New England Online > Government & Politics > Executive > Crown Statutory Agencies > Providers > Radio Television New England
Radio Television New England
| Radio Television New England | |
|---|---|
 |
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| General Information | |
| Type: | Crown Stat Agency |
| Availability: | National |
| Founded: | 2 February 2014 |
| Motto: | Voice of the Nation |
| Market Share: | 49.4% (television) 00.0% (radio) |
| Callsign: | RTNE |
| Administration | |
| Chairman: | Dame Kate Emerson |
| Director-General: | Robert Thompson |
| Operating Budget: | C900 million |
Radio Television New England or RTNE is the national broadcaster of radio, television and broadband media in New England. A crown statutory agency, RTNE is governed free of political interference, and has it's funding set every five years by the Parliament. RTNE is also funded in part by the Television Licence Scheme and is available throughout the country via terrestrial, satellite and digital transmission.
RTNE was established in 2014 with the end of Australian television and radio broadcasting into New England. The assets of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation were transferred to the newly established network, which began broadcasting on the 2 February 2014. Since then, RTNE has grown to include multiple television and radio networks, and is now available to the world via the internet.
Overview
Radio Television New England is comprised of both television and radio services, which are broadcast across multiple mediums, including terrestrial, satellite and digital. At present, there are two television and four radio stations offered by RTNE, all of which broadcast across the entire nation, using the various transmission methods listed above.
The principal means of funding of RTNE is through the Television Licence Scheme. Such a licence is required to operate a broadcast television receiver or use the internet streaming channels on www.rtne.gv.nw. The television licence is set and collected by the government and enforced by the criminal law. Steep penalties apply for not paying the annual licence fee, which is currently set at C65.
Services
Television - Under the Broadcasting Act of 2013, RTNE is allowed to operate up to four separate television networks, although at present it chooses not to exercise this right in full. RTNE runs two television networks, known as RTNE One and RTNE Two. Both networks run twenty-four hours a day and feature of variety of programming.
Radio - RTNE has five different and independent radio services for different parts of the community. The Broadcasting Act of 2013 allows RTNE to operate up to six teresstrial radio stations, and RTNE operates chooses to operate five of these licences. All five are the direct successor of stations broadcast on the ABC network, with four national networks and a regional network providing local news and content.
Governance
RTNE is a crown statutory agency goverend by a royal charter. The charter dictates that the organisation be free from both political and commercial influence. There are six governors and a chairman appointed by the King on the advice of the Parliament (usually the Select Committe for Communications). The board in turn appoints a Director-General to manage the day to day affairs of the organisation.
History
RTNE began broadcasting at 6am on the 2 February 2014, when it replaced the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The first services were RTNE TV, Radio 1 and Radio 2. The commencement of public broadcasting began a year after commerical television, and was placed at a significant disadvantage to those stations. The first ratings placed RTNE at 15%, which has increased to 16% by the end of the first year of broadcasting. By 2016, it was evident that a second station would be required to better distribute the programming into channels that would best answer to their demographics. After much lobbying, funding was granted by the government in 2020 to split RTNE TV.
RTNE TV ceased it's old schedule on the 6 February 2022 and was replaced by RTNE One and RTNE Two.
