was Rwandan-born Valence Rwamukwaya, who worked for Burundi's national radio for two years, beginning in 1982.[3]

Photograph of RTNB's office in Bujumbura, Burundi taken in 2015

RTNB operates two radio stations and one television channel, which broadcast a variety of content including news, public service announcements, cultural programs, entertainment shows, and even TV series, movies, music videos, and cartoons.[4]

In June 2013, Burundi began transitioning from analogue to digital television, a process that was completed by the end of 2014[5], but in mid May 2015, its unfinished migration was due to 2015 Burundian unrest. Since the start of August 2016, RTNB has had a general director.[6] On 23 April 2017, RTNB lost its employee in traffic accident.[7] In mid 2017, RTNB finally completed the migration, but by the mid 2023, it was still not operational.

Idents

RTNB ident from 2008 to 2017

There are two known idents of the station. The first, used from 2008 to 2017, contains a mountain landscape background with the Burundi flag displayed inside the text RTNB at the centre of the screen.[8] The second, introduced after 2017, includes the day's broadcast program. An example of a typical broadcast schedule would list Amakuru, Journal, News, next program, advertisement, special documentaries and idents.[9]

Popularity

The program of the RTNB is called Ninde. In 1980, RTNB introduced the unnamed show to Burundian people. A couple of years later, RTNB changed the name of the show to Ninde, which is very relevant before being introduced to television two years later.[10]

As of 2024, RTNB broadcasts four radio and two television programs like Ninde and Burundi Bwacu.

Radio channels

Logos of RTNB radio channels: Chaine 1 and 2

There are two RTNB radio channels including:

  • Chaine 1: main radio station that broadcasts news, cultural programmes, and public service announcements.
  • Chaine 2: second radio station that broadcasts news, music, talk shows, host shows, and entertainment shows.

Programs

The title card of Ninde, showing a colour bar inside the handwriting text from the 2000s
  • News: English news
  • Journal: French news
  • Amakuru: Kirundi news
  • Ninde: Series (1980s to present)
  • Burundi Bwacu: culture

See also

References

  1. ^ "Radio - RADIO-TÉLÉVISION NATIONALE DU BURUNDI (RTNB) - Bujumbura". www.petitfute.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  2. ^ 2014 WCSFP (2019-07-21). World Radio TV Handbook 2005. pp. 637–638.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Utumesi, Doreen (1 March 2012). "Thirty years behind the camera". The New Times (Rwanda).
  4. ^ Eva Palmans, Les médias audiovisuels au Burundi Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, pp. 3-4, www.ua.ac.be
  5. ^ "Radio-télévision: le Burundi veut passer au numérique d'ici le 31 décembre 2014 - china radio international". french.cri.cn. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
  6. ^ "La RTNB dotée d'un nouveau Directeur Général (vidéo)". www.rtnb.bi. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  7. ^ "Nécrologie: un employé de la RTNB décède dans un accident de roulage (video)". www.rtnb.bi. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  8. ^ "File:RTNB (2000's).jpg". Audiovisual Identity Database. 2025-03-18. Archived from the original on 2025-03-30. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  9. ^ CHENK CONSULTING (2017-07-13). rtnb broadcast. Retrieved 2025-07-18 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ Muhoza, Guillaume (2020-01-25). "Ninde ou la troupe du récit rural authentique - Jimbere" (in French). Retrieved 2025-08-20.
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