Radio Televisyen Malaysia

3°6′40.0″N 101°40′13.9″E / 3.111111°N 101.670528°E / 3.111111; 101.670528

Radio Televisyen Malaysia
Department of Broadcasting, Malaysia
Company typeCrown corporation
IndustryMass media
Predecessors
  • Radio Malaya (later Radio Malaysia; 1946–1969)
  • Televisyen Malaysia (1963–1969)
Founded1 April 1946; 78 years ago (1946-04-01)
HeadquartersAngkasapuri,
Kuala Lumpur
,
Malaysia
Area served
Nationwide
Asia (via satellite)
Key people
Suhaimi Sulaiman (Director-General)
Products
Services
  • Television
  • radio
  • online
OwnerGovernment of Malaysia
Number of employees
4,000[1] (2021[1])
ParentMinistry of Communications Malaysia
Websitewww.rtm.gov.my

Radio Televisyen Malaysia (English: Radio Television of Malaysia, Jawi: راديو تيليۏيشن مليسيا‎; abbreviated as RTM, stylised as rtm), also known as the Department of Broadcasting, Malaysia (Malay: Jabatan Penyiaran Malaysia; Jawi: جابتن ڤڽيارن مليسيا‎) is the national public broadcaster of Malaysia, headquartered at Angkasapuri, Kuala Lumpur. Established on 1 April 1946 as Radio Malaya, it is the first and the oldest broadcaster in the country.[2]

After Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963, Radio Malaya was renamed Radio Malaysia. On 28 December that year, television service in Malaysia began with the establishment of Televisyen Malaysia. RTM came into its current state with its present name in 1969 when it merged its radio and television services to form the present-day broadcast department.[3] As of 2021, RTM employs over 4,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 2,000 are in public-sector broadcasting, including part-time, flexible as well as fixed contract staff.

RTM monopolised the free-to-air television until 1984 and also radio until 1989, when private television and radio stations such as TV3 and Best FM began operations. Currently, it operates 7 television channels and 34 radio stations nationwide as well as an over-the-top streaming service, RTM Klik.[4] Unlike the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which is a statutory corporation with a royal charter, RTM is a department under direct government control via a ministry.[5]

Much like the BBC and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), RTM also commissioned a large number of TV programmes and contents, but were produced by third parties apart from those produced by RTM itself.[6] News and current affairs content across all platforms is produced by its news division. It also owns and operates Orkestra RTM (English: RTM Orchestra), which was established in 1961 and touted as the oldest musical orchestra in Malaysia.

Since its formation in 1946, RTM has played a prominent role in Malaysian life and culture.[1][7] In 2019, RTM became the most trusted media organisation in Malaysia ahead of Astro Awani, TV3 and Malaysiakini, according to a survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.[8][9]

  1. ^ a b c "75th anniversary: RTM charts new directions to cope with digital-era challenges". New Straits Times. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  2. ^ Amree Ahmad (7 June 2009). "Kita bakal 'mabuk' TV" (in Malay). Kosmo!. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  3. ^ Ifqdar Rahman (31 March 2016). "Festival 70 tahun RTM". Utusan Malaysia. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  4. ^ Elani Rosllan (29 August 2022). "Sejarah panjang RTM untuk sumber maklumat rakyat Malaysia". TVS. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Yoursay: Is RTM worth saving?". Malaysiakini. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  6. ^ Ahmad Faisal Mohamed Fiah (2 April 2021). "75 tahun RTM terus unggul". Sinar Harian. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  7. ^ "RTM: RELEVANT TO MALAYSIANS?". BFM. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  8. ^ "RTM is most trusted media organisation, survey reveals". Free Malaysia Today. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  9. ^ "75th anniversary: RTM soldiers on to stay relevant". New Straits Times. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.