Macedonian Radio - First Channel MRA1

The “Macedonian Radio”, which started as “Radio Skopje” in 1944, is the oldest electronic medium in the country. According to the 2022 survey of the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (AVMU), it is the third most listened radio station in North Macedonia. The radio broadcasts educational, musical, documentary, entertainment and informative programmes in the Macedonian language.

Despite reform efforts, the service has been facing serious difficulties for years, such as a lack of staff and outdated equipment. All of this calls into question the daily functioning of the radio.

As stated in the five-year strategy for the development of the public broadcaster from 2021, some of the vital technological equipment that the functioning of the radio depends, as in the Master editing room, was purchased as early as 1974. The situation is no better in the other sectors of the radio either. The fact that the radio is not digitized and fails to follow modern trends was also mentioned as a serious weakness in the report. In addition to this, many of its employees are approaching retirement.

Otherwise, under the “Macedonian Radio” there are three programme services, two of which are in the Macedonian language ("MRA1" and "MRA2"), while the third ("MRA3") broadcasts a programme in minority languages, such as Albanian, Serbian, Roma, etc.

The programme of "MRA1" can be listened to on the Internet and through the satellite channel "Macedonian Radio SAT".

Until 2017, "MRT" was financed through the broadcasting fee and from the state budget. However, the Parliament abolished the broadcasting fee in 2017 and now the main source of its funding is the state budget, as well as the sale of advertising time.

"MRT" is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Key facts

Audience Share

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Ownership Type

Public

Geographic Coverage

National

Content Type

Free content

Active Transparency

company/channel informs proactively and comprehensively about its ownership, data is constantly updated and easily verifiable

4 ♥

Media Companies / Groups

PBC Macedonian Radio and Television

Ownership

Ownership Structure

"Macedonian radio" is composed of four program services, two of which broadcast programmes in the Macedonian language, one in the languages of ethnic minorities, and the satellite channel "Radio Macedonia", which rebroadcasts the programme of the first service, "Radio Skopje".
All of them work as a part of the public broadcaster "MRT", which is divided into two segments – radio and television.
Each of the program services in the radio has its own editor-in-chief, who is in charge of the programme and is responsible for their work to the Program Council, which is elected in the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia. In it, every year, the Public Broadcaster "MRT" is obliged to submit a report on its work.

Media Companies / Groups
Facts

General Information

Founding Year

1944

Affiliated Interests Founder

Anti-Fascist Assembly of the People's Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM)

In December 1944, the beginning of the work of “Radio Skopje” was marked with the words "Radio Skopje Speaks", and a direct broadcast from the second session of the Anti-Fascist Assembly of the People's Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM). Its successor is the “Macedonian Radio” which still broadcasts today.
The radio now works within the framework of the “Macedonian Radio Television” (MRT), which has existed in its current form since 1993; its founder was the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia.

Affiliated Interests Ceo

Marjan Cvetkovski

Has been the director of the "Macedonian Radio and Television Public Broadcasting Company" since 2012. For three years now, he has been working with an expired mandate. This is due to the impossibility of opening up an application process for a new director, because the members of the Program Council, who elect the director, also have an expired mandate.
The election of the new "MRT" Program Council has been stuck in the Parliament since 2020, due to a blockade by the opposition. The current leadership, headed by Cvetkovski, was elected during the time of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and now the opposition VMRO-DPMNE.

Affiliated Interests Editor-In-Chief

Natasa Andreeska

Has been working at "MRT" since 1988, going through all the steps in the journalistic profession. She authored many books, including a collection of columns broadcast on "Radio Skopje".

Contact

Address: blvd. Goce Delcev No.18, 1000 Skopje

е-mail: natasha.andreevska@mrt.com.mk

phone:+389025119837

website: mrt.com.mk

Financial Information

Revenue (in Mill. $)

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Operating Profit (in Mill. $)

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Advertising (in % of total funding)

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Market Share

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    Funded by European Union