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General Authority for Radio and Television (Syria)

The General Authority for Radio and Television (GART) is the public broadcaster in Syria and reports to the Ministry of Information.

It was previously known as the General Organization of Radio and TV, also known in French as Organisation de la Radio et la Télévision Arabe Syrienne (in short ORTAS). Earlier names were Radio and Television (RTV Syria) and Syrian Radio & Television (SRT).[2] For much of its existence, the organization was the Assad regime's propaganda tool until it was taken over by opposition groups in December 2024 amidst the fall of Damascus.[3]

Several television channels and radio stations are being run by this organization, including Al-Souriya TV and Radio Damascus. GART is an active member of the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), associate member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)[4] and formerly a member of International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT).

History

The legal basis is a legislative decree from 2010, which, however, was largely not implemented. Sūmar Wassūf became head of the commission in December 2018.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, the television company has undergone reconstruction, and its programs have been suspended since December 2024, with a projected resumption in 2026.

Services

The General Authority for Radio and Television is the governmental body responsible for radio and television broadcasting in Syria. It is divided into two parts:

Radio

Radio broadcasting began in the First Syrian Republic upon its independence on 17 April 1946 on shortwave. As early as 1942, Radio Damas, a counterpart to Radio Levant in Beirut, Lebanon existed in the French League of Nations mandate.

Nationwide radio programs include:

Former radio station:

Regional radio programs are (from north to south):

The shortwave international broadcaster Radio Damascus has existed from 1947 until 2013. According to the frequency announcements in the program, both FM (VHF) and AM (medium wave) are broadcast.

  • Radio Damascus (since 1947)
  • Sawt Al-Shabab FM (since 2002) – suspended
  • Radio Souryana (since 2015) – suspended
  • Sawt Al-Shab (1979–2017)
  • Radio Sanabel FM, in Al-Hasakah
  • Radio Aleppo FM, in Aleppo
  • Radio Amwaj FM, in Latakia
  • Radio Tartus, in Tartus
  • Radio Zenobia, in Homs
  • Radio al-Karma, in Sweida

Television

The television station is based in Damascus, Syria since July 1960.[5][6] The channel airs programmes in Arabic and English.[7] Its first channel, Channel 1, was broadcasting in black and white until 1978. A second channel was added in 1985 (discontinued in 2012 due to the civil war) and in 1996, the satellite service Syria TV began broadcasting. On 5 September 2012, Syrian Television channel broadcasts were broken off on Arabsat and Nilesat, including Syria TV. Syria TV and Syrian Drama TV broadcasts were stopped on Hot Bird on 22 October 2012.[8]

The digital television switchover (DVB-T) in Syria has been restarted since mid-2018, in the provinces of Damascus, Daraa, As Suwayda, Rif Dimashq, Tartus, Latakia, Quneitra and Hama, however there is still no date for an analog switch off.

GART national and satellite television channels:

Former channels include Syrian Medical TV and Talaqie TV which both closed in 2016; terrestrial channels Channel 2 and Channel 1 (now Syrian Local Channel) closed down in 2012.

  • Al-Souriya TV (since 1995), also known as Syria TV, distributed through digital terrestrial television (DTT) and satellite television (Nilesat, Es'hailSat)
  • Syrian News Channel, also known as Al-Ikhbariyah Syria (since 2010), distributed through digital terrestrial television (DTT) and satellite television (Nilesat, Es'hailSat)
  • Suspended broadcast since December 2024
  • Syrian Local Channel (since 2022), distributed through DTT
  • Noor Al-Sham (religious channel; since 2011)[9]
  • Syrian Drama TV (since 2009)[10]
  • Syrian Education TV (since 2008)
  • Drama 24
  • Sports TV
  • Sakaker Kids TV
  • Syriana TV Radio and TV
  • Ugarit TV (since 2014) – a regional channel from Latakia;[11] Latakia Radio and Television Center was established in 1987 for the hosting of the 1987 Mediterranean Games

See also

  • Television in Syria
  • List of radio stations in Syria

External links

References

  1. Syrian News Channel (al-Ikhbariya) officially launches new visual identity via satellite - Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) 6 May 2025, retrieved 2025-10-28^
  2. European Neighborhood Journalism Network. Syria-media profile n.d., retrieved 30 March 2013^
  3. General Organization of Radio and TV - Syria en.ortas.online, retrieved 2024-12-09^
  4. EBU Associate Members ebu.ch, EBU, retrieved 9 June 2015^
  5. Mariam Ghorbannejad. Broadcast media: Open to new players? Forward Syria, 12 February 2011, retrieved 17 April 2014^
  6. Television Factbook 1977, retrieved 31 March 2021^
  7. European Neighborhood Journalism Network. Syria-media profile n.d., retrieved 30 March 2013^
  8. Hotbird Suspends Broadcasting Syrian Satellite Channels.. Journalists' Union condemns Step 22 October 2012, retrieved 17 April 2014^
  9. In Lieu of Worshipping Syria Today, 6 September 2012, retrieved 23 September 2012^
  10. آخر تحديثات" ضبط تردد سوريا دراما لمتابعة المسلسلات الحديثة 2021 www.klma.org, retrieved 1 November 2021^
  11. T. S. Ugarit TV, Karameh Radio Begin Broadcasting in Latakia, Sweida January 3, 2014, retrieved 18 November 2022^