Republic of Türkiye

[TR] Radio and Television Corporation Launches Kurdish Language Channel

IRIS 2009-2:1/33

Eda Çataklar

Intellectual Property Research Center, Istanbul Bilgi University

The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) recently completed the necessary preparations and launched a Kurdish language channel named TRT 6. This is the next step in and the execution of the plans announced to dedicate a channel that broadcasts in different languages and dialects as well as the last amendment to Law no. 2954, which was made on 11 June 2008 and which gave TRT the opportunity to provide full-time broadcasting in foreign languages (see IRIS 2008-8: 19).

After broadcasting for a test-period of one week, TRT 6 started full broadcasting officially on 1 January 2009 at 07:00 p.m. Several ministers and members of parliament attended the launch ceremony and the congratulations of the Turkish President and Prime Minister were broadcast in the first programme of TRT 6. In offering their congratulations they drew attention to the importance of this channel in the context of cultural diversity and social integrity as well as its aim to strengthen Turkish unity and democracy. The Prime Minister also mentioned that TRT 6 would start broadcasting in the Kurmanji dialect and that other Kurdish dialects would be included gradually as the channel develops.

The Director General of TRT declared that TRT 6 was only the first of the multilingual channels and TRT would continue its activities to launch new channels to broadcast in Arabic, Farsi and English in 2009.