Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
 |
|
| Type |
Television stations- Radio stations |
|---|---|
| Country | Turkey |
| Availability | National |
| Owner | Government of Turkey |
|
Launch date
|
May 1, 1964 (radio, as TRT) January 31, 1968 (TV) |
|
Official website
|
www.trt.net.tr |
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, also known as TRT (Turkish: Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu), is the national public broadcaster of Turkey and was founded in 1964. Around 70% of TRT's funding comes from a tax levied on electricity bills and a license tax on television and radio receivers. As these are hypothecated taxes, as opposed to the money coming from general government funds, the principle is similar to that of the television licence levied in a number of other countries. The rest of TRT's funding comes from government grants (around 20%), with the final 10% coming from advertising.
Affectionately known to local consumers as the "School", it was for many years the only television and radio provider in Turkey. Before the introduction of commercial radio in 1990, and subsequently commercial television in 1992, it held a monopoly on broadcasting. More recent deregulation of the Turkish television broadcasting market produced analogue cable television. Today, TRT broadcasts around the world, especially in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
TRT's predecessor, "Türkiye Radyoları" was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the European Broadcasting Union in 1950; it would return to the EBU fold as TRT in 1972. The original company started radio test broadcasts in 1926, with a studio built in Istanbul in 1927 and a studio in Ankara following in 1928.
It organized the Eurovision Song Contest 2004.
Test transmissions started on TRT 1 on January 31, 1968. A full national television schedule, which at that time linked the areas in and around Ankara, Istanbul, and İzmir, started in December 1971. TRT renewed its membership in the European Broadcasting Union (having been a founding member previously offering only radio) starting on August 26, 1972, with Turkey's first Eurovision Network event, a football match (Turkey vs. Italy), airing across Europe on January 13, 1973. TRT also joined the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union in 1976, the same year their first color television test was showcased via laboratory at the general assembly of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
...
Wikipedia