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Burundi National Radio and Television

Publicly funded broadcaster of Burundi From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Burundi National Radio and Television
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Burundi National Radio and Television, also known as the National Radio and Television of Burundi or Radio Television National of Burundi (French: La Radio Télévision Nationale du Burundi (RTNB)), is the national broadcaster of Burundi. It currently broadcasts in Kirundi, French, Swahili (also known as Kiswahili), and English.

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History and idents

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History

Burundi National Radio and Television began broadcasting in 1960 with the launch of Radio Burundi when the country was still a Belgian colony. Television broadcasting only began in 1984, long after Burundi gained independence.[1] The television station uses a 0.5kW transmitter in Bujumbura on UHF channel 25.[2] Among its founding staff was Rwandan-born Valence Rwamukwaya, who worked for Burundi's national radio for two years, beginning in 1982.[3]

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Photograph of RTNB's office in Bujumbura taken in 2015

RTNB operates two radio stations and one television channel, broadcasting news, cultural programmes, and entertainment.[4]

In June 2013, Burundi began transitioning from analogue to digital television, intending to complete the process by the end of 2014.[5] However, the migration was delayed due to the 2015 Burundian unrest. President Pierre Nkurunziza officially launched digital broadcasting in December 2016, starting with Bujumbura and gradually expanding nationwide. RTNB appointed a new general director in August 2016.[6] On 23 April 2017, RTNB lost its employee in a traffic accident.[7] RTNB completed the digital migration later in 2017, though as of mid‑2023, the system remained not fully operational.[citation needed]

Idents

There are two known idents of the station. The first, used from 2008 to 2017, contains a mountain landscape background with the Burundian flag displayed inside the text RTNB at the centre of the screen.[8] The second, introduced after 2017, includes the day's broadcast program. An example of a typical broadcast schedule would list Amakuru, Journal, News, next program, advertisement, special documentaries and idents.[9]

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Popularity

The television series Ninde is broadcast by RTNB across Burundi. The show began in 1980 without a formal title. A few years later, RTNB named it Ninde. Following the launch of television broadcasting in 1984, RTNB began airing Ninde on television.[10]

As of 2024, RTNB broadcasts four radio and two television programmes, including Ninde and Burundi Bwacu.

Channels

RTNB is divided into two radio stations and one television.

Television channels

  • RTNB is the first and main channel.

Radio channels

There are two RTNB radio channels including:

  • Chaine 1: main radio station that broadcasts news, cultural programmes, and public service announcements.
  • Chaine 2: second radio station that broadcasts news, music, and entertainment.

Programmes

  • News: English news
  • Journal: French news
  • Amakuru: Kirundi news
  • Ninde? (English: Who is it?): Series (1984 to present)
  • Burundi Bwacu: culture

See also

References

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