Radiotelevizija Bosne i Hercegovine ( BHRT), or Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the national public broadcaster of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the only member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the central institution of the public broadcasting system of BiH, a unique structure that also includes the entity-level broadcasters Radio and Television of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RTVFBiH) and Radio and Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS). As of February 2026, it employs 700 staff.
History
Early years: RTV Sarajevo (1945–1992) The history of electronic media in Bosnia and Herzegovina began on April 10th 1945, with the first broadcast of Radio Sarajevo beginning with the words "This is Radio Sarajevo. Death to fascism - freedom to the people". Television Sarajevo (TVSA) aired its first program on June 1st 1961, initially relying on studios in Zagreb and Belgrade. It became a constituent member of the Yugoslav Radio and Television (JRT) network.
Key developments included the launch of its own TV news magazine, "Nightly Screen" (bos. Večernji ekran), on March 17th 1969, and its flagship "TV Journal" (bos. TV Dnevnik) on February 25th 1971. The local radio station, Sarajevo 202, began broadcasting on July 1st 1971, quickly becoming a symbol of the city's urban culture and a platform for young journalists. Radio Sarajevo 3 was launched in 1973 and was dedicated to scientific and theoretical considerations, classical music and art.
In early 1975, the first phase of the construction of the Broadcasting House (bos. RTV Dom) in Sarajevo was completed, which gave RTV Sarajevo adequate production and editorial space along with new electronic equipment. At the same time, Radio Sarajevo 2 was launched as a correspondent network, which would account for more than 50 local radio stations, with a coverage of about 80% of the population of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina. TVSA 2 was also launched, and numerous awards and recognitions came to this media house in the 1970s and 1980s.
The largest project of TVSA was the monitoring and transmission of the 14th Winter Olympic Games held from February 8th to 19th 1984 in Sarajevo. To accomplish this task, TVSA received new production facilities in the Broadcasting House and the most modern technical equipment. TVSA received recognition for this demanding project from many large radio and television companies and associations. With TVSA 1 in 1985, it covered 79%, and with TVSA 2, 57% of the territory of the SR of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Following the 1984 Olympics, TVSA entered a period of significant innovation and cultural influence. Under cultural and art programming director Slobodan Terzić, the broadcaster revamped its schedule and began producing elaborate in-house productions and acquiring Western programs. It became a crucial platform for the burgeoning Sarajevo music scene, producing the first music videos for bands that would achieve regional fame, such as Crvena Jabuka, Plavi Orkestar, and Dino Merlin.
A particularly significant innovation was the Youth Program on Radio Sarajevo 2, launched in 1987 under editor-in-chief Boro Kontrić. The program served as a launchpad for a generation of artists and journalists, featuring surreal and satirical content from the collective "Top List of the Surrealists" (bos. Top lista nadrealista) and pioneering broadcasts of alternative Western music like acid house and hip-hop. This creative environment extended to the short-lived commercial channel TVSA 3 in 1989, which further pushed boundaries with youth-oriented programming.
The Bosnian War (1992–1995) Following the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the outbreak of the Bosnian War in 1992, RTV Sarajevo was forced to suspend its secondary channels, TVSA 2 and TVSA 3, along with the radio stations Radio Sarajevo 202, Radio Sarajevo 2 and Radio Sarajevo 3. Its operations were consolidated into a single, vital service that, under the name Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RTVBiH), became a lifeline for the besieged population of Sarajevo and a symbol of resistance. The Broadcasting House, commonly nicknamed The Grey House (bos. Sivi dom), was a constant target of shelling. The most severe attack occurred on June 28, 1995, when a direct hit caused extensive damage. Footage of the aftermath was later broadcast. Staff and journalists lived and worked in the building under constant threat, some even sacrificing their lives for journalism. Despite this, broadcasts never went off-air throughout the war. Journalist Duška Jurišić recalled, "The goal was to report. If you don't have a 30-minute show at 7:30, you haven't fulfilled your goal." On January 1, 1993, RTVBiH was admitted as an active member of the EBU.
Post–War Restructuring (2000–2004) After the war, the international community, through the Office of the High Representative (OHR), mandated a complete overhaul of the broadcasting system. On October 23, 2000, High Representative Wolfgang Petritsch imposed The Public Broadcasting System Restructuring Act. This decision legally dissolved the old RTVBiH and established three new entities:
Public Broadcasting Service of BiH (PBSBiH, later BHRT): The state-level broadcaster. Radio and Television of the Federation of BiH (RTVFBiH): The public broadcaster for the Federation of BiH. Radio and Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS): The public broadcaster for Republika Srpska.
The decision also created a central body, the System Board, to coordinate the system and manage the distribution of the RTV tax. BH Radio 1 officially started on May 7, 2001, on the same day as the Federal Radio, and the first news program of BHT1 aired exactly a year later, marking the symbolic start of the new public service.
From May 2002 to August 2004, PBSBiH's TV channel, BHTV1, had no frequencies of its own, as it handed them over to FTV as part of the Restructuring Act. Both FTV and RTRS gave certain time slots from their own programming to BHTV1 for their news and special programs, in order to reach the audience nationwide. In August 2004, a rebranded BHT1 launched with its own nationwide frequencies, covering more than 90% of the country, and its own programming that's broadcast 20 hours a day.
The restructuring had significant cultural consequences. In line with the new law that limited entity broadcasters to one television and one radio channel, the legendary urban station Radio Sarajevo 202 (which was revived and operated by RTVFBiH in 2000s) was forced to cease broadcasting on January 1, 2010, after 38 years on air. In a public statement, the radio's staff condemned the decision as "a concrete and open slap to all citizens of Sarajevo and BiH," arguing that it destroyed a symbol of the city. The closure sparked strong public outcry, with former employees and citizen groups expressing outrage that a decades-old institution was being eliminated "because the law says so."
During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the corporation's portal received a record number of visits from inside Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Organization and structure The Public RTV System of BiH is a legally mandated, yet deeply fragmented structure.
BHRT (State Level): Operates the TV channel BHT1, the radio station BH Radio 1, a Music Production unit, and online services. It is the legal successor to the archives and international rights of RTV Sarajevo, holds the EBU membership, and represents Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Eurovision Song Contest. Most of their programs are produced from the Broadcasting House in Sarajevo. A network of Information and Technical Centers (ITC) has been developed in other cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bihać, Banja Luka, Mostar, Tuzla and Zenica. RTVFBiH (Federation Entity Level): Operates Federal Television (FTV) and Federal Radio. It was established from a part of the former RTVBiH. RTRS (Republika Srpska Entity Level): Operates Television of Republika Srpska, RTRS Plus and Radio of Republika Srpska. It was formed in 1993 from the unification of studios in Banja Luka and Eastern Sarajevo.
The System Board, designed to be the central coordinating body, has been paralyzed by political disputes. It has not functioned effectively for years, with RTRS frequently boycotting its sessions, which has prevented decisions on critical issues like adjusting the RTV tax.
Critical challenges and crises
Chronic financial crisis and funding collapse BHRT's modern history is a chronicle of survival amid existential threats stemming from a deliberately sabotaged and dysfunctional funding model. The public broadcasting system is funded by a monthly license fee (RTV tax of 7.5 KM as of 2025), collected via electricity bills and distributed as 50% to BHRT, 25% to RTVFBiH, and 25% to RTRS. This model has completely broken down, creating a permanent state of insolvency for the state-level broadcaster.
The primary cause of the crisis is the systemic withholding of funds. RTRS, which collects the tax on its territory, has for years refused to transfer BHRT's 50% share. By 2025, this debt had ballooned to over 100 million KM, despite rulings from the Constitutional Court of BiH and the Supreme Court of RS confirming the practice is illegal. Concurrently, politicians from parties like the HDZ BiH and SNSD have openly encouraged non-payment of the tax in the Federation, leading to a collection rate of only around 50.58% in the first half of 2025.
The system's central coordinating body, the System Board, has been paralyzed by political disputes and has not functioned effectively for years. Its inactivity since 2019 has frozen the RTV tax rate at 2013 levels, causing significant real-term revenue loss. The managements of BHRT and RTVFBiH estimated this was costing them a combined 300,000 KM per month as of 2025. In September 2025, the two broadcasters held a joint session, publicly declaring the situation "economically unsustainable" and calling for external intervention, as internal resolution was impossible.
As a direct result, BHRT has accumulated catastrophic debts: over 21 million KM to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), 9.6 million KM in VAT, 1.5 million KM to the state electricity company, and over 50 million KM in unpaid salaries and contributions to its employees. The EBU has threatened to block BHRT's accounts and seize its assets if the debt is not resolved by February 2026.
BHRT has faced near-shutdown scenarios repeatedly (e.g., 2015, 2016, 2022, 2024). BHRT was supposed to suspend its operations from 1 July 2016, a date selected on purpose because of its commitments to the annual anniversary memorial of the Srebrenica massacre and its coverage of UEFA Euro 2016, but it was meant to be provisional. The crisis reached an unprecedented peak in 2025. In June, the BHRT Board of Directors warned that "in this media house, the lights have truly already been turned off and it's a question of days when complete darkness will come." By November 2025, Acting General Director Belmin Karamehmedović condemned the political inaction, stating that the Parliament was "doing nothing to help" and warning of the broadcaster's imminent collapse in its 80th year. This political disregard was starkly demonstrated when the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted a draft state budget for 2025 that excluded any financial assistance for BHRT, prompting a desperate appeal for survival from the broadcaster's Independent Trade Union. This draft was subsequently passed by the Parliamentary Assembly on November 17, 2025. During the debate, the Minister of Finance, Srđan Amidžić, stated that making BHRT a direct budgetary beneficiary was "not in line with the Law on BHRT," effectively closing the door on a state-funded rescue and confirming the political establishment's refusal to intervene despite the existential threat.