AGERPRES

AGERPRES is the national news agency of Romania and the country's oldest news agency. Its institutional history began in March 1889, when Foreign Minister Petre P. Carp initiated the Telegraph Agency of Romania, also referred to as the Romanian Agency. The original purpose was to provide a fast and accurate service covering news of general or special interest. This founding placed the organization within the development of Romania's modern communications and press infrastructure, giving it a role distinct from that of an ordinary newspaper or commercial publishing brand. The agency's identity and organizational form changed several times during the twentieth century. Its operations were suspended from the end of 1916 until the conclusion of the First World War. On 16 June 1921, a successor organization named Orient-Radio was established to serve the general interest and subscribers. Another reorganization followed in 1926, when the Romanian Parliament adopted the name RADOR, short for Information Telegraph Agency. In 1949, the country's first news agency adopted the AGERPRES name. After the political changes of 1989, the institution was re-established as ROMPRES in 1990. ROMPRES became a member of the European Alliance of News Agencies in 1996, strengthening its connection with the wider European agency network. The agency entered the digital publishing era with the launch of its first website in 1999. In July 2008, following an amendment to the legislation governing the organization and operation of the national press agency, the institution returned to the AGERPRES name. AGERPRES serves as a national information provider rather than a narrowly specialized media outlet. Its activities include the production and distribution of general news, specialized news, photographic material, and multimedia content. The agency is particularly associated with its Romanian photographic archive, described in the reference material as the largest such archive in the country. It also operates internal and external photo services and provides real-time photographic coverage, with more than 1,000 photographs cited in connection with that service. A major modernization step came in September 2013, when AGERPRES underwent a rebranding focused on the online environment. The initiative expanded its multimedia presence, introduced an interactive video platform, and promoted the concept of the “complete journalist,” reflecting the increasing convergence of text, photography, video, and digital distribution. Today, AGERPRES represents continuity between Romania's nineteenth-century telegraph-based news infrastructure and its contemporary national agency model. Its public-facing role is centered on timely reporting, national coverage, archival resources, photographic services, and multimedia news distribution.

AGERPRES traces its origins to March 1889, when Romania's Foreign Minister Petre P. Carp initiated the Telegraph Agency of Romania, also known as the Romanian Agency. It was established to provide fast and accurate news of general or special interest and became the earliest Romanian news agency and the first autonomous agency of its kind in the country. The agency experienced a wartime interruption. Its activities were suspended from the end of 1916 until the end of the First World War. On 16 June 1921, the agency was reorganized under the name Orient-Radio, with a mandate focused on the general interest and the needs of subscribers. In 1926, the Romanian Parliament approved another reorganization and the name RADOR, meaning Information Telegraph Agency, came into use. In 1949, the agency adopted the name AGERPRES. The organization later underwent another major institutional transition following the political changes of 1989. In 1990, ROMPRES was established as the national press agency. Six years later, ROMPRES joined the European Alliance of News Agencies, linking the Romanian service with a broader European professional network. AGERPRES began its online development in 1999 with the launch of the first website of the national press agency. This marked a shift from predominantly traditional agency distribution toward a digital publishing model. In July 2008, the institution returned to the AGERPRES name after an amendment to the legislation governing Romania's national press agency. The modern AGERPRES brand combines written news production with photography, archives, and multimedia. It is noted for maintaining a large photographic archive documenting Romania and for operating internal and external photo services. The agency's real-time photo operation is described as distributing more than 1,000 photographs, making visual journalism an important part of its service portfolio. On 17 September 2013, AGERPRES carried out a rebranding initiative designed to strengthen its online presence. The initiative expanded the multimedia area, added an interactive video platform, and introduced the concept of a complete journalist capable of working across formats. This phase reflected the broader transformation of news agencies as text, photography, video, and online publication became increasingly integrated. AGERPRES's historical development therefore consists of repeated changes in name, legal or institutional form, and distribution technology, while retaining a continuous role as a Romanian national news provider. Its lineage runs from the nineteenth-century telegraph agency through RADOR, AGERPRES, ROMPRES, and the digital-era return to AGERPRES.

1. 2013Digital and multimedia rebranding

   AGERPRES rebrands around online publishing, expands multimedia content, introduces an interactive video platform, and promotes the complete-journalist concept.

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2. 2008The AGERPRES name is restored

   ROMPRES returns to the AGERPRES name in July after a legislative amendment concerning the national press agency.

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3. 1999First national press agency website launches

   The national press agency launches its first website, beginning its documented online publishing phase.

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4. 1996ROMPRES joins the European Alliance of News Agencies

   ROMPRES becomes a member of the European Alliance of News Agencies.

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5. 1990ROMPRES is established

   Following Romania's political transition, the national press agency is established as ROMPRES.

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6. 1949AGERPRES name adopted

   The Romanian news agency adopts the AGERPRES name.

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7. 1926The agency becomes RADOR

   A Romanian parliamentary reorganization gives the agency the name RADOR, or Information Telegraph Agency.

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8. 1921Orient-Radio is established

   On 16 June 1921, the agency is re-established as Orient-Radio to serve the general interest and subscribers.

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9. 1916Agency operations are suspended during the First World War

   The agency's operations cease from the end of 1916 until the end of the First World War.

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10. 1889Telegraph Agency of Romania is established

    Petre P. Carp initiates the Telegraph Agency of Romania, also called the Romanian Agency, to provide fast and accurate news of general or special interest.

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A national, institutional news agency positioned around fast and accurate reporting, broad Romanian coverage, photographic and multimedia services, and the preservation and distribution of national news archives.

• General news serviceNews agency service1889

  AGERPRES's core offering is a national news service covering stories of general public interest in Romania and distributing reports for media and other subscribers. The service continues the agency's original mission of delivering timely and accurate information.

• Specialized news serviceNews agency service1889

  Alongside general reporting, AGERPRES provides news addressing specialized areas of interest. The agency's founding description explicitly included both general-interest and special-interest news, making subject-specific reporting part of its historical service model.

• Photo service and archivePhotojournalism

  AGERPRES maintains an extensive photographic archive documenting Romania and operates internal and external photo services. Its real-time distribution of photographic material makes visual reporting a central component of the agency's contemporary offer.

• Online and multimedia platformDigital media1999

  The agency's digital offer includes online news publishing, multimedia content, and an interactive video platform introduced as part of the 2013 rebranding. These services extend AGERPRES beyond text-based agency distribution into integrated digital journalism.

• 2013AGERPRES digital and multimedia rebranding

  Romania · Online and digital media markets

  AGERPRES focused its 2013 rebranding on online publishing, expanded its multimedia area, introduced an interactive video platform, and presented the complete journalist as a model for integrated news production.

  Outcome. The initiative strengthened the agency's digital and multimedia positioning.

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• 2013Online and multimedia expansionStrategy

  News distribution was increasingly moving toward web, video, and integrated multimedia formats.

  What changed. AGERPRES reoriented its brand around the online environment, expanded multimedia content, and introduced an interactive video platform.

  Aftermath. The agency presented itself as a digitally integrated news provider, with the complete journalist concept linking reporting across formats.

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• 2008Return to the AGERPRES brandStrategy

  An amendment to the law governing the organization and operation of Romania's national press agency enabled a change in institutional naming.

  What changed. The agency changed its name from ROMPRES back to AGERPRES in July 2008.

  Aftermath. The restored name reconnected the contemporary national agency with its earlier historical identity.

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• 1990Transition to the ROMPRES identityStrategy

  Romania's political transition brought a new institutional phase for the national press agency.

  What changed. ROMPRES was established as the agency's new name and organizational identity.

  Aftermath. ROMPRES operated through the 1990s and became part of the European Alliance of News Agencies before the historic AGERPRES name was restored in 2008.

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• 1926Reorganization under the RADOR nameStrategy

  The Romanian Parliament carried out a new reorganization of the national news agency.

  What changed. The agency adopted the name RADOR, meaning Information Telegraph Agency.

  Aftermath. RADOR became one of the principal historical identities in the agency's institutional lineage before the later adoption of AGERPRES.

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• 2013AGERPRES launches a digital-focused rebrand

  On 17 September 2013, AGERPRES undertook a rebranding centered on online publishing, expanded its multimedia offering, introduced an interactive video platform, and emphasized a more integrated journalist role.

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• 2008AGERPRES returns to its historic name

  The Romanian national press agency changed its name from ROMPRES back to AGERPRES in July 2008 after an amendment to the law governing the organization and operation of the national press agency.

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1. Agerpres
2. AGERPRES official website