Editing RTBF (section)

== History ==
{{see also|VRT (broadcaster)#History}}
[[Image:Tour-RTBF Luc Viatour (cropped).JPG|thumb|right|The communications tower at the RTBF's headquarters in [[Brussels]]]]
The [[National Institute of Radio Broadcasting]] ({{langx|fr|INR, Institut national belge de radiodiffusion}}; {{langx|nl|NIR, Belgisch Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep}}), the state-owned broadcasting organisation was established by law on 18 June 1930,{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} and from 1938 was housed in the [[Flagey Building]], also known as the ''Radio House'', a purpose-built building in the [[paquebot style|"paquebot" style]] of [[Art Deco]] architecture.<ref>{{cite web |date=5 July 2012 |title=Le Flagey, the former Maison de la Radio |website=Brussels Life |url=https://www.brusselslife.be/en/article/le-flagey-the-former-maison-de-la-radio |access-date=9 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Flagey Building |website=Flagey |url=https://www.flagey.be/en/page/3718-the-flagey-building |access-date=8 May 2021}}</ref>

On 14 June 1940, the INR was forced to cease broadcasting as a result of the German invasion. The German occupying forces, who now oversaw its management, changed the INR's name to ''{{lang|fr|Radio Bruxelles}}''. A number of INR personnel were able to relocate to the [[BBC]]'s studios in London from where they broadcast as ''{{lang|fr|Radio Belgique}} / {{lang|nl|Radio België}}'' under the ''{{lang|fr|Office de Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge}}'' (RNB) established by the [[Belgian government in exile]]'s Ministry of Information.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

At the end of [[World War II|the war]] the INR and the RNB coexisted until 14 September 1945, when a Royal Decree merged the two and restored the INR's original mission. The INR was one of 23 broadcasting organisations that founded the [[European Broadcasting Union]] in 1950. Television broadcasting from Brussels began in 1953, with two hours of programming each day. Split along linguistic lines in 1960, the INR's French-language programming became RTB (''{{lang|fr|Radio-Télévision Belge, Emissions françaises}}'') and moved to new quarters at the Reyers building in 1967. The RTB's first broadcast in colour, ''{{lang|fr|Le Jardin Extraordinaire}}'' (a gardening and nature programme), was transmitted in 1971. Two years later, the RTB began broadcasting [[news program|news]] in colour.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In 1977, broadcasting became a concern for Belgium's [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium|language communities]], rather than the national government as a whole. Accordingly, the French-language section of the RTB became the RTBF (''{{lang|fr|Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté française}}'') and a second television channel was set up with the name {{lang|fr|RTbis}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rtbf.be/entreprise/article_1977-la-rtb-devient-rtbf?id=3568|title=1977 : La RTB devient RTBF|first=RTBF Boulevard Auguste Reyers 52 1044|last=Schaerbeek 02/737 21 11|website=RTBF Entreprises|accessdate=13 April 2022}}</ref>  In 1979 {{lang|fr|RTbis}} became {{lang|fr|Télé 2}}.<ref name="Télé 21">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rtbf.be/entreprise/article_1988-naissance-de-tele-21?id=3570|title=1988 : Naissance de Télé 21|first=RTBF Boulevard Auguste Reyers 52 1044|last=Schaerbeek 02/737 21 11|website=RTBF Entreprises|accessdate=13 April 2022}}</ref> Along with French channels {{lang|fr|[[TF1]]}}, {{lang|fr|[[France 2|Antenne 2]]}}, {{lang|fr|[[France 3|FR3]]}} and Swiss channel [[Télévision Suisse Romande|TSR]], the RTBF jointly established the European French-speaking channel {{lang|fr|[[TV5Monde|TV5]]}} in 1984. On 21 March 1988, {{lang|fr|Télé 2}} became {{lang|fr|Télé 21}}.<ref name="Télé 21" /> On 27 September 1989 a joint-venture company of the RTBF and [[Vivendi]] was set up with the name {{lang|fr|Canal Plus TVCF}}, which subsequently became ''{{lang|fr|Canal Plus Belgique}}'' in May 1995. In 1993, {{lang|fr|Télé 21}} was replaced by {{lang|fr|Arte/21}} and {{lang|fr|Sports 21}}.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In mid-January 2010, the RTBF adopted the new branding of RTBF.be in its main logo.<ref>[http://www.lalibre.be/culture/medias-tele/la-rtbf-devient-rtbf-be-des-ce-mercredi-51b8b580e4b0de6db9b9bab0 La RTBF devient RTBF.BE dès ce mercredi], ''[[La Libre Belgique]]'', 12 January 2010</ref> The change was made because of the growing importance of new media; the ".be" suffix stressed those new developments.

On 11 June 2013, the RTBF was one of the few European public broadcasters to join in condemning the closure of [[Greece]]'s public broadcaster, [[Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation|ERT]].{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

By 2011, the analogue systems for RTBF.be were planned to be phased out for [[Wallonia]].

===''Bye Bye Belgium''===
{{wikinews|Fictional documentary about Flemish independence causes consternation in Belgium}}
{{Main article|Flemish Secession hoax}}
On 13 December 2006, at 20:21 [[Central European Time|CET]] (19:21 [[UTC]]), the RTBF replaced an edition of its regular current affairs programme ''{{lang|fr|Questions à la Une}}'' with a [[Flemish Secession hoax|fake special news report]] in which it was claimed that [[Flanders]] had proclaimed independence, effectively dissolving the Belgian state. The programme had been preceded by a caption reading "This may not be fiction", which was repeated intermittently as a subtitle to the images on the screen. After the first half-hour of the 90-minute broadcast, however – by which point RTBF.be's response line had been flooded with calls – this was replaced with a caption reading "This is fiction".

The video featured images of news reporters standing in front of the [[Flemish Parliament]], while Flemish separatists waved the [[flag of Flanders]] behind them. Off to the side, Francophone and Belgian nationalists were waving Belgian flags. The report also featured footage of [[Albert II of Belgium|King Albert]] and [[Queen Paola]] getting on a military jet to [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]], a former Belgian colony.

The RTBF justified the hoax on the grounds that it raised the issue of [[Flemish nationalism]], but others felt that it raised the issue of how much the public can trust the press.

===Controversies===
In September 2024, [[French Community of Belgium]] Minister of Media [[Jacqueline Galant]] criticized RTBF for airing a segment titled "How to be less racist?", which in her opinion was biased and lacked pluralism. Galant was in turn criticized by the [[European Federation of Journalists]] for alleged editorial interference.<ref name="x308">{{cite web | title= Tweets sur la RTBF: Jacqueline Galant sort du silence | website=7sur7 | url=https://www.7sur7.be/belgique/tweets-sur-la-rtbf-jacqueline-galant-sort-du-silence~a5c65eb1/ | language=fr | access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref><ref name="v640">{{cite web | title=Public Broadcaster RTBF Subjected to Ministerial Interference | website=European Federation of Journalists | url=https://fom.coe.int/en/alerte/detail/107641508 | access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref>

RTBF notably caused controversy in January 2025 by delaying the broadcast of [[Donald Trump]]'s [[Second inauguration of Donald Trump|second inaugural speech]] by two minutes, in order to prevent the live broadcast of statements inciting hatred. The decision was condemned as [[censorship]] by [[Reformist Movement]] party leader [[Georges-Louis Bouchez]] and prompted an investigation from Galant.<ref name="g832">{{cite web | last=Santos | first=Gauvain Dos | title= Georges-Louis Bouchez très critique envers la RTBF suite à l'investiture de Trump : "Des petits chefs de la pensée" | website=La Libre.be | date=2025-01-21 | url=https://www.lalibre.be/belgique/politique-belge/2025/01/21/georges-louis-bouchez-tres-critique-envers-la-rtbf-suite-a-linvestiture-de-trump-des-petits-chefs-de-la-pensee-KD7XE7ULLJHTVHSKTHO7H7PMHQ/ | language=fr | access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref><ref name="f514">{{cite web | last=Belga | first=Belga | title= Diffusion de l'investiture de Trump: la ministre Galant attend des explications de la RTBF | website=La Libre.be | date=2025-01-22 | url=https://www.lalibre.be/belgique/politique-belge/2025/01/22/diffusion-de-linvestiture-de-trump-la-ministre-galant-attend-des-explications-de-la-rtbf-2QAQEIBGIRG5VNAGBEVS5LBVG4/ | language=fr | access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref><ref name="p255">{{cite web | last=Mokrani | first=Farah | title=Belgian TV delays Trump speech | website=Euro Weekly News | date=2025-01-24 | url=https://euroweeklynews.com/2025/01/24/belgian-broadcaster-sparks-debate-by-delaying-trumps-speech/ | access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref>