33°30′44.4″N36°16′32.2″E / 33.512333°N 36.275611°E /33.512333; 36.275611
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 The headquarters (seen on the right) as it appears in Umayyad Square. | |
Native name | الهيئة العامة للإذاعة والتلفزيون (Arabic) |
|---|---|
| Formerly | ORTAS Radio and Television (RTV Syria) Syrian Radio & Television (SRT) |
| Industry | Broadcasting Media |
| Founded |
|
| Headquarters | Umayyad Square,Damascus,Syria |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Alaa Barsilo (Director)[1] |
| Products | TV shows News Web portals Video production Digital media |
| Brands | |
| Services | Broadcast,radio,television,Internet, andprinting |
| Owner | Syrian Government |
| Website | rtv |
TheGeneral Authority for Radio and Television (GART) (Arabic:الهيئة العامة للإذاعة والتلفزيون,romanized: al-Hayʾah al-ʿĀmmah li-l-Idhāʿah wa-al-Tilifizyūn) is the public broadcaster in Syria and reports to theMinistry of Information.
It was previously known as the General Organization of Radio and TV (Arabic:الهيئة العامة للإذاعة والتلفزيون), also known in French asOrganisation de la Radio et la Télévision Arabe Syrienne (in shortORTAS). Earlier names were Radio and Television (RTV Syria) and Syrian Radio & Television (SRT).[2] For much of its existence, the organization was theAssad regime's propaganda tool until it wastaken over by opposition groups in December 2024 amidst thefall of Damascus.[3]
Several television channels andradio stations are being run by this organization, includingSyria TV andDamascus Radio. ORTAS is an active member of the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), associate member of theEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU)[4] and formerly a member ofInternational Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT).
The legal basis is a legislative decree from 2010, which, however, was largely not implemented. Sūmar Wassūf became head of the commission in December 2018.
The General Authority for Radio and Television is the governmental body responsible for radio and television broadcasting in Syria. It is divided into two parts:
Radio broadcasting began in the First Syrian Republic upon its independence on 17 April 1946 on shortwave. As early as 1942, Radio Damas, a counterpart to Radio Levant inBeirut, Lebanon existed in the French League of Nations mandate.
Nationwide radio programs include:
Former radio station:
Regional radio programs are (from north to south):
The international broadcaster Radio Damascus has existed since 1957. According to the frequency announcements in the program, both FM (VHF) and AM (medium wave) are broadcast.
Thetelevision station is based inDamascus,Syria since July 1960.[5][6] The channel airs programmes in Arabic, English and French.[7] Itsfirst channel was broadcasting in black and white until 1978. Asecond channel was added in 1985 (discontinued in 2012 due to the civil war) and in 1996, the satellite service Syria TV began broadcasting. On September 5, 2012, Syrian Television channel broadcasts were broken off onArabsat andNilesat, including Syria TV. Syria TV andSyrian Drama TV broadcasts were stopped onHot Bird on October 22, 2012.[8]
Thedigital television switchover (DVB-T) in Syria has been restarted since mid-2018, in the provinces of Damascus,Daraa, As Suwayda,Rif Dimashq, Tartus, Latakia,Quneitra and Hama, however there is still no date for an analog switch off.
ORTAS national and satellite television channels:
Former channels includeSyrian Medical TV andTalaqie TV which both closed in 2016; terrestrial channelsChannel 2 andChannel 1 (now Syrian local channel) closed down in 2012.
TheSyria Insider Weekly program is broadcast in English, French and Spanish.
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