Radio Kosova

Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) commenced broadcasting in September 1999 as a public medium for Kosovo, initially providing only 2 hours of content. While not legally recognized as the successor of Radio Television of Pristina (RTP), RTK assumed materials and the building of RTP after the end of the war in Kosovo.

RTK's financing method has undergone several changes since its establishment. From 2003 to 2009, citizens of Kosovo paid a fee for the public broadcaster as part of the electricity bill. In 2009, the Constitutional Court abolished this invoicing method, and since 2010, RTK has been directly financed from the state budget.

Following the declaration of Independence of Kosovo in February 2008, UNMIK transferred the responsibility of RTK to the Government of Kosovo. Since then, the board of RTK is elected by the Assembly of Kosovo.

As per the program schedule on Radio Kosovo's website, they broadcast informative, entertaining, musical shows, sports, and various other topics.

Currently, RTK operates four television channels and two radio stations, offering a diverse mix of news, entertainment, and music. RTK2, launched in 2013, broadcasts programs in minority languages spoken in Kosovo, including Serbian, Bosnian, and Turkish. In March 2014, RTK3 and RTK4 were introduced with a 24-hour program featuring documentaries and material from the Albanian language archives.

Key facts

Audience Share

MissingData

Ownership Type

Public

Geographic Coverage

National and International via Online

Content Type

Free Content

Data Publicly Available

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

2 ♥

Media Companies / Groups

RTK (Public Broadcaster)

Ownership

Ownership Structure

According to the RTK law, the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo is designated as the founder of the public medium. The Assembly holds the authority to elect the RTK board. The RTK Board is mandated to provide quarterly reports to the Parliamentary Committee on Budgets, Labor, and Transfers. This committee, in turn, allocates the RTK budget on a quarterly basis. Additionally, an annual report is submitted to the media commission.
The Board of RTK votes for the candidate for Director of Radio Kosovo, for the proposals it accepts from the General Director of RTK based on a competitive process.
Currently, there is no editor-in-chief at Radio Kosova, but the acting editor-in-chief is Trëndeline Bucolli.

Voting Rights

The Assembly of Kosovo elects the RTK board through a majority vote. The board is comprised of a total of 11 members, including at least two members from the Serbian community, one from other communities, and a minimum of two women. This board is a crucial entity within RTK, responsible for approving the scheme, regulations, and reporting to parliamentary committees. Each member holds one vote, and decisions are made by a majority vote of the members present at the meeting. Specific cases, as outlined by the Law of RTK, may have different decision-making procedures, such as the selection of the general director, deputy director, director of common services, etc. Apart from the board members, the general director is also present at the board meetings, but without the right to vote.

Media Companies / Groups
Facts

General Information

Founding Year

1999

Affiliated Interests Founder

The UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, and Kosovo Assembly

Established the Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), which commenced broadcasting in September 1999, initially with only 2 hours of airtime. Despite lacking legal recognition as the successor of Radio Television of Pristina (RTP), RTK inherited the materials and building of RTP after the war in Kosovo.
The inception of RTK was prompted by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) request to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to facilitate the creation of a public broadcaster in Kosovo. Following the acquisition of a license, RTK received various donations, notably from the Japanese government, to facilitate broadcasting. Since 2000, RTK has expanded its services to include news in Serbian and Turkish languages, in addition to radio and internet broadcasting.
RTK's funding model has undergone several changes since its establishment. From 2003 to 2009, citizens of Kosovo paid a fee for the public broadcaster as part of the electricity bill. However, the Constitutional Court abolished this invoicing method in 2009. Since 2010, RTK has been financed directly from the state budget, a funding approach that has sparked ongoing debates, as the Assembly of Kosovo has often not approved the full budget requested by RTK.
Following the declaration of Kosovo's independence in February 2008, UNMIK transferred responsibility for RTK to the Government of Kosovo. Subsequently, the RTK board has been elected by the Assembly of Kosovo.
Presently, RTK operates four television channels, the rtklive.com portal, and two radio stations, offering a diverse mix of news, entertainment, and music. RTK2, launched in 2013, broadcasts programs in minority languages in Kosovo, including Serbian, Bosnian, and Turkish. In March 2014, RTK3 and RTK4 were introduced, featuring a 24-hour program with documentaries and archival material in the Albanian language.
Oftentimes, the RTK has been subject to public debates about government influences on RTK.

Affiliated Interests Ceo

Shkumbin Ahmetxhekaj

Has been part of RTK since 2005, initially serving as a journalist and later assuming various editorial positions. Prior to his election as director, he held the role of news editor. In the period 2020-2021, Ahmetxhekaj worked at Radio Free Europe.
Ahmetxhekaj was elected as the general director of RTK in June 2022, in the second competition held for this position after the first one was canceled by the RTK Board. The cancellation was attributed to the assertion that "the current legal basis does not allow for the election of a director." During the initial competition, three board members scored the same points for all questions in the written test, including the three candidates, one of whom was Shkumbin Ahmetxhekaj.

Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief

Trendelina Bucolli

Is the acting editor-in-chief of Radio Kosovo. Currently, this radio does not have an editor-in-chief. Bucolli has been part of Radio Television of Kosovo since 2006. She has held various positions within RTK, as a journalist, producer, and as an author of several shows.

Affiliated Interests other important people

Arsim Halili

Was appointed director of Radio Kosova in March 2023. In 2022, Halili ran for the position of Deputy General Director of RTK, but did not receive enough votes on the board for that position. However, he held the position of deputy director of RTK until his election as director of Radio Kosovo.
For two terms, Arsim Halili was a member of the board of the Association of Journalists. He was first elected in 2014, and then again in 2018.
According to his Facebook profile, Halili joined RTK in 2005 as a news reporter. In 2016, Halili was demoted by the disciplinary commission of RTK when he made homophobic comments on his Facebook profile. Regarding these comments, the Council of Written Media (KMShK) issued a decision on July 1, 2016 saying that "Arsim Halil's post contains unacceptable, even derogatory language towards the LGBTI community".

Contact

Address: Radio Kosova Building - Bulevardi Bill Klinton, Pristina, Kosovo 10000

Emai:lajme@rtklive.com

radiokosova@rtklive.com

Tel: +383 038 242 273

Website: www..rtklive.com/sq/rkpage.php

Financial Information

Revenue (in Mill. $)

(9.61 million $) 8.96 million EUR (2023) (10.96 million $) 10.447 million EUR (2022)

Operating Profit (in Mill. $)

Missing Data

Advertising (in % of total funding)

$980,700 / 934,000 EUR (8.95%) (2022)

Market Share

Missing Data

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    Funded by European Union