Satavian Broadcasting Corporation
 | |
| Statutory corporation | |
| Industry | Mass media |
| Founded | April 26, 1931 |
| Founder | Limes Government |
| Headquarters | SBC Center, , |
Areas served | Naua Roa, Nuvania and Satavia |
Key people | James Kinley, Managing Director Alice Moudrey, Chair |
| Revenue |  G 955.3 Million (2019-2020) |
| Owner | Government of Satavia |
Number of employees | 3,958 (2019) |
| Divisions | SBC Asterias SBC Naua Roa |
| Website | sbc |
The Satavian Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) is Satavia's government-owned and funded national broadcaster, founded in 1931. The corporation is funded through government grants and a monthly license fee. The SBC offers services to Satavia, the Asterias (principally Nuvania) and the Patrick Islands. The SBC was modelled closely on the Estmerish Broadcasting Service. It was founded to spread resistance messages to those in Occupied Satavia during the Great War, and following the Liberation of Satavia was designated officially as the country's national broadcaster.
During the National Government Dictatorship, the SBC became a mouthpiece for Government propaganda. Following the end of the dictatorship, the SBC was restructured to limit government involvement in what headlines and news stories the company produces. The SBC website is the most-read online newspaper in Satavia.
History
Concept
The concept of a national broadcaster was born after the foundation of the EBS in 1925. The Warwick Government first explored plans for a national broadcaster in 1927; however, following the outbreak of the Great War plans were postponed. The plans never materialised as Warwick did not stand for re-election in the 1927 Federal Elections. The next year, Satavia was occupied by Nuvanian forces, and the Government evacuated to Caldia.
Great War
In 1931, the Limes Government began discussions with the EBS around launching a broadcasting service to occupied Satavia. After a month of negotiations, the EBS agreed and established a subsidiary called "EBS Satavia". In 1933, this was renamed the Satavian Broadcasting Company after it was purchased by the Satavian Government. The SBC broadcast messages of hope to those under occupation, primarily from radio stations situated in Eldmark. At the end of the Great War, the SBC was officially recognised as the national broadcaster of Satavia,
1940s-60s
In 1939, a military coup deposed the democratically-elected government of Satavia. As the SBC is funded wholly by the Government (and taxpayer) the board is appointed by the Satavian Government - consequently, the SBC became a mouthpiece for the National Party and its quasi-dictatorship. In 1954, following the Provincial Constitutions Amendment Act, 1954 which allowed provinces to designate provincial languages as official languages the first Hennish language programme was established. In 1957, a similar programme, this time in Asteriaans, was established.
In 1965, a new subsidiary, SBC Patrick Islands, since renamed SBC Naua Roa, was established. This made the Patrick Islands the only province with a specialised broadcasting service, offering programmes in both Estmerish and Naua Roa. Later that year, the first License Fee was introduced - previously, the SBC had been funded wholly by Government Grants.
1970-1976
In the early 1970s, partly because of the introduction of the license fee and the growing resentment towards the Government, a wide-scale boycott of the SBC began. The boycott saw people refusing to pay the license fee and many refusing to watch or listen to the SBC, opting for banned programmes like Radio Democracy and various other Hallandic-backed radios promoting the overthrew of the National Government.
During the 1973 Satavian Protests, which continued for almost three years, the SBC did not report on them, adhering to the Government injunction on the civil conflict. In 1976, the National Government collapsed and was replaced by a Country Party caretaker administration, who chose to reform the SBC rather than replace it.
1976-90s
The SBC went through several major reforms, with the new government making it much harder for governments to decide and intervene in what the SBC print or what they air, effectively giving almost complete editorial independence from the State. The television fee was retained, but the government grant was cut significantly as the country struggled economically.
Several new programmes began, including SBC Asterias in the late 1980s, which were aimed at increasing regional viewership. The SBC also began to branch out into producing television programmes as a way of increasing profits.
Recent History
In recent times, the broadcaster has clashed with successive governments over funding, which since 1991 has been cut every year. The SBC has also been criticised in recent years for its lack of political neutrality - it is often viewed as centre-right to right-wing.
In 2014, the SBC launched its first new channel in thirteen years - SBC Parliament - which provides twenty-four-hour uninterrupted viewing of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, which can be selected using the SBC "Orange Button" service.
Services
Television
| Channel | Logo | Notes | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBC1 |  |
The SBC's original TV channel. Shows comedies, drama, documentaries and news and current affairs, with bulletins shown at 9 AM, 12 PM, 5 PM and 10 PM (the 7 PM bulletin was withdrawn in 2011 following budget cuts). | Over-the-air, cable, satellite (24 hours) |
| SBC2 |  |
The second national TV channel introduced by the SBC in 1971. Broadcasts repeats from SBC1, along with morning programmes and evening programmes. | Over-the-air, cable, satellite (16 hours) |
| SBC3 |  |
Introduced in 1980, SBC3 is aimed at intellectual audiences and has regular news bulletins, broken up by informative segments and features. Operates in conjunction with SBC News, and serves as the SBC's main news channel. | Over-the-air, cable, satellite (24 hours) |
| SBC4 |  |
Introduced in 1989, SBC4 broadcasts mainly children's and teen television. The channel was withdrawn in 1999, but was re-introduced in 2007. | Over-the-air, cable, satellite (12 hours) |
| SBC Hennish |  |
Introduced in 2001 at the same time as SBC Asteriaans, SBC Hennish is the Hennish language service of the SBC. It shows only Hennish language shows and news. | Over-the-air, cable, satellite (14 hours) |
| SBC Asteriaans |  |
Introduced in 2001 at the same time as SBC Hennish, SBC Asteriaans is the Asteriaans language service of the SBC. It shows only Asteriaans language shows and news. | Over-the-air, cable, satellite (14 hours) |
| SBC Parliament |  |
Introduced in 2014, SBC Parliament provides 24-hour, uninterrupted viewing of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is currently only available via cable and satellite. | Cable, satellite (24 hours) |
Radio
The SBC operates 31 local radio stations, as well as seven national radio stations.
• BCB - Broadcasting Corporation of Ballyleigh, localised programming for Ballyleigh province.
• BCCT - Broadcasting Corporation of the Central Territory, localised programming for the Central Territory.
• BCH - Broadcasting Corporation of the Hope, localised programming for the Hope Province.
• BCNH - Broadcasting Corporation of the Northern Hope, localised programming for the Northern Hope.
• BCO - Broadcasting Corporation of the Orange Province, localised programming for the Orange Province.
• SBC News - Radio News Outlet for the SBC. Works in conjunction with SBC3.
• SBC Radio - Broadcasts Sports, Music, Life and Style, Home, Radio Dramas and other programmes. Serves as a catch-all station.
