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Organisation Internationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision | |
 The OIRT logo | |
 Members at the date of dissolution Members who participated at various times before dissolution Associate members | |
| Merged into | European Broadcasting Union |
|---|---|
| Established | 28 June 1946; 79 years ago (1946-06-28) |
| Dissolved | 1 January 1993; 33 years ago (1993-01-01) |
| Type | Union of broadcasting organisations |
| Headquarters | Brussels,Belgium (1946–1950) Prague,Czechoslovakia (1950–1993) |
TheInternational Radio and Television Organisation (official name inFrench:Organisation Internationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision orOIRT (before 1960 International Broadcasting Organization (IBO), official name in French:Organisation Internationale de Radiodiffusion (OIR)) was an East European network ofradio andtelevisionbroadcasters with the primary purpose of establishing ties and securing an interchange of information between those various organizations responsible for broadcasting services, promoting the interests of broadcasting, seeking by international cooperation a solution to any matter relating to broadcasting, and studying and working out all measures having as their aim the development of broadcasting.
Without British participation, 26 members founded the OIR on 28 June 1946. The next day, at the General Assembly of theInternational Broadcasting Union (IBU), an attempt was made to dissolve this body, but the motion failed to obtain the required majority. However, 18 of the 28 existing members left the IBU and become co-founders of the new OIR.[1]
In 1946, the newly created OIR installed itself in the IBU building inBrussels. Technical activity was taken up again under the authority of two directors, one delegated by theSoviet Union and the other byFrance. However, the political situation gradually degraded into theCold War and this created an uneasy situation of distrust within the staff of the Technical Centre.[1]
In 1950, some members (mostly western European) left the organization to form the newEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU), among themBelgium,Egypt, France,Italy,Lebanon,Luxembourg,Monaco,Morocco,Netherlands,Tunisia andYugoslavia.[1]
Broadcasting organizations from the following countries remained members:Albania,Bulgaria,Czechoslovakia,Finland (also a member of EBU),East Germany,Hungary,Poland,Romania,Syria and the Soviet Union.
As a consequence, the OIR headquarters and its Technical Centre was relocated from Brussels toPrague in 1950.[2][3] Staff members from Belgium and other Western countries, some of whom had already been active before the war, stayed on in Brussels and the centre became the technical centre of the newEBU.
Unlike the EBU, the OIRT was not limited to European and Mediterranean countries and operated as a global organization. Members of the organization included countries aligned with the Eastern bloc, such asCuba,Vietnam, thePeople's Republic of China andNorth Korea (although the latter's membership was temporarily inactive after their break with the USSR), as well as the allies of the USSR that were temporarily led by communist parties, such asNicaragua and theDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan, and the African and Middle Eastern states having been temporarily associated or supported by thesocialist camp.
On 1 January 1993, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the OIRT merged with the European Broadcasting Union and all European OIRT memberships were transferred to the EBU.[3][4]
The television network of OIRT was established in 1960 and was calledIntervision[5] (RussianИнтервидение,GermanIntervision,AlbanianIntervizioni,BulgarianИнтервизия,PolishInterwizja,CzechIntervize,SlovakIntervízia,HungarianIntervízió,RomanianInterviziune,FinnishIntervisio).
Between 1977 and 1980, the OIRT organised fourIntervision Song Contests inSopot,Poland, in an attempt to imitate theEurovision Song Contest.
| Country | Organism | Abbreviation | Date of joining | Date of withdraw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 West Germany | Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland | ARD | 1988 | 1992 |
| Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen | ZDF | 1988 | 1992 | |
 Mongolia | Mongolian National Broadcaster | MNB | 1967 | 1992 |
The EBU was founded in 1950 and initially drew its membership largely from western Europe, while a rival sister organization based in Prague, the OIRT, served the state broadcasters under Soviet domination the other side of the Iron Curtain.
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