Media assets

Television: National- TVR1, TVR2, TVR3, TVR Cultural, TVR Info, TVR Folclor, TVR Sport; International- TVR International, TVR Moldova; Local- TVR Cluj, TVR Craiova, TVR Iasi, TVR Targu Mures, TVR Timisoara

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

Under Law 41 of 1994, TVR’s main governing body is a Board of Directors composed of 13 members appointed by Parliament. The board chair also holds a four-year term, appointed by Parliament. Member appointments: eight by Parliament, two by TVR staff, and one each by the presidency, government, and political parties representing ethnic minorities.

The current President and General Chairman (Director General/CEO) is Dan Cristian Turturică, appointed by Parliament in November 2021.

Previously, there were discussions led by the Commission for Culture and Media regarding potential legislative reforms to separate the Director General (CEO) from the President to reduce centralized management power and susceptibility to political pressure, though no official change has been enacted to date.

Source of funding and budget

TVR was originally funded through licence fees—less than €2/month per household and €7/month for companies—until 2016, when that “radio and television tax” was abolished. Funding since then has come entirely from the state budget, supplemented by limited advertising permissible by law.

In 2022, TVR’s total budget was RON 501.8m (€102m), with over 85% coming from a state subsidy, as stated in a company report. In 2023, the government allocated a budget of RON 415m (€83.5m), according to media reports. In 2024, TVR received RON 430.7m (€86.4m) from the government and had a budget of RON 462.4m (€92.8m) In 2025, the broadcaster operated with a total budet of RON 453.4m (€89.67m), RON 428.3m (€84.6m) coming from the state budget.

Editorial independence

Legally, TVR is defined as an autonomous, editorially independent public service broadcaster under Law 41 of 1994, with editorial independence meaning TVR’s right to determine programming in line with its mandate, protected from interference by governments, parties, unions, commerce, or lobbying. Censorship is prohibited by law.

In practice, however, editorial independence has been undermined. For many years, the station’s leadership, especially aligned with the Social Democratic Party (PSD), has fostered a censorship-like environment, suppressing criticism of PSD figures.

A major scandal involved former president and executive director Doina Gradea, accused of unprofessional conduct, swearing at journalists, and engaging in editorial censorship. Despite legal challenges and demands for her resignation, she remained within the organization in a different role. Incidents of censorship continued to emerge.

As of early 2025, TVR, along with the public radio SRR, remains subject to ongoing allegations of politicization, censorship, and media capture, according to a study from MJRC and International Press Institute in Vienna. These concerns continue to be substantiated in monitoring reports, indicating that government or political influence still shapes editorial content and internal culture.

There remains no independent oversight mechanism to monitor or validate TVR’s editorial independence, rendering the legal safeguards largely ineffective in practice.

September 2025

Media assets

Radio: National- Radio România Actualități, Radio Antena Satelor, Radio România Cultural, Radio România Muzical, Radio Romania International, Radio3Net Florian Pittiș, Radio România Junior; Regional- București FM, Radio Cluj, Radio Constanța, Radio Vacanța, Radio Craiova, Radio Iași, Radio Reșița, Radio Târgu Mureș, Radio Timișoara; Foreign: Radio Chișinău (Moldova)

News agency: RADOR

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

SRR’s structure is defined by Law 41 of 1994, akin to that of TVR. Its governance lies with a Board of Directors of 13 members appointed by Parliament: eight nominated by Parliament, two by TVR staff, one by the presidency, one by the government, and one by political parties representing ethnic minorities. The Board Chair is also Parliament-appointed for a four-year term.

Historically, SRR board appointments have drawn criticism for being politically driven, with accusations of corruption and partisanship.

The company is currently led by Răzvan-Ioan Dincă, serving as President and CEO. Dincă has a background in theatre and cultural management, having previously directed the Bucharest National Opera.

Source of funding and budget

State funding remains the backbone of SRR’s financing. In 2021, state funding made up around 94% of the station’s total budget of RON 373m (€75.6m), as per the company’s annual report.

In 2022, the broadcaster’s budget reached RON 382m (€77.4m). It increased by nearly 9% in 2023 to RON 439.5m (€88.9m), some RON 419m coming from the state coffers. The total income of the broadcaster reached RON 454.2m (€89.3m) in 2024, according to SRR annual reports.

Editorial independence

Legally, SRR is designed to function as an independent public broadcaster under Law 41/1994, with guidelines for impartial reporting. Despite this, journalists have repeatedly reported that politically influenced management pressures them to favor certain political actors, a situation unchanged in recent years (with key testimonies from May 2023 and March 2024). There remains no known independent oversight body to review editorial independence.

Findings from the Romania Media Capture Monitoring Report confirm that, although the legal framework defines SRR as an “autonomous” and “editorially independent” institution, the broadcaster has long faced allegations of politicization, censorship, questionable management, internal corruption, and financial mismanagement. These systemic challenges have eroded SRR’s credibility and weakened its capacity to operate as a genuine public service broadcaster.

September 2025

Media assets

News agency: Agerpres

State Media Matrix Typology

State-Controlled (SC)

Ownership and governance

Agerpres was established by the 2003 Agerpres law as an autonomous public institution of national interest. According to this law, governance is entrusted to a Board of Directors, and leadership lies with a general director—who holds the rank of state secretary. This general director is appointed by the Prime Minister and must be approved by a parliamentary vote. The term for this role is five years.

Claudia-Victoria Nicolae has served as General Director of Agerpres since November 2018. . She began her career at the agency in the mid-2000s, working her way up through roles such as political editor and video deputy editor, and even serving as deputy general director before assuming the top leadership position. Between June and November 2018, she also held the position of adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

Source of funding and budget

Agerpres is almost entirely funded by the state budget, with vertical dependence on state subsidy. In 2022, the agency operated with a budget of RON 27.8 million (approximately €5.7 million).

Editorial independence

The Agerpres law claims that the agency is an “editorially independent” public entity “under the control of Parliament.” However, numerous local journalists and experts interviewed in March 2023, May 2024 and June 2025 pointed out that, in practice, Agerpres operates much like a state information department, with editorial decisions deeply influenced, if not directed, by state authorities and the general director.

To date, no independent oversight mechanism validating true editorial independence has been identified.

September 2025