RTSH IN CRISIS A Foreseen Failure and the European Path to Recovery Flamur Buçpapaj – Former Candidate for RTSH Director

RTSH IN CRISIS
A Foreseen Failure and the European Path to Recovery
Flamur Buçpapaj – Former Candidate for RTSH Director
The crisis of Albanian Radio Television (RTSH) is neither sudden nor accidental. It is the result of a long process of mismanagement, politicization, and lack of strategic vision, which has distanced the public broadcaster from its core mission: serving the citizens. Today, RTSH is not merely facing financial difficulties; it is experiencing an identity crisis.
This situation was foreseen. When I ran for the leadership of RTSH, it was clear that the institution was heading toward financial, editorial, and technological collapse, yet there was still a real opportunity for rescue through deep reform and professional management. The warning was ignored. Decision-making was not based on managerial skills, market knowledge, or long-term vision, but on political compromises and the preservation of the status quo.
Even Prime Minister Edi Rama’s statement that RTSH is a “bloated, inefficient, and disconnected from the public” institution is accurate in diagnosis, but insufficient without concrete action. The problem of RTSH is not only structural but also managerial and linked to the way the Albanian state has treated the public media: more as an administrative shelter than as a public service institution.
The consequences are evident: continuous audience decline, complete dependence on the state budget, debts, lack of transparency, departure of professionals, and loss of public trust. Today, RTSH does not shape public opinion, does not lead debate, and cannot compete in a media market that has evolved radically.
At this point, there are only three real options: closure, deep reform, or leadership by a competent professional. Any other path is merely postponing inevitable failure.
The rescue of RTSH is possible only if a genuine reform is undertaken according to European standards. Like BBC in the UK, RAI in Italy, ARD in Germany, or France Télévisions, RTSH must transition from an administrative model to a professional public media corporation, with real autonomy, public accountability, and measurable objectives.
This requires an independent international audit, deep restructuring, depoliticization of the board, modern revenue strategies, editorial redesign, and serious investment in digital platforms. Above all, it requires professional, independent leadership with vision—not compliant administrators and compromise appointments.
RTSH is a mirror of the Albanian state. When the mirror is broken, the fault is not with the glass, but with the hand that holds it. Today’s crisis is not a misfortune but a consequence of yesterday’s wrong decisions. I warned about this situation. Today, the facts speak for themselves. Tomorrow will be too late if the right decision is not made today.
RTSH must either undergo serious reform according to European standards, be closed, or be entrusted to a competent and independent leader. Any other solution is a deception of the public and a waste of public money.
How European Public Broadcasters Emerged from Crisis – and What RTSH Can Learn
RTSH’s crisis is not unique. European public broadcasters have gone through similar, even more severe, phases. The difference lies in how they responded.
BBC experienced a financial and trust crisis but chose internal reform, invested in quality, and created the digital platform BBC iPlayer, re-emerging as a global standard for public media.
RAI in Italy, politicized for decades, was forced to reform through clear managerial rules, international co-productions, and the RAI Play platform, gradually regaining the public’s trust.
ARD and ZDF in Germany faced strong criticism over costs but responded with transparency, depoliticization, and editorial decentralization, maintaining public confidence.
France Télévisions emerged from crisis by focusing on cultural, educational, and digital content, reclaiming its formative role in French society.
None of these media were saved by political compromise. None were revived by weak leadership. All relied on professionalism, independence, and long-term vision.
RTSH is not beyond saving, but it will not survive without the courage to change fundamentally. If it continues to operate as an institution for political convenience, closure is only a matter of time. If it chooses the European path of genuine reform, RTSH can transform from a burden into a national asset. The choice is political, but the consequences are public.
Recommendations for the Board and Depoliticization
First, the board must be replaced. It should not be controlled by political parties but composed of media professionals with experience managing similar organizations, not retired actors or unknown economists. It should not be a job placement for friends but a mechanism to empower new and capable professionals.
RTSH must be completely separated from the patronage of private media, such as Top Channel or Klan, and from any political influence that has prevented it from functioning as an independent public broadcaster.
Only a professional, independent board focused on the public can implement genuine reform, transparency, and restore trust.