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Native name | საქართველოს საზოგადოებრივი მაუწყებელი |
|---|---|
| Company type | LEPL[a] |
| Industry | Mass media |
| Predecessor | State television and radio corporation |
| Founded | December 23, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-12-23) (as GPB) May 23, 1925; 100 years ago (1925-05-23) (as Georgian Radio) December 30, 1956; 68 years ago (1956-12-30) (as Georgian Television) |
| Headquarters | 31 Ana Politkovskaia Street,Tbilisi , Georgia |
Area served | Nationwide |
Key people | Tinatin Berdzenishvili [ka] (CEO) |
| Products | |
| Services | |
| Owner | Government of Georgia |
| Divisions |
|
| Website | gpb |
TheGeorgian Public Broadcaster (Georgian:საქართველოს საზოგადოებრივი მაუწყებელი,Sakartvelos Sazogadoebrivi Mauc̣q̇ebeli) is the nationalpublic broadcaster of Georgia.
It started broadcasting radio in 1925, and Georgian television (TV) started broadcasting in 1956. Today, 85% of the Georgian population receive theFirst Channel, and 55% receive theSecond Channel. Georgian TV programmes are also received by satellite and over the Internet in a number of European and Asian countries.
The adoption of Law on Broadcasting in 2004, started the process of transformation of Georgian TV from being a state broadcaster into a public broadcaster. It is required by law to “provide accurate and up-to-date information that is free from political and commercial bias” and “to address the needs and interests of the larger Georgian society through diversity of programs and viewpoints”.[1] In 2005, the Georgian Parliament elected a Board of Governors, composed of nine members. One of them,Tamar Kintsurashvili, fromLiberty Institute, was later elected as the first Director General of GPB.Tinatin Berdzenishvili [ka] is the current occupant of this position.
GPB'sFirst Channel (Georgian:პირველი არხი,Ṗirveli Arxi), also known as simply1TV, broadcasts both its own original programming and also foreign series and movies. As of August 2009, the First Channel programming schedule includes such shows as the following:
GPB'sFirst Channel — Teleschool (პირველი არხი — ტელესკოლა,Ṗirveli Arxi — Ṭelesḳola), originally known as Second Channel or 2TV and later First Channel Education, was broadcast from 1991 and continued in its educational format from March 2020 until it was shut down at the end of 2023.
GPB'sFirst Channel Sport, broadcasts since 21 May 2024.[2]
Previously, GPB operated the Russian-speaking channel First Caucasus Channel (Russian: Первый Кавказский канал,Pervyj Kavkazskij kanal, or just Первый Кавказский,Pervyj Kavkazskij), which was broadcast between 2010 and 2012.
Georgian Public Broadcasting previously operated the now-closed international shortwave radio stationRadio Georgia.
Acontroversy arose in early 2009 over a GPB television program,Sakartvelos Didi Ateuli[permanent dead link] (საქართველოს დიდი ათეული; "Best Georgians" or "Georgia's Top Ten") — a show which invited viewers to pick Georgia's top historical personages. Officials of theGeorgian Orthodox Church publicly objected to the inclusion of both religious and secular figures in the competition, as well as to the idea of having viewers rank the popularity of saints.[3] After extensive public debate and private deliberation, GPB announced thatDidi Ateuli would proceed, with both saints and secular figures retained in the competition, but that the final list of ten would not be ranked but would be announced in alphabetical order. A later statement released by the Georgian Orthodox Church attempted to downplay the controversy and suggested that it had been an effort to dissuade church officials from speaking out on social issues.[4]
Georgia's entry in the 2009Eurovision Song Contest – "We Don't Wanna Put In" – was deemed by theEuropean Broadcasting Union to be a political statement against Russian prime ministerVladimir Putin, and the song was disqualified from the competition. After GPB officials rejected a demand to change either the lyrics of the song or the song itself, it withdrew from the contest.
