Media of Albania
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Mass media in Albania refers to
mass media Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets. Broadcast media transmit informati ...
outlets based in
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
. Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on
advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
, subscription, and other sales-related revenues. The Constitution of Albania guarantees freedom of speech. Albanian media are quite diverse, although politicised, and often influenced by business and political interests. Freedom House
Albania
2015 Press Freedom report


Legislative framework

The Constitution of Albania provides for freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and the government generally respects these rights in practice. However, there are reports that the government and businesses influence and pressure the media. The constitution and law prohibit arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government generally respects these prohibitions in practice. There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or reports that the government monitors
e-mail Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic (digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
or Internet
chat rooms The term chat room, or chatroom (and sometimes group chat; abbreviated as GC), is primarily used to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any technology, ranging from ...
without appropriate legal authority. The Constitution of Albania prohibits
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
; yet, the law may require authorisation for radio and TV broadcasting. Hate speech is forbidden. The Constitution also grants citizens the right to
access to information Access may refer to: Companies and organizations * ACCESS (Australia), an Australian youth network * Access (credit card), a former credit card in the United Kingdom * Access Co., a Japanese software company * Access Healthcare, an Indian BPO s ...
: every citizen has the right, in accordance with the law, to acquire information on the activities of state bodies and persons exercising public functions. Elda Brogi, Alina Dobreva, and Pier Luigi Parcu,
Freedom of Media in the Western Balkans
, study for the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
's Subcommittee on Human Rights, October 2014, EXPO/B/DROI/2013/16
The print press in Albania is mostly self-regulated. The Law on the Press only states that "The press is free. Freedom of the press is protected by law". Printed publications do not require authorisation, nor are they registered in number at any time. Broadcast media has been regulated repeatedly: in 1998 (Law on Public and Private Radio and Television), 2007 (Law on Digital Television) and 2013 (Law on the Audio-Visual Media). The latter, although meant to implement the EU AVMS Directive, has been criticised for allowing political control over the Audio-visual Media Authority and failing to ensure its independence. During election campaigns, as stated by the Election Law, TV and radio coverage (but not the press) needs to be balanced. Yet, the two main parties are allocated double the time than the other smaller parties. The Central Election Commission forms a Media Monitoring Board, composed of party representatives (but excluding smaller and newer parties), and tasked with punishing non-compliant outlets with (rather small) fines. Libel and defamation were decriminalised in March 2012, but remain punishable by high fines - something which is deemed reinforcing trends of self-censorship among journalists. Since 2005, the government and the public administration have pledged not to sue journalists. Since 2013, a Ministerial Code asks ministers not to sue journalists without the prime minister approval, or face the risk of removal. The number of civil cases has dropped, but the formula is not yet entrenched.
Access to information Access may refer to: Companies and organizations * ACCESS (Australia), an Australian youth network * Access (credit card), a former credit card in the United Kingdom * Access Co., a Japanese software company * Access Healthcare, an Indian BPO s ...
is guaranteed by law since 1999, though implementation lags behind. A 2014 new law aimed to prevent delays in officials' answers to access requests. Institutions should appoint coordinators, and a Commission for the Right to Information is tasked to monitor compliance. Online contents are lightly regulated. The only prosecuted contents are those concerning genocide or crimes against humanity, as well as provocation of ethnic, religious or other hate. The Chief Prosecutor may and should collect all relevant content. Setting up a website requires a permit by the Authority on Electronic and Postal Communication (AKEP), responsible for the technical regulation of online media.Londo, Ilda (2012)
Mapping Digital Media: Albania
Open Society Foundation.


Regulatory authorities

The Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) is the main media regulator in Albania, replacing the previous National Council of Radio and Television (KKRT). The AMA is tasked with issuing broadcasting licenses and monitoring their use. It is funded through fines, annual licenses and fees, though it can also receive public budget money. It 5 members are elected by the Parliament for 5 years for maximum two terms. Civil society organisations propose names of experts, which MPs from majority and opposition then shortlist and elect (3 each). The 7th member, the AMA Chairman, is elected by the Parliamentary majority. The AMA is commonly considered as highly politicised. After a long in-fight, two members and a new chairman were elected in late 2014, but the opposition boycotted the vote and did not recognise its outcomes.


Status and self-regulation of journalists

The Ethical Code of the Albanian Media Institute, created in 1996 and revised in 2006, states that journalists "have the right to obtain information, to publish, and to criticise. Information should be truthful, balanced and verified. The Albanian journalism labour market is unstable and journalists often work without contracts (90% of them, according to a 2012 study of the Albanian Media InstituteAlbanian Media Institute (2012)
ebute.pdf Self-censorship and soft censorship in Albanian media
Tirana: Albanian Media Institute.
) or for unpaid extra hours, facing delayed salary payment (up to in 70% of cases). The lack of professional stability undermines motivation and security, and push towards either self-censorship or business and political interferences. Existing journalists' labour unions are not very active in defending journalists' rights. Average salaries for journalists in Tirana are 300–600 euros; journalists outside the capital are paid even less, and 60% of them do not reach the national average wage. Media owners often fail to respect the Law on Work Insurance. Journalist may find themselves forced to take up second jobs, with possible conflicts of interests. The lack of resources hinders the development of professionalism and quality journalism. Journalists often can only refer to official statements and phone calls; investigative journalism is rare. The professional culture is still very influenced by the socialist times. Journalists in Albania remain at risk of being physically obstructed, assaulted or threatened while covering specific events. In June 2014 criminal gangs shot at an A1 Report TV crew, with a vehicle torched and a journalist shortly taken hostage, during a police raid on a village involved in drug-trafficking.


Censorship and self-censorship

Despite some positive developments in the Albania media system since the fall of the Communist regime, such as the creation of a pluralistic media scene, the increase of the number of media outlets, the diversification of formats and the development of digital media, the reduction of physical attacks against journalists and the improvement of the legal framework, censorship and self-censorship are still present in the Albanian media environment. They come from political and economic pressures, lack of financial viability for media outlets, lack of professionalism, ethics and of respect for journalists’ rights. Links between politics, business and media undermine journalistic excellence and quality of reporting in the Albanian media and generate censorship and self-censorship among journalists. One of the main reason of this concerns media ownership structures and patterns: many businessmen in Albania have become media owners, thus their media outlets are kept alive by their business earnings, while maintaining close relationships with politicians. According to a 2015 report by the Balkan Investigative Journalism Network (BIRN) Albania, media professionals in Albania act under the strong influence of factors such as pressure from public institutions, pressure through state-sponsored advertising, pressure from big advertisers, but also pressure from owners’ economic interests, owners’ political links. All these facts also affect the editorial policy that media organisations follow. More than half of the respondents to the 2015 BIRN study report that the editorial line in the media outlets they work for is easily influenced by different factors, including owners’ economic interests, “outside pressures and interventions”, etc. According to BIRN, the media editorial policy is often perceived by Albanian journalists as political biased; it is report that it is have been evident to journalists before they joined the media outlet, or was transmitted informally after they joined the media organisation through orders from owners and editors, censorship of news or suggestions from colleagues. These pressures inside a media organisation to enforce the editorial policy imposed by the owners influence media coverage and the choice of news to be published, as well as the avoidance of others, and result in “one-sided news coverage” , “positive/PR coverage of political and financial partners” and “lack of critical and investigative journalism”. As a result of all these pressures, self-censorship is a widespread phenomenon in the Albanian media. More than 70% of the media professionals involved in the BIRN study believe that journalists in Albania avoid to cover and report of certain stories and issues. Also, half around of the respondents admitted that they avoided certain news “often” or even “very often”. The issues more frequently avoided concern politics, organised crime and economy. According to BIRN, the main factors pushing journalists toward del-censorship are reported to "the economic and political interests of media owners", a problem closely connected with the system of media ownership and financing, the “lack of physical security”, and the lack of “job security”. During August 2019, Council of Europe issued an alert regarding censorship on Albanian media. This alert was brought after the shutdown of two talk-shows, both critical towards the Socialist Party government. The shut down was criticized by many local and international organizations working on the journalists and media rights. News 24 announced the closure of both talk shows, Ylli Rakipi’s “The Unexposed Ones” and Adi Krasta’s “Krasta/ A Show”.


Media outlets

Albanian media are mainly funded through advertising revenues, which lack transparency, coupled with sponsorships and the sale of media productions. The law does not regulate state aid for the media, yet, the opacity inallocation of state advertising is a persistent source of controversy. The economic crisis has reduced the share of advertising revenues of broadcasters (from 58% in 2009 to 30% in 2010), making the media more and more reliant on direct financing by media owners, and equally more at risk of business and political interferences. Foreign investors have entered the Albanian media market lately, with the Italian Edisud Group and the German WAZ–Mediengruppe ratcheting up local media. Media ownership concentration is not yet deemed a problem, although ownership is often obscured through proxies. Cross-ownership is nevertheless on the rise. Economic cross interests of media owners also threaten the media independence. Partisan bias is particularly visible at electoral time, and self-censorship remains a concern. The market conditions also discourage investigative reporting. Transparency is lacking in the state funds to the media sector. The unfair distribution of state advertising to the Albanian media has been a recurrent concern. The issue is not explicitly regulated. *In 2012/2013 over 780,000 euros were reported to be channeled to the media, the biggest share going to a single media group, owned by Rezart Taci, deemed favourable to the government. * The PD government allegedly channeled state advertisement funds towards friendly media outlets, and continued doing so even after 2014 through the city government of
Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
. According to BIRN, in the first three quarters of 2014 the Tirana administration accounted for 64.5% of all print advertisement spending by Albanian state institutions.


Print media

Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europ ...
newspapers were banned during Ottoman times. Publications in Albanian from other parts of the Empire (Sofia, Bucarest, Thessaloniki, Athens, Istanbul) were smuggled in the region. After independence in 1912, news publications included ''Koha'' ("The Times", 1920–26), ''Demokratia'' (1925–39), and ''Drita'' ("The Light", 1936–39). Socialist Albania saw ''
Zëri i Popullit ''Zëri i Popullit'' ( en, Voice of the People) is an Albanian online newspaper. It was the official press organ of the Party of Labour and, later, of the Socialist Party of Albania, but it later ceased print publication and became an independe ...
'' ("The People's Voice", 1944) as the official propaganda publication of the Albanian Party of Labor; the newspaper remained during democratisation as the organ of the Socialist Party of Albania. ''
Rilindja Demokratike ''Rilindja Demokratike'' ( en, Democratic Rebirth and short RD) is an Albanian newspaper founded and continuously published in Tirana. Rilindja Demokratike is the official newspaper of the Democratic Party of Albania. Its chief editor is Bledi Ka ...
'' ("Democratic Rebirth", 1991) was founded as the first opposition newspaper. Newspapers have remained mostly free after 1991 in Albania—with the partial exception of the 1994–97 period under
Sali Berisha Sali Ram Berisha (; born 15 October 1944) is an Albanian conservative politician and former cardiologist who served as the second President of Albania from 1992 to 1997 and Prime Minister from 2005 to 2013. He is also the current chairman of ...
's
Democratic Party of Albania The Democratic Party of Albania ( sq, Partia Demokratike e Shqipërisë, PD or PDSH) is a conservative political party in Albania. It has been the largest opposition party in the country since 2013. The Democratic Party of Albania was founded ...
. Investigative journalism though has remained rare, and journalists inquiring episodes of corruption are often harassed. Most newspapers remain linked to business and political interest groups, since they could not fund themselves simply with the sale of low numbers of copies. The number of
newspapers 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 can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports ...
in
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
was nearly 92 in 2001 and 98 in 2002. Ownership links and financial dependence on business and political tycoons limits journalistic quality and independence, and fosters sensationalism and commercialisation. The independent ''
Koha Jonë ''Koha Jonë'' ( en, Our Time) is a newspaper published in Albania. The paper is a politically unaffiliated daily newspaper based in Tirana. History The paper was first published on 11 May 1991 by Nikolle Lesi and Aleksandër Frangaj in Lezhë a ...
'' is the daily with the biggest readership, although no official numbers are available. Circulation is deemed the lowest in Europe. Tirana's main newspapers are ''
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
'', '' Ballkan'', '' Gazeta Shqiptare'', '' Gazeta 55'', ''
Koha Jonë ''Koha Jonë'' ( en, Our Time) is a newspaper published in Albania. The paper is a politically unaffiliated daily newspaper based in Tirana. History The paper was first published on 11 May 1991 by Nikolle Lesi and Aleksandër Frangaj in Lezhë a ...
'', '' Metropol'', '' Panorama'', ''
Rilindja Demokratike ''Rilindja Demokratike'' ( en, Democratic Rebirth and short RD) is an Albanian newspaper founded and continuously published in Tirana. Rilindja Demokratike is the official newspaper of the Democratic Party of Albania. Its chief editor is Bledi Ka ...
'', ''
Shekulli ''Shekulli'' ( en, Century) is a daily newspaper published in Albania. The paper is owned by the media group UNIPRESS sh.p.k Its headquarters is located in Tirana, Albania. See also * List of newspapers in Albania * News in Albania Albania's ne ...
'', '' Shqip'', ''
Tema Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most populo ...
''. Numerous other dailies and weeklies provide regional and local information. English-language news are provided by the Albanian Mail and the
Tirana Times ''Tirana Times'' is a weekly newspaper published in English and is headquartered in Tirana, Albania. History and profile ''Tirana Times'' is the first weekly English newspaper in Albania. The paper was established in 2005. The weekly provides ne ...
. Greek-language newspapers include Dimotiki Foni, Dris, Foni tis Omonoias,
Laiko Vima ''Laiko Vima'' ( el, Λαϊκό Βήμα, "People's Tribune") is a bi-weekly newspaper published in Gjirokastër, that serves the local Greek communities in Albania. It was founded in 1945 and was the only newspaper printed in the Greek language ...
, Provoli, and Romiosini. ''Gazeta 2000'' publishes in Albanian, Greek, and English. The state's news agency is the
Albanian Telegraphic Agency The Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATSH; ) is the official multimedia news agency of the Albanian government. Its content is published in some of the main news agencies around the world of which it has contractual agreements with, such as: AFP, DP ...
(ATSH)


Publishing

INSTAT InStat is a sports performance analysis company. It was founded in Moscow in 2007, and has international offices and over 900 company representatives. Regional company headquarters are located in Dublin and Philadelphia. InStat claims that medi ...
counted in 2012 around 100 publishing houses and 380 printing presses in Albania, with an average yearly production of 1200–1500 titles. The main challenges of the sector concern the high production costs, lack of promotion, lack of a solid distribution network. The economic crisis seriously affected the publishing sector, with the closure of bookshops and publishing houses, according to the Albanian Association of Publishers (SHBSH), that reported a 40% drop in book sales in 2015. Publishing houses in Albania include: *
Onufri Publishing House Onufri Publishing House is an independent Albanian publishing house with its centre in Tirana, Albania and a branch office in Pristina. It was founded in 1992 and is regarded as of the leading publishers of classics and scholarly works in Albanian ...
, established in 1992, publisher of the complete works of
Ismail Kadare Ismail Kadare (; spelled Ismaïl Kadaré in French; born on 28 January 1936) is an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright. He is a leading international literary figure and intellectual. He focused on poetry until the pu ...
and
Martin Camaj Martin Camaj (21 July 1925 – 12 March 1992) was an Albanian folklorist, linguist, and writer. He is regarded as one of the major authors of modern Albanian prose. His novel ''Rrathë'' is considered to be the first psychological novel written ...
, as well as several foreign classics * ''Ombra GVG'' Publishing House, publishing i.a.
Margaret Mazzantini Margaret Mazzantini (; born 27 October 1961) is an Italian-Irish writer and actress. She became a film, television and stage actor, but is best known as a writer. Mazzantini began her acting career in 1980 starring in the cult horror classic '' ...
,
Antonio Tabucchi Antonio Tabucchi (; 24 September 1943 – 25 March 2012) was an Italian writer and academic who taught Portuguese language and literature at the University of Siena, Italy. Deeply in love with Portugal, he was an expert, critic and translator of ...
,
Dino Buzzati Dino Buzzati-Traverso (; 14 October 1906 – 28 January 1972) was an Italian novelist, short story writer, painter and poet, as well as a journalist for ''Corriere della Sera''. His worldwide fame is mostly due to his novel ''The Tartar Ste ...
, Bernard Cromwell, Edmond Tupja * ''Neraida'' Publishing House, founded in 2002, specialising in children's literature and publishing classical and contemporary Greek literature * ''Dituria'' Publishing House, publishing non-fiction books since 1991 * ''Argeta-LMG'' Publishing House (established 1996), specialised in national historical works, dealing with the history, language, culture and tradition of the
Albanian people The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...
, including publications of authors from
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. * ''Toena'' (est. 1993, publisher of
Rexhep Qosja Rexhep Qosja (born 1936) is an Albanian writer and literary critic from a part of Malësia in modern Montenegro (where locally the region is known as ''Malesija''). Life and career He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pristina ...
), * others: ''Plejad'' (with its philosophy series), ''Dita2000'', ''UET'', ''Shtepia Botuese 55'', Mediaprint, ''Ombra'', ''Dudaj'' (publishing Italian writers), ''Saras''


Public service broadcaster

The state broadcaster in Albania,
Radio Televizioni Shqiptar Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (; en, "Albanian Radio and Television"; mostly called RTSH ) is an Albanian public broadcasting radio and television company. Founded in 1938, it operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmi ...
(RTSh, Albanian Radio and TV), operates national radio and television networks. It has competition from scores of privately owned stations."Albania profile: Media"
''BBC News'', 20 December 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
According to a 2002 survey the broadcaster with the largest audience is
TV Klan Televizioni Klan, also known as TV Klan, is an Albanian private television channel with national coverage, based in Tirana, Albania. History and profile TV Klan launched as a Franco-Albanian joint-venture, with its first broadcast airing on 25 ...
. The Audio-Visual Media Law states that RTSH should "promote Albanian culture and language, and artistic and literary creativity"; produce and broadcast freely accessible content, "related to national health and public order, as well as in cases of national emergencies". Original content should amount to 50% of the broadcasts. To promote pluralism, RTSH broadcasts in minority languages (Greek and Macedonian) in the border regions. RTSH Steering Council's members are elected with a procedure similar to those of AMA, thus reinforcing the issue of politicisation and lack of independence. The OSCE has remarked serious problems with the balance of RTSH coverage during the 2013 electoral period. The public broadcaster finds it difficult to respect the balance in time allotment as required by the Electoral Code. RTSH typically shows a strong pro-governmental bias. The Steering Council approves the RTSH statutes and appoints/dismisses its directors; "approving the strategy, organisational structure, and program structure; monitoring the impartiality, objectivity, and comprehensiveness of programming; advising and assisting the Director General in carrying out his program responsibilities; and drafting the annual report on RTSH activities for submission to Parliament". RTSH finances itself through a license fee (€0.75 per month per family) and may receive funds from advertising, third party services (including productions), performances, donations and sponsorships (upon approval of the Steering Council), and the sale of programmes.


Radio broadcasting

Albania hosts 2 public radio networks and roughly 25 private radio stations. Several international broadcasters are available (as of 2010)."Communications: Albania"
''World Factbook'', U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 15 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
The radio stations with nationwide coverage include the three public channels ( Radio Tirana 1, 2, and 3), Top Albania Radio, Club FM, and Radio Klan. Other radio stations broadcast locally or over the internet. The BBC World Service (103.9 MHz in the capital,
Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
),
Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...
, and
China Radio International China Radio International (CRI) is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of China. It is currently headquartered in the Babaoshan area of Beijing's Shijingshan District. It was founded on December 3, 1941, as Radio Peking. It later ...
are available as of 2019. The BBC Albanian service operated from 1940 to 1967 and from 1993 to 2011.


Television broadcasting

Television is the most influential medium in Albania. The country hosts 3 public TV networks (one of which broadcasts by satellite to Albanian-language communities in neighboring countries) and more than 60 private TV stations; cable TV service is available (2010); Besides the public service broadcaster
RTSH Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (; en, "Albanian Radio and Television"; mostly called RTSH ) is an Albanian public broadcasting radio and television company. Founded in 1938, it operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmi ...
, nationwide TV channels include
Top Channel Top Channel is a national commercial television network based in Tirana, Albania, founded by Dritan Hoxha in 2001. In January 2008, Top Channel was awarded national frequency coverage by making it the third such channel in Albania. In 2009, i ...
,
TV Klan Televizioni Klan, also known as TV Klan, is an Albanian private television channel with national coverage, based in Tirana, Albania. History and profile TV Klan launched as a Franco-Albanian joint-venture, with its first broadcast airing on 25 ...
, and
Vizion Plus Vizion Plus is a national privately owned channel established in 1999 in Tirana, Albania. The channel started as a local station and a few years later began broadcasting all over Albanian territory, covering about 80% of audience and with a mark ...
. Some national channels now defunct include
TVA The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a Federal government of the United States, federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, an ...
, Albanian Screen, and Agon Channel. Tirana-based channels are mainly all news or music format and include
Ora News Ora News is a regional and online television news channel based in Tirana, Albania. The news director is Miriam Ndroqi. The Albanian Media Monitoring Board evaluated Ora News as the most balanced news presenter of the parliamentary elections in ...
, News24, A1 Report,
ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
, UTV, SuperSonic, BBF, Channel 1, and TeleSport. Many Albanians watch
Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
and ANT1 Greece via terrestrial reception. TV5Monde Europe is also available as foreign relay. Television was first introduced in 1960. The state-owned
RTSH Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (; en, "Albanian Radio and Television"; mostly called RTSH ) is an Albanian public broadcasting radio and television company. Founded in 1938, it operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmi ...
dominated the Albanian
broadcasting 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 beg ...
field up to the mid-1990s, a period when
privately owned A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...
radio and TV stations started to occupy the vastly empty Albanian frequencies. Albania has also been a broadcasting centre for its neighbouring countries, with Klan Kosova (for
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
),
Klan Macedonia KLAN or Klan may refer to: * Klan TV, an Albanian TV channel * KLAN (FM), an FM radio station licensed to Glasgow, Montana * ''Klan'' (TV series), a Polish television series * ''Klan'' (magazine), an Albanian political and business weekly * "K ...
and Alsat M (for
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 Yugoslavia. It ...
) and defunct Agon Channel Italia (for
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
). Transition to DTV broadcasting is stalling. In the early 2000s Albanians living in America created the first IPTV platform in the US and later in Europe to stream Albanian TV content to all Albanians living in the United States and Canada. It was launched as an alternative for Albanian expats living abroad to view content from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia.


Cinema

The cinema of
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
had its start in the years 1911—1912, with the first showings of foreign film, and the recording of few documentaries in the pre-war and inter-war period. During socialist times, the
Albafilm-Tirana The National Center of Cinematography ( sq, Qendra Kombëtare e Kinematografisë) is the largest film distributor and film production company in the cinema of Albania connected with over 700 films (feature films and documentaries) between 1947 and ...
was founded with Soviet assistance, focusing mostly on propaganda of wartime struggles. Growing isolationism in the 1970s and 1980s stifled cinematographic imports and fostered domestic productions, which was diversified to various genres, including cultural documentaries and animated films. By 1990, about 200 movies had been produced, and Albania had over 450 theatres, though most of the equipment was obsolete. With the economic transition in the 1990s, Kinostudio was broken up and privatised. A new National Center of Cinematography was established, while cities built modern cinema theatres catering mostly US movies to the public.


Telecommunications

Until 1990,
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
was one of the world's most isolated and controlled countries, and installation and maintenance of a modern system of international and domestic telecommunications was precluded. Albania's telephone density was the lowest 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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, and callers needed operator assistance even to make domestic long-distance calls. Despite investments, the density of fixed lines remains the lowest in Europe; however, mobile phone service has been available since 1996; cellular use is widespread and generally effective; multiple companies provide mobile services and mobile teledensity had reached 100%; international traffic is carried by fiber-optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
(2011).


Internet

Internet penetration has reached 54.7% of the population in 2012 and 60% in 2014, although this may exclude some rural areas. Internet broadband services were initiated in 2005, but growth has been slow. Internet cafes are popular in Tirana and have started to spread outside the capital. Rural areas are provided free public broadband access though the Eutelsat satellite, with access points at post offices, schools, and local government offices. Online media and blogs offer an independent and alternative information from mainstream media, but they reach a smaller audience and often lack resources.


Media ownership


Transparency of media ownership

Transparency of media ownership refers to the public availability of accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date information about media ownership structures. A legal regime guaranteeing transparency of media ownership makes possible for the public as well as for media authorities to find out who effectively owns, controls and influences the media as well as media influence on political parties or state bodies. The media landscape in Albania is rich, but transparency of ownership is quite low. Albania is characterized by lack of transparency on media market, hidden ownership and non-transparent trading in media shares, all features that - along with the web of clientelistic relations - have been exploited by political parties and businessman to influence the agenda of the media. Also, the behaviour of media owners, who often are linked to businesses in field other than the media one, lead to various form of media instrumentalisation which hinders media integrity. Systematic, public and reliable data on media outlets’ economic and financial situation as well as their functioning are missing. Media laws do not contain any specific provisions on transparency of ownership of the print and online media. However, all media outlets, like any other company in the country, are obliged to register to the National Registration Centre and declare the name of their shareholders, therefore ownership data are available for most of the media outlets, including the print ones. In addition, thanks to the digitisation of the registry and the establishment of the National Registration Centre, the transparency of official ownership data has increased. Data for electronic media cannot be found in the register of the National Registration Centre as this kind of media outlets are not obliged to register. However, online media must report their ownership data, including all changes in the ownership structure to the National Council of Radio Television (NCRT). The register held by the NCRT, which contains also information on media licenses, is not available online but upon request. As for broadcast media, they have to register also to the regulator, the Audiovisual Media Authority. The Authority is not obliged to publish online the data collected that, however, can be accessed upon on official request for information. Generally, if the most important ownership data for all media sectors, except for online media, can be found in the National Centre of Registration, some doubts arise on whether the declared data on owners are in fact genuine data on actual owners and the risk of hidden ownership speculation have been detected. Another transparency problem is related to identify media’s source of funding. This is indeed one of the “unresolved issue” of the Albanian media system and a topic of constant debate in a country with high levels of informal economy. Indeed, the question of how is possible that such a great number of media operate in a small market like the Albanian one is still unanswered. In this sense, the large number of media outlets, in particular newspapers and televisions, operating in Albania is financed through parallel business on which there is a lack of transparency. When granting licences to broadcast media, the regulator asks for proofs that the outlet holds a certain level of capital, but it does not check the origin of such capital. Also, the annual balances submitted to the tax offices are treated as confidential data, while, data on balances of the broadcast media are submitted to the regulator on a non-compulsory basis, so only a small percentage do it. For instance, in 2012 only 25% of broadcast operators submitted their balances to the regulators. Overall, the data provided to the National Council in recent years do not create a comprehensive picture of media funding. In addition, reported data are not entirely reliable Furthermore, the regulator is not obliged to publish this data, but rather present to the public aggregate data on the media market. Another reason for concern is parallel businesses of the media owners, a phenomenon occurring when some businesses have their main investments in the media sector, but other investments in other fields, potentially making the media vulnerable towards other economic and political interests. In particular, when other interests are involved, the media are used as tools for making pressure for the protection and the development of such interests. Such a media landscape leaves room for letting that its owners’ interests, rather than the public ones, that set the media agenda and its priorities.


Concentration of media ownership

Albania media environment is characterised by lack of transparency, poor regulations and monitoring of unlawful concentration, hidden ownership patterns and lack of transparency in the trading of media shares. All these factors have contributed to a growing media's dependence on political parties, their agendas as well as on clientelistic relations. After more than 20 years of
market liberalization Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...
, there is no public reliable data on the Albanian media sector. The large number of existing media outlets does translate into media pluralism. The media landscape is reach in terms of number of media outlets, but the transparency of its dynamics and ownership is low. The lack of accurate, reliable and updated data on the Albanian media system made it difficult to accurately assess the situation of the media market in terms of ownership, profit and
audience share Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites. Somet ...
s. Despite the lack of data, the Albanian media system clearly shows a "visible trend of consolidation of ownership, although not to the point of creating a major problem". For instance, the sale of outlets by '' Edisud Group'' was widely considered in the media community as evidence of concentration among pro-government media. In fact, traditionally the media outlets belonging to the ''Edisud Group'' were considered close to the opposition. One of the first consequences of this acquisition was the end of the contract with Anila Basha, director of a newspaper that had in several occasions openly supported the leader of the opposition. Consolidation has involved same editorial groups establishing print, electronic and in some cases online media. This is the case of almost all main media groups and owners in the country. For instance, ''Top Media'' owns shares in companies operating in the radio, TV, multiplex, and print sectors as well as in the publishing industry. The same applies to ''Koço Kokëdhima'', ''Irfan Hysenbelliu'', ''Aleksandër Frangaj'', and other media groups. This situation is made possible also by the lack of detailed regulations on preventing ownership concentration in the sector of print media. Cross-ownership regulation is laid out in the Law on Audiovisual Media, but its scope includes only radio and TV, while the print sector is not covered, thus no limits on print media ownership are set forth. Furthermore, there are some concerns that the existing legal provisions on broadcast media are not fully respected and media owners find ways to circumvent them. In Albania, the consolidation of ownership has been the result of the same editorial group establishing different media outlets in different sectors. Mergers and acquisitions have happened less frequently. In addition, it is quite common to observe a pattern in the ownership schemes of media companies, namely the rotation of the same group of family, relatives, or trusted persons through the positions of general administrator, board members, or shareholders. This pattern also shows the allegedly fictive function of supervisory boards. Also, some media owners create a range of different companies, or close one company and re-establish it with a different name to hide the ownership patterns and the names behind it. Also, since 2010, Albanian media market has been experiencing a significant presence of major foreign media investors, including the Italian ''Edisud Group'', the German ''WAZ-Mediengruppe'', etc. buying local media. Neither the presence of big international media corporations, nor the local media owners have raised a problem in terms of media ownership concentration, despite the existence of a trend in this direction. However, the problem of media ownership concentration can be observed when it comes to cross-ownership of different media platform, and existing laws do not address such cases. In terms of pluralism of content and editorial policies, the Albanian media market offers a variety of alternative views and opinions. However, the possibility that media owners can be involved in various business enterprises in sectors other than the media one, as well as their involvement in public tenders, is a concerning issue since economic cross interests can threaten media independence and integrity. Indeed, in the Albanian media market, media outlets cannot survive if they are not supported by other lucrative business activities carried out by media owners. According to the Albanian media expert Remi Lani, in Albania it is possible to identify who are the nominal media owners, but it is impossible to "know who owns them". According to the South East Europe Media Observatory, "the interaction among the media, politics and other business of media owners is a constant source of concern for media content and media independence" in Albania.


References

{{Transparency of media ownership in Europe
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...