The Office of Radio and Television of Mali (''Office de radiodiffusion et de télévision du Mali'', ORTM) is the national broadcaster of the West African state of

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...

History

Malian broadcasting began in 1957 as a one

kilowatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

radio station called ''Radio Soudan'' in

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...

, then administrative center of the

French colony The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that exist ...

French Soudan French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. After independence in 1960, Radio Nationale du Mali (Radio-Mali) began broadcasting from ''la maison de la Radio'' in the Bozola neighbourhood of Bamako. Technical abilities were bolstered with

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

transmitters ranging from 18 to 30

kilowatts The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James W ...

in 1962. In 1970, the

Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...

constructed four 50 kW radio transmitters about 7 km from Bamako, towards Kati, enabling Radio Mali to reach much of West Africa. On 22 September 1983, a

Libyan Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

financed television broadcast centre was opened in Bamako, enabling RTM to broadcast one channel of colour television. French and German grant programmes between 1984 and 1990 enabled news and reporting to expand, with regional stations opening in

Ségou Ségou (; bm, ߛߋߓߎ, italic=no, ) is a town and an urban commune in south-central Mali that lies northeast of Bamako on the right bank of the River Niger. The town is the capital of the Ségou Cercle and the Ségou Region. With 130,690 ...

(1986),

Koulikoro Koulikoro (Bambara language, Bambara: ߞߎߟߌߞߏߙߏ tr. Kulikoro) is a town and Communes of mali, urban commune in Mali. The capital of the Koulikoro Region, Koulikoro is located on banks of the Niger River, downstream from Mali's capital Bam ...

(1989),

Sikasso Sikasso ( Bambara: ߛߌߞߊߛߏ tr. Sikaso) is a city in the south of Mali and the capital of the Sikasso Cercle and the Sikasso Region. It is Mali's second largest city with 225,753 residents in the 2009 census. History Sikasso was founded ...

(1990) and

Mopti Mopti ( Bambara: ߡߏߕߌ tr. Moti) is a town and an urban commune in the Inner Niger Delta region of Mali. The town is the capital of the Mopti Cercle and the Mopti Region. Situated 630 km northeast of Bamako, the town lies at the confl ...

(1993). In 1992, a second national broadcast radio network (''Chiffre II'') was added. On 5 October 1992, the Malian government split off the RTM according to "Law 92-021", from direct government control, becoming a publicly financed, independently run entity (an "

Établissement Public à Caractère Administratif An Établissement public à caractère administratif (EPA; literally translating to "public establishment of an administrative nature") is, in France, a public law legal person with a certain administrative and financial autonomy to fulfil a miss ...

(EPA)"). This was part of the national liberalisation process, moving the nation to the "Third Malian Republic". Private broadcasters were legalised, and RTM was reorganised as the ORTM on 1 January 1993. ORTM was seized by

National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

(CNRDR) forces on 21 March 2012 as part of the

2012 Malian coup d'état The 2012 Malian coup d'état began on 21 March that year, when mutinying Malian soldiers, displeased with the management of the Tuareg rebellion, attacked several locations in the capital Bamako, including the presidential palace, state telev ...

. A thousand-person protest was held on 26 March, chanting "Down with Sanogo" and "Liberate the ORTM".

Current output

In 2002, ORTM had 35 local radio and/or television broadcast points or repeaters, with TV/radio broadcast points in all eight

Regions of Mali Since 2016, Mali has been divided into ten regions and one capital district. A reorganization of the country from eight to nineteen regions was passed into law in 2012, but of the new regions, only Taoudénit (partitioned from Tombouctou Region) a ...

. From its headquarters in Bamako, ORTM produces two radio networks (RTM and Chiffre II), a national television network (RTM), and directs the work of a number of regional RTM radio stations. Considered one of the freest news markets in Africa, although government office holders threaten (and sometimes resort to) prosecution of broadcasters under Mali's strict anti-

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defi ...

laws. In 2001, the head of OTRM was threatened with jail after the government attempted to prosecute RTM for an interview in which the mayor of Bamako accused the Malian judiciary of corruption. Since 1992, broadcasting is no longer a state monopoly. There are two large private multi-channel television providers, and numerous private radio stations. Mali is also considered a world leader in community radio development, with ORTM helping to set up the ''Union des Radios et Televisions Libres (URTEL) '', a network of over a hundred independently locally operated stations. OTRM also partners with other government and international organisations in education and development programs throughout Mali.

Programming

RTM Radio and television broadcast news and information programming, light entertainment (both foreign and domestic), music and sport. Most national broadcasts are in French, with several hours of

Bambara language Bambara (Arabic script: ), also known as Bamana ( N'Ko script: ) or Bamanankan (), is a lingua franca and national language of Mali spoken by perhaps 15 million people, natively by 5 million Bambara people and about 10 million second-languag ...

programming, as well as regional broadcasting in other languages. ''Emission Hebdomadaire d'Information'', the weekly ORTM news magazine, has been broadcasting each Sunday at noon since 1998, and is anchored by Manga Dembélé and Youssouf Touré. A daily news program is broadcast twice daily. ''Chiffre II'' radio network is simulcast on the OTRM website, while television broadcasts are carried on regional satellite. ORTM television regularly broadcasts local sport, mostly

Malien Première Division Malian may refer to: * Malian, Iran (disambiguation), places in Iran with the name * Something of, from, or related to Mali, a country in West Africa * Something of, from, or related to the Malians (Greek tribe) in Ancient Greece * Something of ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

matches, to an eager audience at least three days a week.According to Ly, Friday Saturday and Monday, which are the most watched days by Malian viewers: Friday and Sunday are half days at most businesses, while Saturday in usually a day of rest. Ly, Anh. Dispatch from Mali: Democracy at Play -- Soccer Coverage and Viewing for All. Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media - Volume 48, Number 1, Spring 2007, pp. 97-102

References

;General
www.ortm.ml/ Office de radiodiffusion et de télévision du Mali
* Pascal James Imperato, Historical Dictionary Of Mali. Scarecrow Press, 1986. * The French language Wikipedia entry for the television network: ORTM Télévision nationale, retrieved 2008-02-26. * Xavier Crespin
KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICE, COVERAGE Baseline Survey Report February 2006 CHILD SURVIVAL PROJECT 21 in Koulikoro (Mali)
HELEN KELLER INTERNATIONAL/MALI. ''Discussed ORTM's work providing health information.'' * Peter Coles

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publish ...

, 7 October 1995.
Mali (2007)

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 Wi ...

report.
Six radio station staff freed on completing sentences: Mali

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 ...

, 26 September 2006.
Silicon Mali
Silvia Sansoni,

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

02.04.02.
VOA Training African Affiliates: Broadcasters’ Fiscal Health Key ‘To Guarantee Pluralism’

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the State media, state-owned news network and International broadcasting, international radio broadcaster of the United States, United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international br ...

, 13 September 2005
Mali Market Information Study
FOOD SECURITY II COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT between U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT and MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: IN-COUNTRY TIME PERIOD: JULY 1987 - DECEMBER 1994. ''statistical evidence is consistent with anecdotal reports from both farmers and traders that the SIM radio broadcasts have fundamentally changed bargaining relationships between traders and farmers, forcing traders to offer more competitive prices in isolated rural markets.'' * Cécile Leguy
Revitalizing the Oral Tradition: Stories Broadcast by Radio Parana (San, Mali)
Research in African Literatures, Fall 2007, Vol. 38, No. 3, Pages 136–147.

InteRadio, Vol. 5, No.2, June 1993.

History

Current output

Programming

References

See also