RTBF
Encyclopedia
Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) is the public broadcasting
organization of the French Community of Belgium
, the southern, French-speaking part of Belgium
. Its counterpart in the northern part of the country is the Dutch-language Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
(VRT).
RTBF operates four television channels – La Une, La Deux, La Trois and Arte Belgique – together with a number of radio channels, La Première, RTBF International, VivaCité, Musiq3, Classic 21
, and PureFM.
The organization's headquarters in Brussels
are sometimes referred to colloquially as Reyers. This comes from the name of the avenue where RTBF's main building is located, the Boulevard Auguste Reyers (in Dutch: Auguste Reyerslaan).
Originally named INR – Institut national belge de radiodiffusion , the state-controlled broadcaster was established by law on 18 June 1930. On 14 June 1940 the INR was forced to cease broadcasting as a result of the German invasion. The German occupying forces, who now oversaw its management, changed the INR's name to Radio Bruxelles. A number of INR personnel were able to relocate to the BBC's studios in London from where they broadcast as Radio Belgique / Radio België under the Office de Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge (RNB) established by the Belgian government-in-exile's Ministry of Information.
At the end of the war
the INR and the RNB coexisted until 14 September 1945, when a Royal Decree restored the INR's original mission. The INR was one of 23 broadcasting organizations which founded the European Broadcasting Union
in 1950. Television broadcasting from Brussels began in 1953, with two hours of programming each day. In 1960 the INR was subsumed into RTB (Radio-Télévision Belge) and moved to new quarters at the Reyers building in 1967. RTB's first broadcast in colour, Le Jardin Extraordinaire (a gardening and nature programme), was transmitted in 1971. Two years later the RTB began broadcasting news
in colour.
In 1977, following Belgian federalization
and the establishment of separate language communities, the French-language section of RTB became RTBF (Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté française) and a second television channel was set up with the name RTbis. In 1979 RTbis became "Télé 2". Along with French channels TF1
, Antenne 2
, FR 3
and Swiss channel SSR
, RTBF jointly established the European French-speaking channel TV5
in 1984. On 21 March 1988 Télé 2 became Télé 21. On 27 September 1989 a subsidiary company of RTBF was set up with the name Canal Plus TVCF, which subsequently became "Canal Plus Belgique" in May 1995. In 1993 Télé 21 was replaced by Arte/21 and Sport 21.
In mid January 2010, RTBF became RTBF.be. The change was made because of the growing importance of new media. The '.be' suffix stresses these new developments. RTBF.be underlines that this change isn't anecdotic and that the internet has gained its place in the media landscape, just as TV and radio have done years ago.
By 2011, RTBF.be plans the analogue systems to be phased out for Wallonia.
Video on demand
The VOD, Video on demand
offer of the RTBF is available on several platforms:
and AM
) and digital format (using DAB
and DVB-T
). All channels are also broadcast live over the Internet.
International broadcasting
is carried out by RTBF International.
They also have a TMC
service transmitted on Classic 21.
(19:21 UTC), RTBF replaced an edition of its regular current affairs programme Questions à la Une with a fake special news report
in which it was claimed that Flanders
had proclaimed independence, effectively dissolving the Belgian
state. The programme had been preceded by a caption reading "This may not be fiction", which was repeated intermittently as a subtitle to the images on screen. After the first half hour of the 90-minute broadcast, however – by which point RTBF.be's response line had been flooded with calls – this was replaced with a caption reading "This is fiction".
The video featured images of news reporters standing in front of the Flemish Parliament
, while Flemish separatists waved the flag of Flanders
behind them. Off to the side, Francophone and Belgian nationalists were waving Belgian flags. The report also featured footage of King Albert
and Queen Paola getting on a military jet to Congo
, a former Belgian colony.
RTBF justified the hoax on the grounds that it raised the issue of Flemish nationalism, but others felt that it raised the issue of about how much the public can trust the press.
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
organization of the French Community of Belgium
French Community of Belgium
The French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium along with the Flemish Community and the German speaking Community. Although its name could suggest that it is a community of French citizens in Belgium, it is not...
, the southern, French-speaking part of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Its counterpart in the northern part of the country is the Dutch-language Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
(VRT).
RTBF operates four television channels – La Une, La Deux, La Trois and Arte Belgique – together with a number of radio channels, La Première, RTBF International, VivaCité, Musiq3, Classic 21
Classic 21
Classic 21 is a Belgian radio station based in Mons and it broadcasts across Wallonia and Brussels on the FM band....
, and PureFM.
The organization's headquarters in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
are sometimes referred to colloquially as Reyers. This comes from the name of the avenue where RTBF's main building is located, the Boulevard Auguste Reyers (in Dutch: Auguste Reyerslaan).
History
At the end of the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the INR and the RNB coexisted until 14 September 1945, when a Royal Decree restored the INR's original mission. The INR was one of 23 broadcasting organizations which founded the European Broadcasting Union
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
in 1950. Television broadcasting from Brussels began in 1953, with two hours of programming each day. In 1960 the INR was subsumed into RTB (Radio-Télévision Belge) and moved to new quarters at the Reyers building in 1967. RTB's first broadcast in colour, Le Jardin Extraordinaire (a gardening and nature programme), was transmitted in 1971. Two years later the RTB began broadcasting news
News program
A news program, news programme, news show, or newscast is a regularly scheduled radio or television program that reports current events. News is typically reported in a series of individual stories that are presented by one or more anchors...
in colour.
In 1977, following Belgian federalization
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
and the establishment of separate language communities, the French-language section of RTB became RTBF (Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté française) and a second television channel was set up with the name RTbis. In 1979 RTbis became "Télé 2". Along with French channels TF1
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
, Antenne 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
, FR 3
France 3
France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....
and Swiss channel SSR
SRG SSR idée suisse
SRG SSR is the Swiss public broadcasting organisation, founded in 1931 as SRG-SSR. Headquartered in Bern, SRG SSR is a non-profit organisation, funded mainly through radio and television licence fees and making the remaining income from advertising and sponsorship.Switzerland's system of direct...
, RTBF jointly established the European French-speaking channel TV5
TV5MONDE
TV5MONDE is a global television network, broadcasting several channels of French language programming. It is an approved participant member of the European Broadcasting Union.-History:...
in 1984. On 21 March 1988 Télé 2 became Télé 21. On 27 September 1989 a subsidiary company of RTBF was set up with the name Canal Plus TVCF, which subsequently became "Canal Plus Belgique" in May 1995. In 1993 Télé 21 was replaced by Arte/21 and Sport 21.
In mid January 2010, RTBF became RTBF.be. The change was made because of the growing importance of new media. The '.be' suffix stresses these new developments. RTBF.be underlines that this change isn't anecdotic and that the internet has gained its place in the media landscape, just as TV and radio have done years ago.
The analogue transmitter coverage
Television channels
Television channels are transmitted:- On AstraSES AstraAstra is the name for the geostationary communication satellites, both individually and as a group, which are owned and operated by SES S.A., a global satellite operator based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg. The name is sometimes also used to describe the channels broadcasting from these...
satelliteSatelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
on TéléSAT, an encrypted pay satellite service. - On cable: analog and digital on all Belgian cable providers;
- On DSL lines through IPTVIPTVInternet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
to BelgacomBelgacomThe Belgacom Group is the largest telecommunications company in Belgium, headquartered in Brussels. Belgacom Group is primarily state owned, with the Belgian state holding 53.3% + 1 share...
, Scarlet and Billi customers; - On satellite free-to-airFree-to-airFree-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
worldwide as a participant in francophone TV5MONDETV5MONDETV5MONDE is a global television network, broadcasting several channels of French language programming. It is an approved participant member of the European Broadcasting Union.-History:...
channel; - TerrestrialTerrestrial televisionTerrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
digital using DVB-TDVB-TDVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
on UHF and VHF frequencies in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and Wallonia.
Current channels
- La UneLa UneLa Une is a Belgian national television channel, owned and operated by RTBF.- INR :The Institut National de Radiodiffusion began experimental television in Belgium on 2 June 1953, with the crowning of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom...
(Channel One): RTBF's main channel television, formerly known as RTBF1; began in 1953 on VHF channel 10; in PALPALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
color since 1973 - La DeuxLa DeuxLa Deux is a Belgian national television channel, owned and operated by RTBF.-The RTbis era:On 23 September 1976, RTbis went on air until 1979.In 1977, RTB had become RTBF but RTbis still on air for 2 years.-The Télé 21 era:...
(Channel Two): formerly known as RTbis; began in 1976 - La TroisLa TroisLa Trois is a Belgian national television channel, owned and operated by RTBF. It is exclusive to the operator's digital terrestrial television offering which launched on 30 November 2007...
(Channel Three): the quality TV channel; began in 2007; there are no commercials on this channel - Arte Belgique: in collaboration with the Franco-German TV network ArteArteArte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
- La Une HD: HDTVHigh-definition televisionHigh-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
simulcast of La Une - La Deux HD: HDTV simulcast of La Deux
- La Trois HD: HDT simulcast of La Trois
Video on demandVideo on demandVideo on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
The VOD, Video on demandVideo on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
offer of the RTBF is available on several platforms:
- Web :
- Totally free on the websites of the RTBF. Offering Catch up TV, allowing viewers to see all programs from the RTBF channels during 7 days after broadcast.
- IDTV :
- Free catch up TV and pay VOD
- Mobile device:
- La Une and La Deux are available on several Belgian mobile networks.
Radio channels
The RTBF broadcasts radio channels in either analog format (FMFrequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
and AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
) and digital format (using DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
and DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
). All channels are also broadcast live over the Internet.
International broadcasting
International broadcasting
International broadcasting is broadcasting that is deliberately aimed at a foreign, rather than a domestic, audience. It usually is broadcast by means of longwave, mediumwave, or shortwave radio, but in recent years has also used direct satellite broadcasting and the Internet as means of reaching...
is carried out by RTBF International.
Analog and digital
- La Première: news, information, and culture
- VivaCité: news, information, and culture
- Classic 21Classic 21Classic 21 is a Belgian radio station based in Mons and it broadcasts across Wallonia and Brussels on the FM band....
: classic rock - Pure FM: young and alternative
- Musiq'3: classical music
- RTBF International: channel for Belgian ExpatriateExpatriateAn expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
(shortwave).
Digital-only channels
- Francofolies: Only available during the Francofolies festival in SpaSpaThe term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
, every year in July. - Franco'Sphere: 100% French music from classics to nowadays
- Classic 21 60's: Focus on the "Golden Sixties"
- Classic 21 80's: Focus on music from the 80's
- Classic 21 Classiques: Focus on Rock classics
- OUFtivi: Webradio for childrens from 8 to 13 years old.
- Pure FM 2: Focus on new talents
They also have a TMC
Traffic Message Channel
Traffic Message Channel is a technology for delivering traffic and travel information to drivers. It is typically digitally coded using the FM-RDS system on conventional FM radio broadcasts...
service transmitted on Classic 21.
Bye Bye Belgium
On 13 December 2006, at 20:21 CETCentral European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
(19:21 UTC), RTBF replaced an edition of its regular current affairs programme Questions à la Une with a fake special news report
Flemish Secession hoax
, also called "The Flemish Secession Hoax," was a hoax perpetrated by the French speaking Belgian public TV station RTBF on Wednesday, December 13, 2006, and created by Belgian journalist Philippe Dutilleul...
in which it was claimed that Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
had proclaimed independence, effectively dissolving the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
state. The programme had been preceded by a caption reading "This may not be fiction", which was repeated intermittently as a subtitle to the images on screen. After the first half hour of the 90-minute broadcast, however – by which point RTBF.be's response line had been flooded with calls – this was replaced with a caption reading "This is fiction".
The video featured images of news reporters standing in front of the Flemish Parliament
Flemish Parliament
The Flemish Parliament constitutes the legislative power in Flanders, for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and a cultural community of Belgium The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: , and formerly called Flemish Council or Vlaamse Raad) constitutes the...
, while Flemish separatists waved the flag of Flanders
Flag of Flanders
The flag of Flanders, called the Vlaamse Leeuw or leeuwenvlag , is the flag of the Flemish Community and Flemish Region. The flag was officially adopted by the Raad voor de Nederlandse Cultuurgemeenschap in 1973, and later, in 1985, by its successor, the Flemish Parliament...
behind them. Off to the side, Francophone and Belgian nationalists were waving Belgian flags. The report also featured footage of King Albert
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
and Queen Paola getting on a military jet to Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, a former Belgian colony.
RTBF justified the hoax on the grounds that it raised the issue of Flemish nationalism, but others felt that it raised the issue of about how much the public can trust the press.