Ashtalaian Radio and Television

Ashtalaian Radio and Television (ART) is the public broadcaster of Ashtalaia.
==History==
===Formation===
Ashtalaian Radio, initially known as National Radio, was founded in 1922, becoming the first radio station under direct control of the government. Ashtalaian Radio competed with limited commercial radio stations that were set up over the course of the decade. The station was dependent on the Ashtalaian Postal and Telecommunications Authority, in 1937, the station became an independent government entity.
===Jump to television===
In 1950, the broadcaster announces plans to enter the television market. In 1952 the broadcaster is renamed ART. Television broadcasts started on November 24, 1955.
===1974 coup===
===1975 coup and erasure of Communist rule===
===1976 reorganization===
===Golden Age===
===1990 reorganization===
===2004 reorganization===
In 2002, Ashtalaian Radio and Television announced that it was going to issue a long-term strategy for the year 2004.
Despite the successful reorganization, many opposition leaders claimed that ART was "a mere propaganda puppet of the United States" due to the fact that two of its three national terrestrial television networks relied heavily on dubbed American imports.
===2015 reorganization and Fire of Freedom administration===
The rise of Fire of Freedom led to a new change to ART's administration, held in October 2015. The corporation was going to systemically increase national production and dependence on imports was being reduced. This was seen as a stark contrast to ART a dozen years earlier, considered by members of the press as a "pro-Sierran pamphlet". An Anti-Flarlandian sentiment was rising, coupled with the building of a "fortified border". ART started adding frequent propaganda directed against Flarland, which infuriated audiences on social media and human rights organizations.
When Parker Scott, an anti-Ashtalaian president, was elected in Flarland, facing a political crisis, as soon as ART found out that he won the presidential elections, the broadcast was cut and ART 1 switched to a "formal declaration of war" that was heavily joked upon by netizens.
When in September and October 2017, numerous anti-FoF protests happened across Ashtalaia, the broadcaster (compared by many as an Ashtalaian FOX News) announced that it was "surrendering itself".
===Post-FoF===
On October 18, 2017, Fire of Freedom was formally defeated. Just like the emergency government, an emergency administration was put to place.
===Pandemic and division within the corporation===
===After the pandemic (2023)===
After the pandemic, ART will do another reorganization of its services.
==Current goals==
According to the 2023 National Media White Paper, approved by the government in September 2023, following the formal merger of its Hayastelari counterpart.
#Provide information and knowledge to the Ashtalaian public outside of a one-sided context;
#Promotion of freedom of thought under the democratic principles of the charter;
#Entertain the viewers in by means of varied content;
#Production of content in three languages for the national market (Ashtalaian, Hayastelari and English), while privileging the national language and producing content in English to strengthen strained ties with Flarland;
#Forge the cohesive, national identity of the present state;
#Dynamize Ashtalaian creative industries of every type;
#Show relevance to every facet of Ashtalaian society;
#Serve all citizens by making them responsible in transparent decision making;
#Create dialog with the public to match its needs and demands;
#Be an engine of innovation and digitalization.
Some of these points of the charter are valid following its approval, as ART has also been criticized by the current fascist government of failing in its mission to provide information outside of the influence of the ruling government, something that has happened chronically since at least 2003 (ART had impartial information after the start of ATK) in successive shifts of power between left and right.
==Operations==
===Radio===
*1 Radijas
*2 Radijas
*3 Radijas
*4 Radijas
*Vega
*Ashtalaian External Service
===Television===
*ART 1: a generalist channel with emphasis on the bulk of the Ashtalaian population
*ART 2: cultural and educational channel
*ART 3: youth and English channel
*ART 4: a news channel
*ART Sportas 1
*ART Sportas 2
*Pre-school channel
*Older kids channel
*ART Verslas
*Documentary channel
*Culture channel
*Lifestyle channel: a lifestyle channel with emphasis on national production.
*TV Ashtalaia: a channel targeting Ashtalaians abroad.
*Educational channel: a channel for remote education in areas with poor education and catering Ashtalaian schools abroad. Started in 1964 and ended in the early 90s in its initial incarnation on ART 1 (later moved to ART 2 and 3) and restarted in 2020, and later became permanent.
*18 regional television channels