Turkish Radio and Television Corporation facts for kids

"TRT" redirects here. For other uses, see TRT (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids
Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
Logo used since 2018
Native name	Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu
Type	Incentive
Industry	Television station Radio station
Founded	1 May 1964; 61 years ago (1964-05-01) (Ankara Radio) 31 October 1968; 56 years ago (1968-10-31) (TRT 1)
Headquarters	Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey
Key people	Zahid Sobacı (Director general) Ahmet Albayrak (Chairman of the Board)
Owner	Government of Turkey

The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish: Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon Kurumu) is Türkiye's national public broadcaster. It was started in 1964. For many years, TRT was the only TV and radio provider in Turkey. It had a complete control over broadcasting until other companies started in the 1990s. Today, TRT broadcasts all around the world. This includes places like Europe, Asia, the United States, and Australia.

Most of TRT's money comes from a small tax. This tax is paid on TV and radio devices. A small tax was also added to electricity bills until 2022. This money helps TRT operate, similar to how the BBC is funded in the UK. The rest of TRT's money comes from government help and some advertising.

History of TRT
- Past Leaders of TRT
TRT Services
Turkish TV Series Around the World
TRT News Services
Logos
See also

History of TRT

TRT's main building in Ankara.

TRT Istanbul Tepebaşı studios

TRT's earlier company, Türkiye Radyoları, helped start the European Broadcasting Union in 1950. TRT joined this group again in 1972. The first radio test broadcasts began in 1926. Studios were built in Istanbul in 1927 and in Ankara in 1928.

TRT 1 started test TV broadcasts on January 31, 1968. A full national TV schedule began in December 1971. This connected areas around Ankara, Istanbul, and İzmir. TRT also joined the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union in 1976.

All TV shows were in black and white until December 31, 1981. That New Year's Eve, the first color TV tests began. All channels switched to color by March 15, 1984.

TRT hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. This big music event took place in May 2004. In January 2018, TRT celebrated its 50th birthday. All TRT channels showed old clips and logos to celebrate.

In May 2023, a new channel called TRT Diyanet Children's channel started testing.

Past Leaders of TRT

Here are some of the people who have led TRT:

Adnan Öztrak (1964–1971)
Musa Öğün (1971–1973)
İsmail Cem (1974–1975)
Nevzat Yalçıntaş (1975)
Şaban Karataş (1976–1977)
Cengiz Taşar (1978–1979)
Doğan Kasaroğlu (1979–1981)
Macit Akman (1981–1984)
Tunca Toskay (1984–1988)
Cem Duna (1988–1989)
Kerim Aydın Erdem (1989–1993)
Tayfun Akgüner (1993–1996)
Yücel Yener (1997–2003)
Şenol Demiröz (2003–2005)

TRT Services

Television Channels

Ankara Radio in the 1940s. It used to broadcast live shows.

You can watch all TRT TV channels through the Turksat satellite. This covers Europe and Asia. You can also watch them on regular TV in Türkiye and nearby countries. Some channels are also on cable TV.

Channels in Türkiye

TRT 1 (started January 1968) – This is a general channel. It shows Turkish and foreign TV series, movies, music shows, sports, and news.
TRT 2 (started September 1986, relaunched February 2019) – This channel focuses on culture and education. It shows art programs, talk shows, documentaries, and films.
TRT 3 Spor (started October 1989) – This channel shows live and old sports events. It also broadcasts live from the Turkish Parliament.
TRT Çocuk (started November 2008) – This channel is for children. It has cartoons and educational shows. It broadcasts 24 hours a day.
TRT Kurdî (started January 2009) – This channel broadcasts in the Kurdish language.
TRT Müzik (started November 2009) – A 24-hour music channel. It plays Turkish folk, classical, pop, rock, and jazz music.
TRT Belgesel (started November 2009) – A 24-hour channel for documentaries.
TRT Haber (started May 2010) – This channel provides news, current events, sports news, and weather.
TRT 4K (started February 2015) – This is TRT's Ultra HD channel. It was the first 4K TV channel in Türkiye.
TRT Spor Yıldız [tr] (started September 2019) – This is another sports channel, similar to TRT Spor.

Channels for International Viewers

A TRT Avaz announcer during an interview in Austria.

TRT Türk – This channel offers international news, documentaries, and cultural shows. It is for Turks and Turkish speakers living abroad.
TRT Avaz (started March 2009) – This channel is for Turkic countries and Turks in the Balkans. It focuses on entertainment and documentaries. Shows are in Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Uzbek, and Turkmen.
TRT World – This channel broadcasts news and cultural programs in English. It is for people all over the world.
TRT Arabi (started April 2010) – This channel broadcasts 24 hours a day in Arabic language. It is for Arabs in Turkey and the wider Middle East.

Channels in Minority Languages

TRT has a special TV channel called TRT Kurdî for Kurdish speakers. It broadcasts 24/7. Other TRT TV and radio stations also have shows in local languages. These include Armenian, Arabic, Bosnian, and Circassian.

TRT Avaz broadcasts in languages like Azerbaijani, Bosnian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, and Turkmen. The TRT Arabic channel started broadcasting in 2010.

TV Channel Hours Over the Years

1968: TRT 1 started at 7:15 PM and closed at 8:51 PM.
1970: TRT 1 started at 7:00 PM and closed at 10:00 PM.
1975: TRT 1 weekdays started at 7:00 PM and closed at 11:00 PM. Weekends started at 6:00 PM and closed at midnight.
1981: TRT 1 weekdays started at 7:45 PM and closed at 11:00 PM. Saturdays started at 5:00 PM and closed at 11:40 PM. Sundays started at 10:00 AM and closed at 11:00 PM.
1984: TRT 1 weekdays started at 7:00 PM and closed at 11:00 PM. Saturdays started at 5:30 PM and closed at midnight. Sundays started at 2:00 PM and closed at midnight.
1986: TRT 1 closed at midnight, TRT 2 at 11:30 PM or midnight.
1987: TRT 1 and TRT 2 closed at midnight.
1988: TRT 1 closed at 1:00 AM, TRT 2 at midnight.
1989: TRT 1 closed at 1:00 AM, TRT 2 and TRT 3 at midnight.
1990: TRT 1 closed at 1:00 AM, TRT 2 and TRT 3 at midnight, TRT 4 at 11:30 PM.
1992: TRT 1 closed at 2:00 AM, TRT 2 at 1:00 AM, TRT 3 at midnight, TRT 4 at 11:30 PM.
1993: TRT 2 at 1:00 AM, TRT 3 at midnight, TRT 4 at 11:30 PM.
1997: TRT 1 and 2 closed at 2:00 AM, TRT 3 and 4 at midnight.
2002: TRT 1 & 2 became 24/7. TRT 3 and 4 were open from 7:00 AM to 0:30 AM.
Since 2010: All TRT channels broadcast 24/7.

Radio Channels

TRT Radio Istanbul's main building.

Radyo 1 (started May 1927) – This channel has spoken programs. These include culture, arts, drama, news, science, and history.
TRT FM (started May 1964) – It plays Turkish pop, folk, and classical music. It also has call-in shows, news, and travel information.
Radyo 3 (started September 1974) – This channel plays classical music, jazz, world music, and foreign pop & rock.
TRT Kurdî Radyo [tr] (started 2009) – This radio station broadcasts in the Kurdish language.
TRT Radyo Haber [tr] (started September 1993) – This channel focuses on news programs.
TRT Nağme – This channel plays Turkish classical music.
TRT Memleketim FM [tr] – This channel broadcasts for Turks living in Europe.
TRT Türkü – This channel plays Turkish folk music and türküs.
Voice of Turkey (started December 1982) – This station broadcasts in 26 different languages around the world.

Regional Radio Channels

Antalya Radyosu – Broadcasts in Antalya, covering the western Mediterranean area of Türkiye.
Çukurova Radyosu – Broadcasts in Mersin, covering the eastern Mediterranean area of Türkiye.
Erzurum Radyosu – Broadcasts in Erzurum, covering Eastern Turkey.
GAP Diyarbakır Radyosu – Broadcasts in Diyarbakır, covering South Eastern Turkey.
Trabzon Radyosu – Broadcasts in Trabzon, covering Northern Turkey.

Teletext and EPG

TRT started testing teletext, called "Telegün," on December 3, 1990. All TRT TV channels now broadcast teletext. Six channels also show their programs using an Electronic program guide (EPG).

Turkish TV Series Around the World

TRT, as Türkiye's state TV, first showed programs from other countries. Over time, it started making its own shows. Turkish TV series are very popular in Türkiye. Now, they are also famous worldwide. Türkiye has become the second-largest exporter of TV series globally since 2018.

Turkish TV shows have been sold to other countries since 1981. For example, the series "Aşk-ı Memnu" was first shown on TRT in 1975 and later went to France. By 2019, Türkiye was the second-largest TV series exporter after the United States. In 2022, about 100 Turkish series were sold to 150 countries. This shows how important these shows are for Türkiye's economy and culture.

Turkish dramas are now watched by people far beyond where Turkish is spoken. This includes Azerbaijan, other Turkic-speaking nations, and even Western Europe. It is believed that Turkish TV series now reach 400 million viewers globally. Since 2000, Turkish soap operas have grown a lot. They are very successful at home and are now popular worldwide. They first became popular in areas like the Balkans and the Middle East. Later, they reached places like Latin America, China, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.

After 2010, the Turkish government started supporting the film and TV industry more. This was to help sell more shows abroad. TRT has made many family-friendly TV projects. Turkish TV shows mix modern ideas with traditional family values. This makes them unique compared to American shows. TRT also offers its original shows for free on YouTube. They are available with dubbing or subtitles for international viewers.

When Turkish shows first became popular in the Middle East and Balkans, people thought it was because the stories felt familiar. Research shows that viewers in these areas find the stories and family relationships easy to relate to. However, Turkish TV shows are also popular in Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Türkiye is working to build stronger connections with countries beyond the Western world. The Turkish government wants Türkiye to be a global and regional leader.