Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation: Information

The information provided below was taken from http://www.cybc.com.cy/cybc.htm.

The CyBC began life in 1953 as the Cyprus Broadcasting Service transmitting on one radio channel. It began television broadcasts three years later and became a Corporation in 1960 when the island gained independence from Britain.

Today the CyBC is a large semi-government organisation employing well over 400 permanent staff and as many associates. In 1991, soon after legislation was passed opening the door to private radio and television we launched our 2nd TV channel, and adopted a new corporate identity to reflect our image as a modern organisation, adapting to and accepting plurality in mass communications, revising commercial policy in the face of increasingly fierce competition, but adhering to our fundamental role as a responsible public broadcaster.

An enthusiastic member of the international broadcasting community, we belong to most major organisation including the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Broadcasting Organisation of Non-Aligned Countries (BONAC) and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation (CBA). The CyBC has been a regular contributor to the CNN World Report since its inception in the late '80s and in 1993 became a founding member of the European television news channel, Euronews, to which we send regular programme contributions.

The CyBC was first linked to the Eurovision satellite in 1980 for live transmission from the Hague of the Eurovision Song Contest, to which we now send a participant every year. We also broadcast via satellite and take part in the Eurovision Young Musicians' and Young Dancers' Contests.

Satellite is a lifeline to newsroom throughout the world. The CyBC newsroom takes daily feeds from the EBU for foreign stories to fill six television news bulletins a day, including the main half hour bulletin of the evening.

Foreign news agencies and film crews are frequent visitors to the CyBC for satellite feeds and links all over the world. We also provide foreign networks with state-of-the-art radio and television recording and tape editing facilities on site at all major international conference held on the island.

Live television and radio programs are an important part of the CyBC's contribution to the Cypriot public, from current affairs programs and talk shows with public phone-ins, to variety and games shows. The Corporation actively supports and promotes local writers and composers by producing television drama and comedy. It also includes in its broadcasts public information films and commercials, produced in cooperation with various ministries and other government agencies.

In addition to our television channels 1 and 2 and 1st and 3rd radio channels, which are aimed at the Greek speaking public, we also broadcast programmes for Turkish, English and Armenian speaking listeners on channel 2. English programmes include three ten-minute news bulletins a day, a live evening magazine programme and music and chat from DJ shows throughout the evening. During the summer season there's an additional early evening programme for visitors to the island broadcast live in four European languages.

Satellite technology also means we are now able to broadcast programmes on CyBC's 1st and 3rd radio channels and a special television programme to the Greek speaking public in the diaspora.

Foreign language broadcasts, public information film and setting up links with Cypriots abroad are just part of the Corporation's overall social contribution as a public broadcaster, whose primary role must be to provide the Cypriot public with the widest possible range of quality programmes for their information, education, cultural development and entertainment.

There are huge numbers of Cypriots, living and working abroad, and CyBC also caters for them with its satellite programmes.

Locally produced programmes are beamed to Eutelsat 2F4 which can be found at seven degrees east. Frequency is 11.14GHz and the sound channel is 6.60 MHz. When TV is not being transmitted, the First and Third Radio Channel are beamed to the satellite.

CyBC is a member of the European Broadcasting Union and has recently installed a state-of-the-art satellite earth station. Through this it relays programmes and news footage of events in Cyprus which can then be taken up by TV stations all over Europe and through there the rest of the World.