Georgian Public Broadcaster

For the broadcaster in the United States state of Georgia, see Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB)

Native name	საქართველოს საზოგადოებრივი მაუწყებელი
Company type	LEPL
Industry	Mass media
Predecessor	State television and radio corporation
Founded	December 23, 2004 (2004-12-23) (as GPB) 1925 (1925) (as Georgian Radio)
Headquarters	68 Merab Kostava Street, Tbilisi 0171, Georgia
Area served	Nationwide
Key people	Tinatin Berdzenishvili (CEO)
Products	Broadcasting web portals
Services	Broadcast television radio online
Owner	State owned
Divisions	First Channel First Channel Sport First Channel — Teleschool (defunct) Georgian Radio Georgian Radio Music
Website	gpb.ge

Georgian Public Broadcaster (Georgian: საქართველოს საზოგადოებრივი მაუწყებელი, sakartvelos sazogadoebrivi mauts'q'ebeli) is the national public broadcaster of Georgia.

History

Headquarters of the Georgian Broadcasting in Tbilisi (2015)

It started broadcasting radio in 1925, and Georgian TV started broadcasting in 1956. Today, 85% of the Georgian population receive the First Channel, and 55% receive the Second Channel. Georgian TV's programmes are also received by satellite and over the Internet in a number of European and Asian countries.

The adoption of Law on Broadcasting in 2004, started the process of transformation of Georgian TV from being a state broadcaster into a public broadcaster. It is required by law to “provide accurate and up-to-date information that is free from political and commercial bias” and “to address the needs and interests of the larger Georgian society through diversity of programs and viewpoints”. In 2005, the Georgian Parliament elected a Board of Governors, composed of nine members. One of them, Tamar Kintsurashvili, from Liberty Institute, was later elected as the first Director General of GPB. Tinatin Berdzenishvili is the current occupant of this position.

Programming

Television

GPB's First Channel (პირველი არხი, p'irveli arkhi), also known as simply 1TV, broadcasts both its own original programming and also foreign series and movies. As of August 2009, the First Channel programming schedule includes such shows as the following:

• მოამბე moambe ("The Narrator") — a news program shown several times each day.
• პოლიტიკური კვირა p'olit'ik'uri k'vira ("Political Week") — a talk show interviewing public figures.
• პირველი თემა p'irveli tema ("First Theme") — a news analysis show.
• მე მიყვარს საქართველო me miq'vars sakartvelo ("I Love Georgia") — a game show dealing with Georgian culture.
• ცხოვრება მშვენიერია tskhovreba mshvenieria ("Life Is Beautiful") — a talk show.
• Syndicated foreign shows such as The O.C., Las Vegas, and Veronica Mars.

GPB's First Channel Education, originally known as Second Channel or 2TV, was broadcast from 1991 and continued in its educational format from March 2020 until it was shutdown at the end of 2023.

GPB's First Channel Sport, broadcasts since 21 May 2024.

Previously, GPB operated the Russian-speaking channel Pyervy Caucasus Channel (Russian: Pyerviy Kafkazskiy, Первый Кавказский канал or just Первый Кавказский), which was broadcast between 2010 and 2012.

Radio

• Georgian Radio – general-interest station broadcasting information and entertainment content. It also offers various programs for ethnic minorities in the country since 1925
• Georgian Radio Music – thematic station with musical content and educational programs for older age groups with a focus on Georgian music since 1995

Georgian Public Broadcasting previously operated the now-closed international shortwave radio station Radio Georgia.

Controversies

See also: Freedom of religion in Georgia (country) and Eurovision Song Contest 2009

A controversy arose in early 2009 over a GPB television program, Sakartvelos Didi Ateuli (საქართველოს დიდი ათეული; "Best Georgians" or "Georgia's Top Ten") — a show which invited viewers to pick Georgia's top historical personages. Officials of the Georgian Orthodox Church publicly objected to the inclusion of both religious and secular figures in the competition, as well as to the idea of having viewers rank the popularity of saints. After extensive public debate and private deliberation, GPB announced that Didi Ateuli would proceed, with both saints and secular figures retained in the competition, but that the final list of ten would not be ranked but would be announced in alphabetical order. A later statement released by the Georgian Orthodox Church attempted to downplay the controversy and suggested that it had been an effort to dissuade church officials from speaking out on social issues.

Georgia's entry in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest – "We Don't Wanna Put In" – was deemed by the European Broadcasting Union to be a political statement against Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, and the song was disqualified from the competition. After GPB officials rejected a demand to change either the lyrics of the song or the song itself, it withdrew from the contest.

External links

• Official website
• GPB First Channel