Rwizikuran Information Service
| File:NMRlogo.png | |
| RIS | |
Native name | |
| Radio-television corporation | |
| Industry | Mass Media |
| Founded | 2 December 1948 (radio) 2 June 1981 (television) |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | File:RwizikuruFlag.PNG Rwizikuru |
Key people | Munyaradzi Mahachi (general director) |
| Products | Broadcasting, websites |
| Services | radio, television, online |
| Owner | (TBC) |
Number of employees | 5,200 (2016) |
| Website | nmr.rz |
The Rwizikuran Information Service (RIS, Gaullican: Service d'information rwizikuraise, SIR, Rwizi: Ruzivo sevhisi yeRwizikuru, RSR) is the state-run radio network and television network in Rwizikuru. Created in 1947 and launched the following year, the Rwizikuran Information Service until 2019 had a legal monopoly over all radio and television broadcasts in the country, and is today funded by a mixture of government funding, license fees, and advertising.
History
Following the independence of Rwizikuru from Estmere in 1946, the first President of Rwizikuru, Zophar Bohannon saw a problem: while there were a handful of radio stations in Port Fitzhubert, Port Graham, Crogan, and Saint-Germain (present-day Port Tsalar, Nasana), there was no national radio network.
Thus, in October 1947, he ordered the establishment of a national radio network, known as the Rwizikuran Information Service, as its primary purpose was to provide information in Estmerish, Gaullican, and native Bahian languages of the Rwizikuran government's agenda, as well as to help foster "a close sense of Rwizikuru identity."
Over the next several months, the system was changed so it was to be operated entirely by the state. Thus, on 2 December, 1948, on the second anniversary of Rwizikuru's independence, the RIS began to broadcast in the Rwizi, Gaullican, Estmerish, Kirobyi, and the Molisa languages.
Throughout the 1950s, the RIS became prominent, as it began expanding into rural areas: by 1958, it was said that "90% of the country was covered by NMR radio." NMR was at the time seen as providing high-quality programming, covering both news and broadcasting soap operas and radio dramas over the air. However, under Vudzijena Nhema's presidency, the RIS lost its editorial independence, and began to promote the government's agenda more openly.
However, after Izibongo Ngonidzashe seized power in the aftermath of the 1963 and 1964 coups, the RIS became little more than a propaganda outlet promoting the agenda of the National Salvation Council. Furthermore, the National Salvation Council decreed in April 1964 that all independent news outlets would go off the air, as it viewed them as "undermining the security of the Rwizikuran nation." In June 1964, the Molisa and Kirobyi services were closed, leaving only the Gaullican, Estmerish, and Rwizi services.
Thus, there was no alternative option for radio listeners beyond foreign radio broadcasts, which caused the RIS to focus into further binding the nation: thus, patriotic music, propaganda songs, and propaganda broadcasts were made from 6 am to 11 pm on all days of the week, excluding Sundays.
By the 1970s, plans were made by the RIS to television service, but Izibongo Ngonidzashe vetoed the idea, as he believed that television would "undermine the social order of Rwizikuru."
After the death of Izibongo Ngonidzashe in 1979, his son and successor, Kupakwashe Ngonidzashe supported television broadcasts: thus, test broadcasts began in 1980, and on 2 June, 1981, television broadcasts began in Port Fitzhubert, using PAL-D. Television broadcasts were split evenly between Estmerish and Rwizi programmes.
Over the next few decades, offerings started to expand: a second radio channel was launched in 1985, and broadcasts were expanded to seven days a week by 1988. In 1993, a second television channel was launched, to serve education and arts programs. Like RIS1, RIS2 broadcasts in both Estmerish and Rwizi.
In 2006, a third channel was launched in Port Fitzhubert, primarily to provide Gaullican language content to tourists and expatriates, which allowed it to compete in Euclovision. Unlike RIS1 and RIS2, RIS3 only broadcasts in Gaullican.
In 2008, Rwizikuru launched a digital simulcast of RIS-3 using ISDB, partially due to aging analogue equipment: while replacement parts had been obtained, albeit at a significant cost, it was decided in 2011 to start broadcasting digital simulcasts of RIS1 and RIS2 in the major cities, with the intention to end analogue broadcasts in the Port Fitzhubert metropolitan area by 2020.
Television channels
| Name | Channel | Information |
|---|---|---|
| RIS1 | 1 | General-purpose channel |
| RIS2 | 2 | Channel for artistic and educational content |
| RIS3 | 3 | Gaullican language channel, only provided in Port Fitzhubert |
Radio channels
| Channel | Frequency (AM) | Information |
|---|---|---|
| RIS News | 1287 AM | Talk radio station |
| RIS Music | 1476 AM | Music station |
