![TV_tower,_Istanbul_(_1100239)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/TV_tower%2C_Istanbul_%28_1100239%29.jpg)
The mass media in Turkey includes a wide variety of domestic and foreign periodicals expressing disparate views, and domestic newspapers are extremely competitive.
[ However, media ownership is concentrated in the hands of a few large private media groups which are typically part of wider conglomerates controlled by wealthy individuals, which limits the views that are presented.][ In addition, the companies are willing to use their influence to support their owners' wider business interests, including by trying to maintain friendly relations with the government. The media exert a strong influence on public opinion.][ ]Censorship in Turkey
Censorship in Turkey is regulated by domestic and international legislation, the latter (in theory) taking precedence over domestic law, according to Article 90 of the Constitution of Turkey (so amended in 2004).
Despite legal provisions, free ...
is also an issue, and in the 2000s Turkey has seen many journalists arrested and writers prosecuted. On Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...
' Press Freedom Index
The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders since 2002 based upon the organisation's own assessment of the countries' press freedom records in the previous year. It intends to ...
it has fallen from being ranked around 100 in 2005 to around 150 in 2013.
In reaction to the failed coup d'état on 15 July 2016, over 150 media organisations, including newspapers, television and radio channels, news agencies, magazines and publishing houses, have been closed by the government of Turkey, and 160 journalists have been jailed.
By circulation, the most popular daily newspapers are Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
, Sözcü
''Sözcü'' (English: ''Spokesperson'') is a popular Turkish daily newspaper. ''Sözcü'' was first published on 27 June 2007 by Burak Akbay and is distributed nationwide. As of June 2018, it is one of the top-selling newspapers in Turkey, with ...
, Hürriyet
''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is one of the major Turkish newspapers, founded in 1948.
, it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' has a mainstream, liberal and conservative outlook. ''Hürriyet ...
, Posta and Milliyet
''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a Turkish daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey.
History and profile
''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 ...
. The broadcast media
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began w ...
have a very high penetration as satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive or transmit information by radio waves to or from a communication satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radi ...
es and cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
systems are widely available.[ The "Radio and Television Supreme Council" (]RTÜK
Radio and Television Supreme Council ( tr, Radyo ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu), also known in short as RTÜK, is the Turkish state agency for monitoring, regulating, and sanctioning radio and television broadcasts. RTÜK was founded in 1994 and is ...
) is the government body overseeing the broadcast media.[ In 2003 a total of 257 television stations and 1,100 radio stations were licensed to operate, and others operated without licenses.][ Of those licensed, 16 television and 36 radio stations reached national audiences.][ In 2003 some 22.9 million televisions and 11.3 million radios were in service.][ Aside from Turkish, the state television network offers some programs in ]Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
, Circassian, Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
, and Zaza
Zaza may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Zazas, a group of people in eastern Anatolia (southeastern Turkey)
* Zaza–Gorani languages, Indo-Iranian languages
** Zaza language, spoken by the Zazas
People Given name
* Zaza Sor. Aree (born 1993), Thai k ...
.[Turkey country profile]
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
Federal Research Division
The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress.
The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unite ...
(January 2006). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
.''
Turkish consumers are the second-most media illiterate when compared to countries in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, leaving them especially vulnerable to fake news, according to a 2018 study. A combination of low education levels, low reading scores, low media freedom and low societal trust went into making the score, which saw Turkey being placed second lowest only to North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
. Conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
*
*
* The term has a nega ...
are a prevalent phenomenon in Turkish media. According to the Reuters Institute
The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) is a UK-based research centre and think tank founded in 2006, which operates Thomson Reuters Journalism Fellowship Programme, also known as the Reuters Fellowship.
History
The institute ...
Digital News Report 2018, Turkey by far is the country with the most made-up news reports in the world.
Legislative framework
The Constitution of Turkey
The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Anayasası), also known as the Constitution of 1982, is Turkey's fundamental law. It establishes the organization of the government and sets out the principles and rules of ...
, at art. 28, states that the press is free and shall not be censored. Yet, Constitutional guarantees are undermined by restrictive provisions in the Criminal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, and anti-terrorism laws, effectively leaving prosecutors and judges with ample discretion to repress ordinary journalistic activities.Freedom House
Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, and Wendell Wil ...
Turkey 2015 Press Freedom report
/ref> The Turkish judiciary can and do censure media outlets under other constitutional provisions and loosely interpreted laws, such as “protecting basic characteristics of the Republic” and “safeguarding the indivisible integrity of the State with its territory and nation.” [Ruken Barış]
Turkey #Media legislation
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
Freedom of information
Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. Access to information is the ability for an individual to seek, receive and impart information effectively. This sometimes includes "scientific, indigeno ...
principles have been introduced with the April 2004 Right to Information Act, affording to citizens and legal persons the right to request information from public institutions and private organizations that qualify as public institutions, although the implementation of the law is lacking.[
The 2007 Press Law was coupled with a “Regulation of Publications on the Internet and Suppression of Crimes Committed Through Such Publications”, authorising the Telecommunications Communication Presidency (TIB) to execute court orders to block websites and to issue blocking orders for the content providers in or outside Turkey for committing crimes such as child pornography, encouraging drug use and, especially, crimes against Atatürk. Between 2007 and 2010 around 3,700 websites and platforms including YouTube, MySpace, and GeoCities have been blocked.][
]
Status and self-regulation of journalists
Media professionals in Turkey face job insecurity
Job security is the probability that an individual will keep their job; a job with a high level of security is such that a person with the job would have a small chance of losing it. Many factors threaten job security: globalization, outsourcing, ...
and lack of social security
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...
, being often forced to work without contract and outside the protection provided by the Law 212 on the rights of journalists. Without a contact under Law 212 media workers in Turkey cannot obtain a press badge and cannot take part in the Turkish Journalists Union (''Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası'', TGS)
Turkey's 2001 financial crisis further strengthened media owners' hands, as 3–5,000 journalists were fired, and the most troublesome ones targeted first.[
Some themes have long remained quasi-taboo in the Turkish media, including the role of the Army, the Cyprus issue and the rights of the Kurdish and Armenian minorities. The interests of media owners in the major media conglomerates inevitably cast a shadow over the objectivity and independence of the controlled media outlets.][Ruken Barış]
Turkey #Accountability systems
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
Ethics in Turkish journalism is based on a couple of documents: the “Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities” by Turkish Journalists Association (1998) and the “Code of Professional Ethics of the Press” by Turkish Press Council (1989).[
In 2006 RTÜK introduced a voluntary ombudsman mechanism that media outlets can introduce in order to evaluate their audience's reactions. Yet, ombudsmen lack independence, as they are high-ranking employees of the same media groups.][
]
Media outlets
Turkey hosts around 3,100 newspapers, including 180 national ones. Only 15% of these are daily newspapers. Turkish print outlets privilege columns and opinions over pure news, and are often politically polarised. Broadcast media include hundreds of TV stations and thousands of radio stations including some in minority languages. The introduction of Kurdish-language media has been hailed as a big progress, although their quality remains poor.[
The main issues concerning mainstream media in Turkey are the heavy concentration of ownership, the widespread self-censorship of journalists and media professionals (also due to their vulnerability to political powers) and the presence of nationalist rhetoric and hate speech.][Ruken Barış]
Turkey
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
More than two thirds of the media (national newspapers, radio and TV channels) are owned by few cross-media groups, whose activities expand in other economic sectors (tourism, finance, auto, construction and banking). These media conglomerates thus rely on alliances with parts of the political and bureaucratic elites to sustain their business interests. As a result, the media landscape of Turkey is highly diverse but also very biased and nationalistic, and media coverage and critical positions reflects media owners' preferences and interests. Independent journalism is a rare and dangerous endeavour, at risk of high job insecurity.[
The centralisation of ]public procurement
Government procurement or public procurement is the procurement of goods, services and works on behalf of a public authority, such as a government agency. Amounting to 12 percent of global GDP in 2018, government procurement accounts for a subst ...
decisions within the prime minister's office (which controls the Privatization High Council (OİB), the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), and the Defence Industry Executive Committee) has stepped up the economic leverage of the government towards economic conglomerates that also control Turkish media.
* Leaked conversations showed how in 2013 the government dictated which companies were to purchase the Sabah-ATV group, in exchange for the tenders related to the construction of Istanbul's third airport.[
* In November 2013 the Savings Deposit and Insurance Fund (TMSF) was used to transfer media assets to supportive businessmen. The AKP-friendly businessman ]Ethem Sancak
Ethem Sancak (born 1958, Siirt) is a Turkish businessman considered to have "close ties to President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan".
He completed his primary and secondary education in Siirt. He graduated from Istanbul University's Faculty ...
bought from TMSF three media that were previously owned by the Çukurova Group
Çukurova () or the Cilician Plain (''Cilicia Pedias'' in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osman ...
.[
In 2004 three major media groups dominated advertising revenues: ]Doğan Media Group
Doğan Media Group (''Doğan Yayın Holding A.Ş.'') was a Turkish media conglomerate, part of the Doğan Holding conglomerate. The company was established in 1997 to bring together Doğan's media properties. These include the '' Posta'', ''Hür ...
and Sabah took 80% of newspaper advertising, and Doğan, Sabah and Çukurova took 70% of television advertising.[ ]In the Turkish context, highly concentrated corporate media power (such as Dogan’s) is even more significant when three additional factors are considered: (1) the willingness of corporate owners to ‘instrumentalize’ reporting in order to fit the wider political-economic interests of the parent company; (2) the weakness of journalists and other employees in the face of the power of corporate owners; and (3) the fact that corporate power
In social science and economics, corporate capitalism is a capitalist marketplace characterized by the dominance of hierarchical and bureaucratic corporations.
Overview
A large proportion of the economy of the United States and its labour marke ...
is combined with restrictive state regulation on issues of freedom of speech.
* Doğan Media Group
Doğan Media Group (''Doğan Yayın Holding A.Ş.'') was a Turkish media conglomerate, part of the Doğan Holding conglomerate. The company was established in 1997 to bring together Doğan's media properties. These include the '' Posta'', ''Hür ...
(Aydın Doğan
Aydın Doğan (born 15 April 1936) is a Turkish business magnate and investor. He is the founder of Doğan Holding, one of Turkey's largest conglomerates.
Biography
Born in 1936 as a member of a well-known family in Kelkit. Doğan went to e ...
/ Arzuhan Yalçındağ) had two-thirds of all newspaper advertising revenue in 2004, and following the 2005 purchase of Star TV Star TV may refer to:
* E! (Canadian TV channel) (formerly Star!), a Canadian entertainment news channel
* Las Estrellas (Spanish for The Stars), the Mexican television network
* Estrella TV (Spanish for Star TV), the American Spanish-language net ...
had 25-30% of the TV audience.[Christian Christensen (2007), "Concentration of ownership, the fall of unions and government legislation in Turkey", Global Media and Communication, August 2007 3: 179-199, doi:10.1177/1742766507078416] (It sold Star TV to Doğuş Media Group
Doğuş Media Group (''Doğuş Yayın Grubu'') is a Turkish media conglomerate, part of the Doğuş Group conglomerate. Its properties include the news channel NTV (since 1999) and the entertainment channel Star TV (since 2011).
From 2009 to 201 ...
in 2011).
* Doğuş Media Group
Doğuş Media Group (''Doğuş Yayın Grubu'') is a Turkish media conglomerate, part of the Doğuş Group conglomerate. Its properties include the news channel NTV (since 1999) and the entertainment channel Star TV (since 2011).
From 2009 to 201 ...
(Ayhan Şahenk
Ayhan Şahenk (11 June 1929 – 1 April 2001) was a Turkish businessman and founder of the Doğuş Group.
Father of the current chairman of Dogus Holding Ferit Şahenk
Ferit Şahenk (, born 1964) is the Chairman of Turkey's Doğuş Group and ...
/ Ferit Şahenk
Ferit Şahenk (, born 1964) is the Chairman of Turkey's Doğuş Group and one of the richest people in Turkey.
Background
Şahenk graduated from The American School in Switzerland (TASIS) and earned his B.A. from Boston College with a degree in ...
)
* Turkuvaz Media Group
Turkuvaz Media Group is a Turkish media company. The company was sold to Çalık Holding in Aşiyan, Yıldız, Beşiktaş, Istanbul 2008. As of 2014 the company operates under Kemerburgaz, Eyüp, Göktürk, İstanbul in Kalyon Group. The compa ...
of Çalık Holding
Çalık Holding is a Turkish company that has been operating in the energy, construction, mining, textile, finance, and telecom sectors since the 1980s. Founder and chairman Ahmet Çalık began his business career in the textile industry, foundi ...
(Ahmet Çalık
Ahmet Çalık is a Turkish businessman who is the chairman of Çalık Holding. He was made a government minister in Turkmenistan by Saparmurat Niyazov.
He is married with four children and lives in Istanbul.
According to ''Forbes'', his fortu ...
)
* Çukurova Media Group
Çukurova Media Group (''Çukurova Medya Grubu'') is a Turkish media conglomerate established, part of the Çukurova Holding conglomerate. On 18 May 2013 it transferred a substantial number of its properties to the state TMSF, in partial settl ...
of Çukurova Holding
Çukurova Holding, established in 1923, is an industrial and commercial conglomerate based in Turkey. It is engaged in a range of sectors such as industrial, construction, communication and IT, media, transportation, financial services and ene ...
(Mehmet Emin Karamehmet
Mehmet Emin Karamehmet (born 1 April 1944) is the chairman of Turkey's Çukurova Holding conglomerate. He was ranked the 2nd wealthiest person in Turkey and the 401st globally in 2012 Forbes Billionaires list.Forbes- Mehmet Emin Karamehmet/ref> ...
)
* Ciner Media Group (Turgay Ciner
Turgay Ciner (born 1956) is a Turkish industrialist and founder of Ciner Group, which has investments in Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ciner's company operates primarily in four industries: energy and mining, glass and c ...
)
The broadcast media
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began w ...
have a very high penetration as satellite dishes and cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
systems are widely available.[ The "Radio and Television Supreme Council" (]RTÜK
Radio and Television Supreme Council ( tr, Radyo ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu), also known in short as RTÜK, is the Turkish state agency for monitoring, regulating, and sanctioning radio and television broadcasts. RTÜK was founded in 1994 and is ...
) is the government body overseeing the broadcast media.[
TV channels gather around half of the advertising market revenues, i.e. 1 billion dollars (56% in 2005, 50% in 2008, 48.2% in 2009). The share of the print media (36% in 2005, 33% in 2008, 31.2% in 2009) and of the radio (3.4% in 2005, 3.3% in 2009) are in decline too. The advertising market is deemed relatively small when compared to the number of media, thus endangering the survival of the smaller media and constituting a barrier to the entry of new actors in the market. Turkish media also remain dependent on revenues from other activities of the economic conglomerates that own them.][
]
Print media
Newspapers with oppositional editorial line against the government corresponds to 65% of daily newspapers in circulation while pro-government newspapers's share is 25%.
The total number of readers of print media in Turkey is low, when compared to the big population of the country (95 newspapers per 1000 inhabitants). Circulating newspapers where estimated at around 2,450 in 2010, of which 5 national, 23 regional and other local ones.[Ruken Barış]
Turkey #Print Media
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
The media hubs of the country are Istanbul and Ankara. By circulation, the most popular daily newspapers are Hürriyet
''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is one of the major Turkish newspapers, founded in 1948.
, it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' has a mainstream, liberal and conservative outlook. ''Hürriyet ...
(330,000 daily sales in 2016), Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
(300,000), Posta (290,000), Sözcü
''Sözcü'' (English: ''Spokesperson'') is a popular Turkish daily newspaper. ''Sözcü'' was first published on 27 June 2007 by Burak Akbay and is distributed nationwide. As of June 2018, it is one of the top-selling newspapers in Turkey, with ...
and Habertürk
''Habertürk'' (literally: "News Turkish"), abbreviated as ''HT'', was a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. It was established on March 1, 2009 by Ciner Media Group, drawing on the brand of Ciner's Habertürk TV. It ceased publication on 5 July ...
.[ Major Turkish daily newspapers are published every day of the year, including Sundays, religious and secular public holidays.
Big media conglomerates, with substantial interests in other economic sectors, dominate the media market and own all the major print and broadcast media. These are the Doğan Group, Turkuvaz, Ciner Group, ]Çukurova Group
Çukurova () or the Cilician Plain (''Cilicia Pedias'' in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osman ...
and Doğuş Group
Doğuş Holding A.Ş. (''Doğuş Group'') is one of the largest private-sector conglomerates in Turkey, with a portfolio of 250 companies in 7 industries, including high-end car dealerships, retail stores, restaurants, cafes, construction companie ...
:[
* The Doğan Group is the largest Turkish media conglomerate. It owns the mainstream/conservative daily '']Hürriyet
''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is one of the major Turkish newspapers, founded in 1948.
, it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' has a mainstream, liberal and conservative outlook. ''Hürriyet ...
'', the boulevard daily '' Posta'', the sports daily '' Fanatik'' (190,000), the business daily Referans
''Referans'' was a daily Turkish language business-and-economics newspaper, published in Istanbul. It was taken over in 2004 by Aydın Doğan's Doğan Media Group, and in 2010 merged with the group's paper ''Radikal
''Radikal'' () was a daily ...
(11,000), and the English-language daily ''Hürriyet Daily News
The ''Hürriyet Daily News'', formerly ''Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review'' and ''Turkish Daily News'', is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey, founded in 1961. The paper was bought by the Doğan Media Group in 2001 and ...
'' (5,500). The group faced serious fiscal troubles in 2009.
* The Turkuvaz Group, owned by the Çalık Holding
Çalık Holding is a Turkish company that has been operating in the energy, construction, mining, textile, finance, and telecom sectors since the 1980s. Founder and chairman Ahmet Çalık began his business career in the textile industry, foundi ...
, has connections with the ruling party AKP. It owns the mainstream daily ''Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
'', the boulevard daily ''Takvim
''Takvim'' is a Turkish daily newspaper owned by Kalyon Group. The word "takvim" means calendar in Turkish.
Founded by Dinç Bilgin in 1994, ''Takvim'' was acquired by Ahmet Çalık's Turkuvaz Media Group in 2008, as part of its $1.1bn purchase ...
'' (120,000), the sports daily ''Fotomaç )
, type =
, format =
, school =
, owner = Turkuvaz Media Group(subsidiary of Kalyon Group)
, founder = Dinç Bilgin
, publisher =
, president ...
'' (200,000), and the most prominent regional newspaper ''Yeni Asır
Yeni Asır is a daily newspaper that began publication in Thessaloniki on 19 August 1895. Its slogan is "Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental c ...
'' (40,000).
* The Ciner Group launched ''Gazete Habertürk
''Habertürk'' (literally: "News Turkish"), abbreviated as ''HT'', was a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. It was established on March 1, 2009 by Ciner Media Group, drawing on the brand of Ciner's Habertürk TV. It ceased publication on 5 July ...
'' in March 2009, thus entering the media market.
* The Çukurova Group
Çukurova () or the Cilician Plain (''Cilicia Pedias'' in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osman ...
owns the nationalist dailies ''Akşam
''Akşam'' (''Evening'') is a Turkish newspaper founded in 1918, owned by Zeki Yeşildağ's Türk Medya Grup (T Medya Yatırım San. ve Tic. AŞ.) since 2013. In 2013 it had a circulation of around 100,000.
History
''Akşams founders in 1918 incl ...
'' (150,000), ''Tercüman
''Tercüman: Halka ve Olaylara'' was a Turkish daily newspaper. It was founded in 1955 by Kemal Ilıcak (1932–1993), and associated with the center-right. The newspaper closed after Ilıcak's death, and the name was acquired by the Çukur ...
'' (15,000), and the boulevard paper '' Güneş'' (110,000).
*The Albayrak business group publishes the conservative Islamic daily ''Yeni Şafak
''Yeni Şafak'' ("New Dawn") is a conservative, Islamist Turkish daily newspaper. The newspaper is known for its hardline support of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AK Party and has a very close relationship with the Turkish governmen ...
'' (100,000).
*Demirören Holding Demiören is a Turkish word meaning ''iron braider'' and may refer to:
Company
* Demirören Group, a Turkish conglomerate
Surname
*Yıldırım Demirören (born 1964), Turkish businessman and current president of the Turkish Football Federation
...
publishes the dailies Milliyet
''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a Turkish daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey.
History and profile
''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 ...
and Vatan
''Vatan'' ("Homeland" or "Motherland") is a Turkish daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers ...
.
* The '' Milli Gazete'' daily (50,000) is deemed to be the voice of Milli Görüş
''Milli'' (symbol m) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of one thousandth (10−3). Proposed in 1793, and adopted in 1795, the prefix comes from the Latin , meaning ''one thousand'' (the Latin plural is ). Since 1960, the pre ...
, a vision promoted by religious-conservative parties in the 1990s such as Necmettin Erbakan
Necmettin Erbakan (29 October 1926 – 27 February 2011) was a Turkish politician, engineer, and academic who was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1996 to 1997. He was pressured by the military to step down as prime minister and was later ba ...
's National Salvation Party
The National Salvation Party ( tr, Millî Selâmet Partisi, MSP) was an Islamist political party in Turkey, founded on 11 October 1972 as the successor of the banned National Order Party (''Millî Nizam Partisi'', MNP). The party was formed by a ...
in the 1970s and Welfare party
The Welfare Party ( tr, Refah Partisi, RP) was an Islamist political party in Turkey. It was founded by Ali Türkmen, Ahmet Tekdal, and Necmettin Erbakan in Ankara in 1983 as heir to two earlier parties, National Order Party (MNP) and Nationa ...
during the 1990s.
* '' Vakit'' (50,000) is a more radical and sensationalist Islamic daily, which has been subject to several prosecutions.
* The ''Cumhuriyet
''Cumhuriyet'' (; English: " Republic") is the oldest up-market Turkish daily newspaper. It has been described as "the most important independent public interest newspaper in contemporary Turkey". The newspaper was awarded the ''Freedom of Pres ...
'' daily (55,000), once linked to the left, is now the reference newspaper for Kemalists and nationalist groups linked to the main opposition CHP party.
* ''Star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
'' (100,000) was launched by the businessman Ethem Sancak
Ethem Sancak (born 1958, Siirt) is a Turkish businessman considered to have "close ties to President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan".
He completed his primary and secondary education in Siirt. He graduated from Istanbul University's Faculty ...
as an Islamic and liberal daily.
Magazines and periodicals too have a low circulation when compared with Turkey's population. The main ones are Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
, Turkuvaz Group's ''Yeni Aktüel
''Yeni Aktüel'' ("New News" in Turkish; increasingly downplays the "Yeni" and may be referred to simply as ''Aktüel'') is a Turkish weekly news magazine.
History and profile
The magazine was established in 1991 by Ercan Arıklı. The first is ...
'' (8,000), and '' Newsweek Türkiye'' (5,000). Business magazines include ''Ekonomist'' and ''Para'' (around 9,000 copies each). ''Birikim
''Birikim'' (Turkish: ''Accumulation'') is a leftist magazine which has existed since 1975 in Turkey. It was banned by the military authorities in 1980 immediately after the coup. The magazine resumed its publication in 1989. It was a print maga ...
'' is a well-reputed liberal-left journal, publishing elaborate articles on social and political issues.[
Minority newspapers include'' ]IHO
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental organisation representing hydrography. , the IHO comprised 98 Member States.
A principal aim of the IHO is to ensure that the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters a ...
'' and '' Apoyevmatini'' in Greek language
Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...
; ''Agos
''Agos'' (in hy, Ակօս, "furrow") is an Armenian bilingual weekly newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey, established on 5 April 1996.
''Agos'' has both Armenian and Turkish pages as well as an online English edition. Today, the paper h ...
'', ''Jamanak
''Jamanak'' ( Armenian: Ժամանակ, meaning "time") is the longest continuously running Armenian language daily newspaper in the world. It is published in Istanbul, Turkey.
History
The first issue appeared on October 28, 1908 with Misak Koç ...
'' and '' Nor Marmara'' in Armenian language
Armenian ( classical: , reformed: , , ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is the official language of Armenia. Historically spoken in the Armenian Highlands, today Armenian is widely spoken t ...
; and ''Şalom
''Şalom'' is a Jewish weekly newspaper published in Turkey. Its name is the Turkish spelling of the Hebrew word (''Shalom''). It was established on 29 October 1947 by the Turkish Jewish journalist Avram Leyon. It is printed in Istanbul an ...
'' by the Jewish community
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. Their survival is often at stake.
Distribution networks are in the hands of Doğan Group’s Yay-Sat and Turkuvaz Group’s Turkuvaz Dağıtım Pazarlama.[
]
Publishing
Radio broadcasting
Radio enjoys a large number of listeners in the Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. There are more than 1000 radio stations in the country.
The first attempts at radio broadcasting began in 1921 in Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, Turkey. The first radio broadcast in Turkey began on May 6, 1927. In 1927, New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
and Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
connection was established. In 1945, Turkey's first university radio with ITU Radio was established. First state radio, on May 1, 1964 TRT Radio began broadcasts, holding monopoly in radio broadcasting until 1994. Establishment of private radio stations began in the early 1990s by young visionary entrepreneurs. The first comers were Energy FM founded by Vedat Yelkenci who also launched the first Music Television TV channels Genc TV and thereafter the Number One-MTV under licence by MTV Europe, Number one FM, launched by Omer Karacan and Ali Karacan, Genc Radyo launched by Osman Ataman, Power FM launched by Cem Hakko, Super FM and Kral FM launched by Cem Uzan, Capital Radio launched by Kalafatoglu. Internet radio in the late 1990s began to be established.[Ruken Barış]
Turkey #Radio
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
In 2010 Turkey had around 1,100 private radio stations, of which 100 available on cable - 36 national ones, 102 regional ones, and 950 local ones. TRT four radio channels include Radyo 1
Radyo 1 is a major radio network of TRT. This network is the earliest radio network in Turkey. Radyo-1 is not a specialized network and presents programs of general interest, including news, science, art, literature, drama, sports, environment, ec ...
(general), Radyo 2 (TRT-FM) (Turkish classical, folk and pop music), Radyo 3
Radyo 3 is a radio network of Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT). This network specializes in all types of western music such as classical music, jazz and popular music
Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically di ...
(primarily classical music and also jazz, polyphonic and western pop music, broadcasts news in English, French and German), and Radyo 4 (Turkish Music). TRT's international radio service ''Türkiye‘nin Sesi'' / Voice of Turkey
Voice of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye'nin Sesi Radyosu) is the international service of Turkish state radio on shortwave, Turksat 3A satellite and the Internet. All the broadcasts are transmitted from single site near Emirler, Ankara Province. ().
...
broadcasts in 26 languages. TRT also has 10 regional radio stations.[
Private radio stations offer mainly music programmes; the most popular ones are ]Kral FM
Kral, Král or KRAL may refer to:
*Kral (surname)
*Král (surname)
*Kráľ (surname)
* Kráľ, a village in Slovakia
*KRAL, an AM radio station licensed to Rawlins, Wyoming, U.S.
* Riverside Municipal Airport, Riverside, California, United States ...
(Turkish pop music), Süper FM (Western pop music), Metro FM
Metro FM is a national radio station in South Africa owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation. The station broadcasts on FM Stereo as well as the DStv Bouquet Channel 801.
Telephone :
History
The station started broadcasting in O ...
(Western pop music), Power Türk (Turkish pop music), and Best FM (Turkish pop music). Several independent radio stations also broadcast in Turkey, including Istanbul's Açık Radyo
Açık Radyo (Open Radio 95.0) is an independent radio station broadcasting from Istanbul to metropolitan Istanbul and surrounding areas. The station's format includes news, music and talk radio.
Structure
Açık Radyo first began broadcasting ...
(Open Radio), the first to be financially supported by listeners, and encouraging listeners to participate in public discussions on sensitive issues to promote open dialogue.[
An Armenian-language internet radio, Nor Radio, started broadcasting in 2009.
]
Television broadcasting
Television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
is the main information and entertainment source in Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
. Turks have an average daily TV viewing time of 3.5 hours per person (3.45 during weekends), according to a RTÜK survey.[Ruken Barış]
Turkey #Television
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
Television was introduced in Turkey in 1968 by the government media provider TRT, preceded by the first Turkish television channel ITU TV
İTÜ TV is the first Turkish television station. The first Turkish television broadcast occurred on July 9, 1952, from a station at Istanbul Technical University's electrical engineering department. Weekly two-hour broadcasts from ITU continue ...
in 1952. Color television
Color television or Colour television is a television transmission technology that includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improves on the monochrome or black-and-white t ...
was introduced in 1981. TRT held a monopoly as state-owned public broadcaster for twenty years, until on 26 May 1989 Turkey's first private television channel Star TV Star TV may refer to:
* E! (Canadian TV channel) (formerly Star!), a Canadian entertainment news channel
* Las Estrellas (Spanish for The Stars), the Mexican television network
* Estrella TV (Spanish for Star TV), the American Spanish-language net ...
started its broadcasts from Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
- thus legally not breaching the regulations. In the following years more than 100 local TVs and 500 local radio stations began operating without licenses. The TRT official monopoly was finally lifted in August 1993, with a Constitutional amendment, liberalizing private broadcasting. The newcomers were, Erol Aksoy launching Show TV, Cem Uzan and Ahmet Ozal launching Interstar (later named as Star TV), Vedat Yelkenci launching the first Music TV Genc TV and thereafter Number One MTV together with Karacan Brothers[
Today the public broadcaster TRT has 11 national television channels: ]TRT 1
TRT 1 (''TRT One'') is the first Turkish national television channel, owned by state broadcaster TRT. It was launched on 31 January 1968 as a test broadcast and was officially launched in December 1971. It was the only channel in Turkey until 15 ...
(general), TRT 2 (culture and art), TRT 3
TRT 3 is a Turkish television channel. It mostly broadcasts sport events.
History
TRT 3 started test transmissions on October 2, 1989 as "3. Kanal", and is now TRT's third most watched TV station. TRT 3’s transmissions are realized through a ...
(youth channel with sports and music programs and live broadcasts from the Grand National Assembly of Turkey
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...
at specific hours), TRT 4
TRT 4 was a Turkish television program. Before 2008, it was a TV station which broadcast cultural and educational programs in Turkey.
Introduction
TRT 4 started test transmissions in 1990 as "4. Kanal", and is now TRT's frequently watched TV s ...
(education), TRT Müzik
TRT Müzik is a Turkish television channel owned and operated by TRT. It broadcasts 24 hours music TV programmes featuring music magazines and talkshows. TRT Müzik can also be watched on TRT 4
TRT 4 was a Turkish television program. Before 2 ...
(wide range of music from traditional Turkish music to jazz). It also broadcasts a regional channel TRT GAP
The Southeastern Anatolia Project ( tr, Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi, GAP) is a multi-sector integrated regional development project based on the concept of sustainable development for the 9 million people (2005) living in the Southeastern Anato ...
for the southeastern region of Turkey, and two international channels TRT Türk
TRT Türk is the international TV channel of the TRT, which is broadcast to other countries.
TRT Türk's task is to enhance the understanding of the possibilities Turkey and Turkic republics may possess or take advantage of in various fields throu ...
for Europe, USA and Australia, and TRT Avaz
TRT Avaz is a channel broadcast by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation with focusing on Turkey and Balkans. It was launched in Turkey on March 21, 2009 and broadcasts throughout the Balkans, Turkic Central Asia, the Middle East, and the C ...
for the Balkans, Central Asia and Caucasus. A full-time Kurdish-language channel, TRT 6
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish : ) is the national public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio provider in Turkey. Before the introduction of commercial radio i ...
, was launched in 2009 within the democratization process.[
Turkey's television market included 24 national, 16 regional and 215 local television stations in 2010.][ It is defined by a handful of big channels led by ]Kanal D
Kanal D, also known as Channel D, is a nationwide television channel in Turkey and part of Demirören Group. It was founded by Ayhan Şahenk and Aydın Doğan in 1993.
The network also runs an international channel, Euro D which is available o ...
, ATV and Show, with 14%, 10% and 9.6% market share in 2013, respectively.
The main media conglomerates own all major TV channels: Demirören Group
Demirören Group is a Turkish conglomerate company. Its properties include Milangaz (a liquefied petroleum gas distributor with 9% of the Turkish market), the Demirören İstiklal shopping mall in Taksim Square, as well as several newspapers, te ...
owns Kanal D
Kanal D, also known as Channel D, is a nationwide television channel in Turkey and part of Demirören Group. It was founded by Ayhan Şahenk and Aydın Doğan in 1993.
The network also runs an international channel, Euro D which is available o ...
, Star TV Star TV may refer to:
* E! (Canadian TV channel) (formerly Star!), a Canadian entertainment news channel
* Las Estrellas (Spanish for The Stars), the Mexican television network
* Estrella TV (Spanish for Star TV), the American Spanish-language net ...
and CNN Türk
CNN Türk is a Turkish pay television news channel, launched on 11 October 1999 as the localised variant of American channel CNN. It broadcasts exclusively for Turkey and it is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Demirören Group. Its headquarte ...
, Turkuvaz Group owns ATV, Çukurova Group
Çukurova () or the Cilician Plain (''Cilicia Pedias'' in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osman ...
owns Show TV
Show TV is a nationwide television channel in Turkey owned by Albayrak Holding since 2018, acquired from Sadık Albayrak which in turn seized from Ciner Media Group after Turgay Ciner was forced to sell due to tax debts. The channel replaces Cine ...
and Sky Turk 360
360 is a privately owned television channel in Turkey.
History
A sound bomb was thrown at the channel's headquarters in Belgradkapı, Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, on October 22, 2009, which was defused by the anti-bomb squad.'Akşam'', 22 October ...
, Ciner Group owns Habertürk
''Habertürk'' (literally: "News Turkish"), abbreviated as ''HT'', was a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. It was established on March 1, 2009 by Ciner Media Group, drawing on the brand of Ciner's Habertürk TV. It ceased publication on 5 July ...
and Doğuş Group
Doğuş Holding A.Ş. (''Doğuş Group'') is one of the largest private-sector conglomerates in Turkey, with a portfolio of 250 companies in 7 industries, including high-end car dealerships, retail stores, restaurants, cafes, construction companie ...
owns NTV NTV may refer to:
Television
* NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh
* NTV (India), Telugu regional channel
* NTV (Kenya)
* NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia
* NTV (Newport Televis ...
. Kanal 7
Kanal 7 ( en, Channel 7) is a Turkish nationwide Islamic TV channel established and on 27 July 1994. It has a terrestrial broadcast licence, and it is also available throughout Turkey via satellite. It airs Indian and Korean dramas. The channel ...
is deemed controlled by Milli Görüş
''Milli'' (symbol m) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of one thousandth (10−3). Proposed in 1793, and adopted in 1795, the prefix comes from the Latin , meaning ''one thousand'' (the Latin plural is ). Since 1960, the pre ...
. Star Media Group
Daily News Brands, formerly Star Media Group, is a Canadian media organization and a division of Torstar Corporation. Its flagship publication is the ''Toronto Star'' newspaper, which is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of ...
owns Kanal 24 as well as the Star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
daily. In 2006 Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
bought the majority of İhlas Group’s TGRT
Fox is one of the leading free to air TV networks broadcasting in Turkey. Since July 2012, Fox TV broadcasts in 16:9.
History
The channel was originally TGRT (acronym in turkish as: 'Türkiye Gazetesi Radyo Televizyonu'; ''Turkey Newspaper Radi ...
channel.[
The main private TV channels, as well as TRT 1, offer a similar mix of entertainment and news. Samanyolu and Kanal 7 are the channels with a more religious editorial line. ]Roj TV Roj may refer to:
* Rój, a district in Poland
* Roj TV, a Kurdish satellite television station
*Roj Blake, the eponymous rebel leader from the BBC television series ''Blake's 7''
* Andrzej Gąsienica Roj (1930-1989), Polish skier who competed in ...
is a pro-PKK
The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of sout ...
channel broadcasting in Kurdish language
Kurdish (, ) is a language or a group of languages spoken by Kurds in the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan and the Kurdish diaspora. Kurdish constitutes a dialect continuum, belonging to Western Iranian languages in the Indo-European language ...
via satellite, rather popular in the South-East. Thematic TV channels include the 24/7 news channels NTV NTV may refer to:
Television
* NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh
* NTV (India), Telugu regional channel
* NTV (Kenya)
* NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia
* NTV (Newport Televis ...
, CNN Türk
CNN Türk is a Turkish pay television news channel, launched on 11 October 1999 as the localised variant of American channel CNN. It broadcasts exclusively for Turkey and it is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Demirören Group. Its headquarte ...
(a joint venture with CNN International
CNN International (CNNI, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel that is owned by CNN Global. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates with sister network CNN's national and inter ...
), Habertürk
''Habertürk'' (literally: "News Turkish"), abbreviated as ''HT'', was a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. It was established on March 1, 2009 by Ciner Media Group, drawing on the brand of Ciner's Habertürk TV. It ceased publication on 5 July ...
, Sky Turk 360
360 is a privately owned television channel in Turkey.
History
A sound bomb was thrown at the channel's headquarters in Belgradkapı, Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, on October 22, 2009, which was defused by the anti-bomb squad.'Akşam'', 22 October ...
, and TGRT Haber
TGRT Haber is a nationwide TV channel in Turkey. It was founded on October 29, 2004, by İhlas Holding
İhlas Holding A.Ş. is a Turkish conglomerate. Besides media assets which include the '' Türkiye'' newspaper and TGRT News TV, it has primar ...
. Music channels include Kral TV
Kral TV is a music television channel in Turkey owned by Doğuş Group.
Kral TV was launched in August 1994 and became a member of the Doğuş Group in June 2008. Turkey's first music TV channel Kral TV, triggered the rise of other Turkish music ...
and Number One TV.
The quality of audiovisual media is limited by a lack of diversity and creativity among the media, and a "monolithic understanding of television broadcasting" given the quick imitation of popular programmes across channels.[
The most important reception platforms are terrestrial and satellite, with almost 50% of homes using satellite (of these 15% were pay services) at the end of 2009. Three services dominate the multi-channel market: the satellite platforms ]Digitürk
Digiturk is a Turkish satellite television provider founded in 1999, with services starting in mid-2000. They provide both national television channels and their own channels, national radio, and music streams of different genres. Digiturk is als ...
and D-Smart
D-Smart is a Turkish satellite television provider launched in 2007. It launched high-definition television
High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the pr ...
and the cable TV service Türksat.
Cinema
The Turkish film art and industry, or ''Yeşilçam'' (Green Pine), is an important part of Turkish culture
The culture of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Kültürü) combines a heavily diverse and heterogeneous set of elements that have been derived from the various cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, Caucasia, Middle East and Central Asia ...
, and has flourished over the years, delivering entertainment to audiences in Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, expatriates across Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, and more recently prospering in the Arab world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
and in rare cases, the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The first movie exhibited in the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
was the Lumiere Brothers' 1895 film, ''L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat
''L'arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat'' (translated from French into English as ''The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station'', ''Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat'' (US) and ''The Arrival of the Mail Train'', and in the United Kingdom as ' ...
'', which was shown in Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
in 1896. The first Turkish-made film was a documentary entitled ''Ayastefanos'taki Rus Abidesinin Yıkılışı
''Demolition of the Monument at San Stefano'' ( tr, Ayastefanos'taki Rus Abidesinin Yıkılışı) is a 1914 Turkish documentary film directed by former army officer Fuat Uzkınay. It is the oldest known Turkish-made film, with a length of 150 ...
'' (''Demolition of the Russian Monument at San Stefano''), directed by Fuat Uzkınay and completed in 1914. The first narrative film, Sedat Simavi
Sedat Simavi (1896 – 11 December 1953) was a Turkish journalist, writer and film director. He established many newspapers and magazines.
Biography
Simavi was born in 1896. His grandfather and uncles served in different positions in the of ...
's '' The Spy'', was released in 1917. Turkey's first sound film was shown in 1931.
The number of cinema spectator has risen since 2000, in parallel to economic growth, political liberalisation and improved quality of theatres. In 2009, around 255 movies were distributed in Turkey, with a reach of 35 million, of which 70 Turkish movies, which capitalised half of the audience. The cinema audience though remains below European average, and limited to the main cities.[Ruken Barış]
Turkey #Cinema
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
40 movies are produced yearly in Turkey. Award-winning Turkish films have often been supported by the European Union Eurimages
Eurimages is a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in 1989. Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages ...
film fund and by the Turkish Ministry of Culture, sometimes attracting more audience abroad than domestically. Two Turkish film companies have been bought by foreign investors in 2007 ( Cinemars by USA's Colony Capital
DigitalBridge Group, Inc. is a global digital infrastructure investment firm. The company owns, invests in and operates businesses such as cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Digita ...
and AFM by Eurasia Cinemas
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago an ...
from Russia).[
]
Telecommunications
Türk Telekom
Türk Telekom is a state-owned Turkish telecommunications company. Türk Telekom was separated from Turkish Post (PTT) in 1995.
Türk Telekom Group provides integrated telecommunication services for PSTN, GSM, and wide-band Internet. The Türk ...
was established in 1995 as a state-owned company after the separation of postal and telecommunication services. It was privatized in 2005 (55% Oger Telecom
Saudi Oger Ltd ( ar, سعودي أوجيه), was a Saudi construction company, incorporated in January 1978 with its headquarters in Riyadh. The initial paid up capital of SR 1 million (US$267,000) was subsequently increased to the present level o ...
, 30% state-owned, 15% public shares). In March 2009 it hosted 17.3 million land line phone users, 6 million ADSL users, and 12.6 million GSM users.[Ruken Barış]
Turkey #Telecommunications
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
The telecommunications
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
liberalisation
Liberalization or liberalisation (British English) is a broad term that refers to the practice of making laws, systems, or opinions less severe, usually in the sense of eliminating certain government regulations or restrictions. The term is used m ...
process started in Turkey in 2004 after the creation of the Telecommunication Authority, and is still ongoing as of May 2013. Private sector
The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government.
Employment
The ...
companies operate in mobile telephony
Mobile telephony is the provision of telephone services to phones which may move around freely rather than stay fixed in one location. Telephony is supposed to specifically point to a voice-only service or connection, though sometimes the li ...
, long distance telephony and Internet access
Internet access is the ability of individuals and organizations to connect to the Internet using computer terminals, computers, and other devices; and to access services such as email and the World Wide Web. Internet access is sold by Internet ...
. There were 16.5 million fixed phone lines
A telephone line or telephone circuit (or just line or circuit industrywide) is a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system. It is designed to reproduce speech of a quality that is understandable. It is the physical wire or ot ...
, 62.8 million mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
subscribers, and 6.2 million broadband
In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...
subscribers by December 2009.
Telecommunications liberalisation in Turkey is progressing, but at a slow pace. The Telecommunication Authority (now renamed ''Bilgi İletişim ve Teknolojileri Kurumu'' or BTK), while technically an independent organization, is still controlled by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
While progress is being made (for example, local as well as long distance calls are now open to competition), the incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...
has so far managed in many areas to restrict access and protect its monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...
. For example, wholesale
Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
line rental is still not available to alternative operators, making it necessary for subscribers
The subscription business model is a business model
A business model describes how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value,''Business Model Generation'', Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Alan Smith, and 470 practitioners f ...
to pay two bills (one for line rental to the incumbent, and one to the chosen operator). The incumbent has so far managed to prevent any operator from connecting its own fiber optic cable
A fiber-optic cable, also known as an optical-fiber cable, is an assembly similar to an electrical cable, but containing one or more optical fibers that are used to carry light. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with ...
at local loop unbundling exchanges, though it is technically required to allow this. Recently, the incumbent announced it is acquiring Invitel
Invitel is one of the dominant players in the Hungarian telecom and information market. Invitel has been operating in Hungary since 1995, through predecessor companies. Since 2002, the group has been using the name ''Invitel''. The telecommunicat ...
, one of only two other players in the inter-city capacity business, raising questions as to how the Turkish Competition Board will treat the acquisition.
The lack of progress by the BTK in ensuring a competitive playing field can be evidenced by the market share
Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those units would have a ...
the incumbent still holds. In broadband, the incumbent's provider still occupies roughly 95% share of the market. The Governmental Audit Office of the President (T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı Devlet Denetleme Kurulu) issued a highly critical report of the BTK in February 2010, listing 115 findings to be addressed. For example, the report found #20 points out that the BTK has completed only 50% to 78% of its stated work plans in each of the years from 2005 to 2008.
Alternative operators are rapidly growing, yet much progress needs to be made by the BTK to improve the competitive landscape.
The political authority is the Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communication . But there are also two supreme councils; Radio and Television Supreme Council
Radio and Television Supreme Council ( tr, Radyo ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu), also known in short as RTÜK, is the Turkish state agency for monitoring, regulating, and sanctioning radio and television broadcasts. RTÜK was founded in 1994 and is ...
(RTÜK) and Information and Communication Technologies Authority
The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) ( tr, Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumu (BTK)), is a national telecommunications regulatory and inspection authority of Turkey. It was formerly known as the Telecommunications ...
(BTK). While internet and point to point telecommunication is controlled by BTK, radio and television broadcast is controlled by RTÜK.
Internet
Internet in Turkey has been available to the public since 1993, although experimentation at Ege University
Ege University or Aegean University ( tr, Ege Üniversitesi) is a public research university in Bornova, İzmir. It was founded in 1955 with the faculties of Medicine and Agriculture. It is the first university to start courses in İzmir and the ...
started in 1987. The first available connections were dial-up
Dial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the facilities of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to establish a connection to an Internet service provider (ISP) by dialing a telephone number on a conventional telepho ...
. Cable Internet has been available since 1998 and ADSL
Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. ...
since 2001.
Internet users in Turkey reached 26.5 million in 2008, with a 34.5% penetration (up from 7.5% in 2004 and 13.9% in 2005), also thanks to internet cafés and workplace access. ADSL subscribers were 4.5 million in 2008. Only 7% of Turkish women used internet in 2009.[Ruken Barış]
Turkey #New Media
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010 Estimated internet penetration reached 51% in 2014.[
Currently ]Türk Telekom
Türk Telekom is a state-owned Turkish telecommunications company. Türk Telekom was separated from Turkish Post (PTT) in 1995.
Türk Telekom Group provides integrated telecommunication services for PSTN, GSM, and wide-band Internet. The Türk ...
's TTNET
TTNET A.Ş., operating under the Türk Telekom brand, is the largest Internet service provider in Turkey and has around 7 million subscribers. TTNET is a subsidiary of Türk Telekom Group.
Currently, Mohammad Hariri is Chairman of the Board ...
ADSL2+
G.992.5 (also referred to as ADSL2+, G.dmt.bis+, and G.adslplus) is an ITU-T standard for asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) broadband Internet access. The standard has a maximum theoretical downstream sync speed of 24 megabits per second ...
service is the most widely used Internet service in Turkey, offering speeds from 8 Mbit/s
In telecommunications, data-transfer rate is the average number of bits (bitrate), characters or symbols (baudrate), or data blocks per unit time passing through a communication link in a data-transmission system. Common data rate units are multi ...
to 24 Mbit/s. TTNET offers VDSL2 service with speeds at 25 Mbit/s to 100 Mbit/s as well. Alternative broadband companies, while mostly still using TTNET infrastructure, such as SmileADSL , Biri and TurkNet
TurkNet or by its legal name TurkNet İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş. is a telecommunications company that offers internet access and telephone services to businesses and consumers in Turkey. As of end of September 2015, TurkNet was the fourth larges ...
are also available. Superonline is offering fibre broadband in limited areas in 12 cities, though the company is enlarging at a healthy pace. They currently offer up to 1000 Mbit/s speeds. Furthermore, relatively wide but not universal coverage of cable Internet is maintained by UyduNET, offering speeds from 10 Mbit/s to 100 Mbit/s.
In March 2012, TTNet and Superonline, which between themselves provide the bulk of Turkish broadband Internet access, have started applying "fair use" policies (known with the Turkish abbreviations AKK for "Adil Kullanım Koşulları" and AKN for "Adil Kullanım Noktası") that are overly restrictive in terms of the allowed download and upload quotas. Most accounts are allotted 50 GB download (and 10 GB upload) quotas, after which the bandwidth is reduced 10-fold, down to 1 Mbit/s. Some users have reported that their broadband speeds were reduced in six days into the month. Both companies have been under heavy criticism for their "fair use" policies.
The only ISP in turkey that offers no fair-use policies is TurkNet
TurkNet or by its legal name TurkNet İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş. is a telecommunications company that offers internet access and telephone services to businesses and consumers in Turkey. As of end of September 2015, TurkNet was the fourth larges ...
All main newspapers and TV channels have internet websites, constantly updated. Yet, most news originate from news agencies and traditional media, and there is very little web-only content production.[
In 2017, Wikipedia is blocked in Turkey. It's ban was relieved only in January 2020 after a court ruling which allowed Wikipedia being accessible in Turkey.
]
Media organizations
Media agencies
The main news agencies in Turkey are Anadolu Ajansı
Anadolu Agency ( tr, Anadolu Ajansı, ; abbreviated AA) is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey.
History
The Anadolu Agency was founded in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence by the order of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. As ...
(AA), Demirören Haber Ajansı (DHA), İhlas Haber Ajansı (İHA), Ajans HaberTürk ( Ciner Group) and ANKA
Anka may refer to:
* Anka (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Anka, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Zamfara State
* Angströmquelle Karlsruhe (ANKA), a synchrotron facility at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology ...
. They often have access to expensive technical facilities thanks to being embedded in big media conglomerates.[Ruken Barış]
Turkey #News agencies
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
*Anadolu Ajansı
Anadolu Agency ( tr, Anadolu Ajansı, ; abbreviated AA) is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey.
History
The Anadolu Agency was founded in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence by the order of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. As ...
(AA) was founded by Kemal Atatürk Kemal may refer to:
;People
* Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a Turkish politician and the first president of Turkey
* Kemal (name), a common Turkish name
;Places
* Kemalpaşa, İzmir Province, Turkey
* Mustafakemalpaşa, Bursa Province, Turkey
;See als ...
in 1920 during Turkey's independence war, and remains the official state-subsidized news agency. It has 28 offices in Turkey and 22 abroad, providing 800 news items and 200 photos daily.
* Demirören Haber Ajansı (DHA), formerly owned by the Doğan Media Group
Doğan Media Group (''Doğan Yayın Holding A.Ş.'') was a Turkish media conglomerate, part of the Doğan Holding conglomerate. The company was established in 1997 to bring together Doğan's media properties. These include the '' Posta'', ''Hür ...
and called Doğan Haber Ajansı, was founded in 1999. It is owned by the Demirören Group
Demirören Group is a Turkish conglomerate company. Its properties include Milangaz (a liquefied petroleum gas distributor with 9% of the Turkish market), the Demirören İstiklal shopping mall in Taksim Square, as well as several newspapers, te ...
. In 2011 it had 41 offices in Turkey and 26 abroad.
*ANKA
Anka may refer to:
* Anka (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Anka, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Zamfara State
* Angströmquelle Karlsruhe (ANKA), a synchrotron facility at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology ...
was founded in 1972 as an independent news agency; it provides a daily economic bulletin in Turkish and a weekly one in English.
* Dicle Haber Ajansı (DİHA) is an independent news agency established in 2002, providing services in Turkish, English and Kurdish.[
* Foreign news agencies also operate in Turkey.][
]
Trade unions
Part of the reason for journalistic weakness vis-a-vis owners is the lack of unions, as the International Federation of Journalists
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is the largest global union federation of journalists' trade unions in the world. It represents more than 600,000 media workers from 187 organisations in 146 countries.
The IFJ is an associate ...
and Europ ean Federation of Journalists noted in 2002:[
]At the beginning of 1990s, workers of two major newspapers, Hürriyet
''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is one of the major Turkish newspapers, founded in 1948.
, it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' has a mainstream, liberal and conservative outlook. ''Hürriyet ...
and Milliyet
''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a Turkish daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey.
History and profile
''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 ...
, resigned from the union because of pressure from the employer ( Aydin Dogan). Hostility from employers meant that some workplaces where there had been union organisation (including, for example, Tercüman
''Tercüman: Halka ve Olaylara'' was a Turkish daily newspaper. It was founded in 1955 by Kemal Ilıcak (1932–1993), and associated with the center-right. The newspaper closed after Ilıcak's death, and the name was acquired by the Çukur ...
, Günes, and the privately owned UBA news agency) were closed down. Union organisation was not possible in newspapers (Star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
, Radikal
''Radikal'' () was a daily liberal Turkish language newspaper, published in Istanbul. From 1996 it was published by Aydın Doğan's Doğan Media Group. Although Radikal did not endorse a particular political alignment, it was generally considered ...
, and others) nor in radio and television companies which began their publication and broadcasting lives later on. The Sabah group and other media groups have never permitted union organisation. (IFJ/EFJ, 2002: 4)
Turkey's 2001 financial crisis further strengthened media owners' hands, as 3–5,000 journalists were fired, and the most troublesome ones targeted first.[
Media professionals in Turkey face job insecurity and lack of social security, being often forced to work without contract and outside the protection provided by the Law 212 on the rights of journalists. Without a contact under Law 212 media workers in Turkey cannot obtain a press badge and cannot take part in the Turkish Journalists Union (''Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası'', TGS), the only union recognised as a counterpart for the negotiation of the category's collective contract. TGS' influence has diminished since the 1990s, under pressure from the media owners, and today journalists are cautious about union membership, in order to avoid retaliation from employers.][Ruken Barış]
Turkey #Trade Unions
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
Despite low levels of unionisation, many journalists' associations exist, including ''Türkiye Gazeteciler Cemiyeti'' (Journalists Association of Turkey), ''Türkiye Gazeteciler Federasyonu'' (Federation of Journalists), ''Çağdaş Gazeteciler Derneği'' (Progressive Journalists Association), ''Ekonomi Muhabirleri Derneği'' (Association of Economy Reporters), ''Foto Muhabirleri Derneği'' (Association of Photo Reporters), and ''Parlamento Muhabirleri Derneği'' (Association of Parliamentary Reporters).[
Employers organisations include ''Televizyon Yayıncıları Derneği'' (Association of Television Broadcasters), ''Anadolu Gazete Radyo ve Televizyon Yayıncıları Birliği'' (Union of Anatolian Newspaper, Radio and Television Publishers and Broadcasters), ''Televizyon Yayıncıları Birliği'' (Union of Television Broadcasters), ''Yayıncılar Birliği'' (Turkish Publishers’ Association).][
The advertising sector include the Turkish Association of Advertising Agencies (TAAA) (''Reklamcılar Derneği''), Association of Advertisers (''Reklamverenler Derneği'') and IAA Turkey (International Advertising Association).][
]
Regulatory authorities
The Radio and Television Supreme Council
Radio and Television Supreme Council ( tr, Radyo ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu), also known in short as RTÜK, is the Turkish state agency for monitoring, regulating, and sanctioning radio and television broadcasts. RTÜK was founded in 1994 and is ...
(RTÜK) is the government body overseeing the broadcast media.[
It was established after the end of the state monopoly over broadcasting, with the Radio and Television Law no. 3984 in April 1994. It is tasked with assigning frequencies and issuing broadcasting permits and licenses to private companies, as well as monitoring their compliance with the legal framework. It has the power to issue penalties for non-compliance, ranging from warnings to the suspension of broadcastings (after complaints, since 2002 it can suspend single programmes rather than only the whole channel). It has no authority over the public service broadcaster TRT, which is subject to a separate law (no. 2954).][Ruken Barış]
Turkey #Regulatory authority
, EJC Media Landscapes, circa 2010
Broadcasting standards set by RTÜK are seen as too wide and vague, as in “not violating the national and moral values of the community and the Turkish family structure”, “not undermining the state and its independence and the indisputable unity of the country with its people” and “not undermining the ideals and reforms of Atatürk”. Its interpretation of the law has been both arbitrary and severe, with disproportionate sanctions for non-compliers. RTÜK's claim of impartiality is undermined by its composition and nomination process, leading to strong risks of politicisation and control by the party in government.[ The body members are elected by the Parliament, and are currently dominated by affiliates of the ruling AKP.][ According to ]Bianet
Bianet (acronym for tr, Bağımsız İletişim Ağı, lit="Independent Communication Network") is a Turkish press agency based in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. Its focus is on human rights and it is mainly funded by a Swedish organization. It was establish ...
, in 2014 RTÜK issued 78 warnings and 254 fines to television channels, and 12 warnings and 7 fines to radio stations.[
Since 2002, in order to regulate the frequencies, RTÜK partners with the Communications High Council HYK, founded in 1983 to approve communication policies, and the Telecommunication Authority TK, established in 2000 to regulate and control the telecommunication sector. TK is tasked with frequency planning, yet frequency auctions have often been unsuccessful due to lack of coordination between the three bodies as well as outside pressures from media conglomerates. The MGK (National Security Council) also intervened to oblige broadcasters to acquire a national security clearance document, in order to prevent the establishment of religious TV channels. In 2010 all radio and TV stations continued operating without licenses.][
As long as Turkish media operate without licenses, RTÜK cannot enact its powers and force media groups to sell their shares to prevent dominant positions and reduce media ownership concentration.][
The Advertising Self-Regulatory Board (''Reklam Özdenetim Kurulu'') was established by the members of the Advertisers Association, TAAA and by the media institutions in order to monitor advertising practices. TİAK (Television Audience Research Committee), BİAK (Press Research Committee), and RİAK (Radio Audience Research. Committee) are established to organise and monitor research about broadcasting and print media.][
BIA is a non-for-profit organization that monitors and reports violations of freedom of expression, monitors the newspapers’ coverage about human rights, woman and children rights issues, and the functioning of the media in terms of media ethics. Its news and information network ]Bianet
Bianet (acronym for tr, Bağımsız İletişim Ağı, lit="Independent Communication Network") is a Turkish press agency based in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. Its focus is on human rights and it is mainly funded by a Swedish organization. It was establish ...
provides daily coverage of the issues that are ignored in the mainstream media, especially about human rights, gender rights, minority rights and children rights issues. Bianet has also an English version.[
]
Censorship and media freedom
Since 2011, the AKP government has increased restrictions on freedom of speech, freedom of the press and internet use, and television content, as well as the right to free assembly. It has also developed links with media groups, and used administrative and legal measures (including, in one case, a billion tax fine) against critical media groups and critical journalists: "over the last decade the AKP has built an informal, powerful, coalition of party-affiliated businessmen and media outlets whose livelihoods depend on the political order that Erdogan is constructing. Those who resist do so at their own risk."Foreign Policy
A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
, 2 June 2013
How Democratic Is Turkey?
These behaviours became particularly prominent in 2013 in the context of the Turkish media coverage of the 2013 protests in Turkey. The BBC noted that while some outlets are aligned with the AKP or are personally close to Erdogan, "most mainstream media outlets - such as TV news channels HaberTurk and NTV, and the major centrist daily Milliyet - are loth to irritate the government because their owners' business interests at times rely on government support. All of these have tended to steer clear of covering the demonstrations."[BBC, 4 June 2013]
Turks deprived of TV turn to Twitter for protest news
/ref> Few channels provided live coverage – one that did was Halk TV
Halk TV is a Turkish nationwide TV channel established in 2005. It is known for its relationship with the Republican People's Party ( tr, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, abbreviated CHP), although the previous links were cut off in 2011 under a new CH ...
.
During its 12-year rule, the ruling AKP has gradually expanded its control over media. Today, numerous newspapers, TV channels and internet portals also dubbed as ''Yandaş Medya'' ("Slanted Media") or ''Havuz Medyası'' ("Pool Media") continue their heavy pro-government propaganda. Several media groups receive preferential treatment in exchange for AKP-friendly editorial policies. Some of these media organizations were acquired by AKP-friendly businesses through questionable funds and processes. Media not friendly to AKP, on the other hand, are threatened with intimidation, inspections and fines. These media group owners face similar threats to their other businesses. An increasing number of columnists have been fired for criticizing the AKP leadership.
Leaked telephone calls between high ranking AKP officials and businessmen indicate that government officials collected money from businessmen in order to create a "pool media" that will support AKP government at any cost. Arbitrary tax penalties are assessed to force newspapers into bankruptcy—after which they emerge, owned by friends of the president. According to a recent investigation by Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to:
People
* Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer
* Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian
* Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ma ...
, Erdogan forced a sale of the once independent daily Sabah to a consortium of businessmen led by his son-in-law.
The state-run Anadolu Agency
Anadolu Agency ( tr, Anadolu Ajansı, ; abbreviated AA) is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey.
History
The Anadolu Agency was founded in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence by the order of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. As ...
and the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish : ) is the national public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio provider in Turkey. Before the introduction of commercial radio i ...
have also been criticized by media outlets and opposition parties, for acting more and more like a mouthpiece for the ruling AKP, a stance in stark violation of their requirement as public institutions to report and serve the public in an objective way.
In the aftermath of the 2016 coup attempt, all media outlets considered to have been linked to the Gülen movement
The Gülen movement ( tr, Gülen hareketi), referred to by its participants as Hizmet ("service") or Cemaat ("community") and since 2016 by the Government of Turkey as FETÖ ("Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation" or, more commonly, "Fethullah T ...
were shut down by the Turkish government. These include the newspapers Zaman (formerly the highest-circulation paper in Turkey) and Taraf
''Taraf'' ("Side" in Turkish) was a liberal newspaper in Turkey. It had distinguished itself by opposing interference by the Turkish military in the country's social and political affairs. It was distributed nationwide, and had been in circulati ...
, Cihan News Agency
The Cihan News Agency ( tr, Cihan Haber Ajansı) was a Turkish news agency based in Istanbul.
The agency, established in 1994, was part of Feza Publications, which also owned '' Zaman'' newspaper and ''Aksiyon'', a weekly news magazine. Cihan New ...
, Samanyolu TV
Samanyolu TV was an international Turkish language TV station with its headquarters in Istanbul.
Samanyolu TV was previously owned by Yayıncılık A.Ş. Yayıncılık A.Ş. is a media company that operates radio and television broadcasting, pub ...
and numerous others. Later in the same year, some pro-Kurdish media outlets, such as IMC TV, were also shut down for allegedly supporting the PKK.
Former publications
In the post-Tanzimat
The Tanzimat (; ota, تنظيمات, translit=Tanzimāt, lit=Reorganization, ''see'' nizām) was a period of reform in the Ottoman Empire that began with the Gülhane Hatt-ı Şerif in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. ...
period French became a common language among educated people, even though no ethnic group in the empire natively spoke French.
info page on book
at Martin Luther University
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university in ...
) // CITED: p. 26 (PDF p. 28): "French had become a sort of semi-official language in the Ottoman Empire in the wake of the ''Tanzimat'' reforms. ..t is true that French was not an ethnic language of the Ottoman Empire. But it was the only Western language which would become increasingly widespread among educated persons in all linguistic communities." Johann Strauss, author of "Language and power in the late Ottoman Empire," wrote that "In a way reminiscent of English in the contemporary world, French was almost omnipresent in the Ottoman lands."[ (, 9781317118459), p]
122
Strauss also stated that French was "a sort of semi-official language",[ (, 9781317118442), ]Google Books
Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...
br>PT192
which "to some extent" had "replaced Turkish as an 'official' language for non-Muslims".[ (, 9781317118442), ]Google Books
Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...
br>PT193
Therefore, late empire had multiple French-language publications, and several continued to operate when the Republic of Turkey was declared in 1923. However French-language publications began to close in the 1930s.
From 1923 onwards:
* '' İctihâd - Idjtihad. Türkçe ve Fransızca, ilmi, edebi, iktisadi''
* '' T. C. İzmir Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası Mecmuası - République de Turque Bulletin de la Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Smyrne''
* '' Revue commerciale du Levant'' (Constantinople, with the entire city named Istanbul in Turkish in 1923 and renamed Istanbul in English circa 1930) - of the French chamber of commerce
See also
* List of magazines in Turkey
* List of newspapers in Turkey
* List of television stations in Turkey
* List of radio stations in Turkey
* Censorship in Turkey
Censorship in Turkey is regulated by domestic and international legislation, the latter (in theory) taking precedence over domestic law, according to Article 90 of the Constitution of Turkey (so amended in 2004).
Despite legal provisions, free ...
* Transparency of media ownership in Turkey
* Concentration of media ownership in Turkey
*
* Turkey's media purge after the failed July 2016 coup d'état
* Conspiracy theories in Turkey Conspiracy theories are a prevalent feature of culture and politics in Turkey. Conspiracism is an important phenomenon in understanding Turkish politics. This is explained by a desire to " make up for our lost Ottoman grandeur", the humiliation of ...
* Media of the Ottoman Empire
There were multiple newspapers published in the Ottoman Empire.
European influences
The first newspapers in the Ottoman Empire were owned by foreigners living there who wanted to make propaganda about the Western world. The earliest was printed i ...
References
Further reading
* Mine Gencel Bek (2004), "Research Note: Tabloidization of News Media: An Analysis of Television News in Turkey", ''European Journal of Communication'' August 2004 19: 371–386, doi:10.1177/0267323104045264
* Christensen, M. (2010), "Notes on the public sphere on a national and post-national axis: Journalism and freedom of expression in Turkey", ''Global Media and Communication'', 6 (2), pp. 177–197.
* Hawks, B.B. (2011), "Is the press really free?: The recent conflict between the government and media in Turkey", ''International Journal of the Humanities'', 8 (11), pp. 75–90.
* Tunc, Asli; Gorgulu, Vehbi (2012).
Mapping Digital Media: Turkey
'. London: Open Society Foundations.
External links
Freedom House
2015 Turkey report
EJC Media Landscapes
Turkey
ECPMF Resource Centre on Media Freedom
Turkey
OSCE Freedom of the Media
statements on Turkey
Turkey
Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ)
Turkey
* Marc Pierini with Markus Mayr, January 2013
Press Freedom in Turkey
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded in ...
* Dilek Kurban, Ceren Sözeri, June 2012
Caught in the Wheels of Power: The Political, Legal and Economic Constraints on Independent Media and Freedom of the Press in Turkey
Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation
The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation ( tr, Türkiye Ekonomik ve Sosyal Etüdler Vakfı, TESEV), based in Istanbul, is Turkey's leading think tank. The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) is an independent non-gover ...
.
* Piotr Zalewski, ''Foreign Affairs
''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...
'', June 14, 2013
The Turkish Media’s Darkest Hour: How Erdogan Got the Protest Coverage He Wanted
* Akser, Murat; Baybars-Hawks, Banu (2012),
Media and Democracy in Turkey: Toward a Model of Neoliberal Media Autocracy
, ''Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication'', Volume 5, Number 3, 2012, pp. 302–321(20)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Media Of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...