TRB
 | |
| State-owned company | |
| Industry | Mass media |
| Founded | June 1, 1922 (as Agency Belmonte) January 1, 1949 (as Radio Belmonte) October 1, 1950 (as Teleradio Belmonte) |
| Founder | Government of Belmonte |
| Headquarters | Castelonovo, Belmonte |
Area served | Belmonte (and other neighbouring countries) |
Key people | Arlete Pinheiros (CEO) André Sarolla (Chairman) |
| Products | Broadcasting Radio |
| Services | Television Radio Web Portal |
Number of employees | 7,498 (2020) |
| Website | trb.com.be |
Teleradio Belmonte (Luzelese: Telerádio Belmonte), officially the Television and Radio Company of Belmonte (Luzelese: Companhia de Televisão e Rádio de Belmonte, TRB), is the national public broadcasting company of Belmonte.
TRB's origins starts with the creation of the Agency Belmonte, which in turn was created a year after the introduction of the radio in the country in 1922, serving as the main and only broadcasting company during the Berquó dictatorship. With the end of the Great War and the establishment of the New Republic, however, the agency would see an exponential rise in viewership as many people were now able to purchase radios, leading into a golden era with a large variety of programs.
As the 40s progressed, the Alvim premiership reformed the agency into the Radio Belmonte in 1949 and, with the introduction of television in the following year, the company was reformed once again into its current form after the launch of TRB1 on October 1950. During its first years, the TRB expanded its services and quality whilst established itself as the most viewed broadcasting company as other private entities were created. The company would be praised for its impressive coverage of the 1963 attacks and the 1969 protests, going against government wishes by reporting the incidents in an impartial and unbiased way.
The company would be severely hit during the country's economic crisis in the 70s but would rapidly recover during the 80s thanks to government plans led by premier Félix Bragança. It was during this decade that TRB2 was founded, with its coverage being expanded to neighbouring countries over the following years. With the turn of the century, new technologies, channels and stations were established, cementing its current position in the international broadcasting scene.
Today, the TRB is the biggest and most viewed broadcasting group of Belmonte, with its generalist programs and coverage being broadcasted to the entirety of Belmonte as well as neighbouring countries and everywhere else through pay television, being an integral part of modern Belmontese culture and society.
History
Origins
By the late-1910s and early-20s, the Berquó dictatorship started to suffer massive opposition not only from the lower classes but also from the former liberal and urban elites who demanded democratic reforms. To prevent further protests and riots, the regime started to use and control even more the means of communications as a way to increase their popularity, with propaganda films, music and artwork emphasizing Belmontese nationalism being massively funded. In 1921, the first radio broadcast was made by Berquó himself and, in the next year, the Agency Belmonte was established, being the first and only radio broadcasting company allowed to operate at the time.
With the end of the Great War and the establishment of the Third Republic, the agency would undergo a massive overhaul, receiving a more generalist schedule which included more music and entertainment programs, leading into a golden era of Belmontese radio combined with most of the population being able to purchase them. In 1949, as part of his national development program, premier Cédrico Alvim expanded the agency and rebranded it as Radio Belmonte (RB), with far more independence and autonomy. With the introduction of television in the following year, Alvim would rebrand the organization once again to its current form, Teleradio Belmonte (TRB), with the first television broadcast happening at the also founded TRB1 on October 1st 1950.
First years
During its first years, the TRB would expand its system to other cities outside the Castelonovo Metropolitan Area while creating the first original national television programs: in 1953, Raios da Paixão was released, being the first Belmontese soap opera and a mark on the country's audiovisual industry, while Conversa Casual (Casual Talk), a talking show program led by Silvio Navarro, would fall into universal acclaim and praise, being on air from 1957 to 1971.
By the beginning of the 60s, however, the TRB would suffer from bigger competition and government censorship as the Sword's Republic would enter its more authoritarian phase. Despite massive control over that time, the company would be praised once again for its impartial coverage during both the 1963 attacks and 1969 protests, and for going against government directives several times.
The company would suffer severely during the economic crisis of the 70s as seen by its poor productions and programs of the time, delaying and cancelling many projects. It was only in the 80s, under the premiership of Félix Bragança, that the TRB would leave its financial woes, expanding considerably in what is considered to be a second golden era surpassed only by its initial years in the 50s and 60s.
Modern times
Currently, the TRB is undergoing another massive modernization process into the digital era, expanding its broadcasting capacities to neighbouring countries and on the international stage in general.
TV channels
Current channels
| Logo | Name | Channel | Type | Launched | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
TRB1 | 1 | Free-to-air Satellite |
1 October 1950 | generalist and family-oriented, catering towards urban audiences |
|
TRB2 | 2 | Free-to-air Satellite |
23 April 1986 | generalist, TV series, movies and shows |
|
TRB3 | 3 | Free-to-air Satellite |
9 August 1994 | culture, music, documentaries, educational |
|
TRB Actualités | 26 | Free-to-air Satellite |
27 May 1998 | all news |
|
TRB Sport | 29 | Free-to-air Satellite |
5 July 1999 | sports |
|
TRB International | International | 1 October 2000 | reaching out to Belmontese expatriates |
Discontinued channels
- TRB Congress (1953-1975, politics)
- TRB Classic (1955-1972, operas and classical music)
- TRB Education (1966-1994, educational)
- TRB Asterias (1987-2000, international)
- TRB Cult (1999-2003, movies)
- TRB Art and Culture (1988, 2007, arts)
Radio channels
Current channels
- TRB Radio 1: pop music
- TRB Radio 2: adult contemporary music
- TRB Radio 3: classical, jazz and opera music
- TRB Radio 4: news and culture
- TRB Radio Actualités: all news
- TRB Radio Sport: sports
- TRB Radio International: for Belmontese expatriates
- TRB Congress: full coverage of the National Congress and its proceedings
- TRB Road: road condition information for motorway users
- TRB Sea: sea condition and information
Discontinued channels
- TRB Culture
- TRB Opera
- TRB Education
Other services
Together with radio and television, other TRB services include TRB+, the company's on-demand service, as well as TRB Online, the company's web portal which has been on air since 1999, making it one of the oldest Belmontese active sites of the internet. Ever since the 2010s, TRB has been further active in the online field as a form to increase its viewership as radio and television audiences decreases every year.
Headquarters
TRB's headquarters are located on the Arlindo Lima Building at Augusta Ave in central Castelonovo since 1987, as part of a reorganization program. Before that, the company was situated on the Pardins Building a few blocks away from its current location. Furthermore, the company has several regional headquarters and studios through several parts of Belmonte, as well as international offices in Passau, Freeminster, Verlois, Keisi, Povelia and Precea.
Finances
As of 2020, the TRB ended the year with a surplus of $81 million, being in a stable financial situation ever since the 80s. As a state-owned company, its costs are paid by an annual license fee paid by television owners together with sale advertising during commercials.
