Tekeleb Broadcasting Corporation

Tekeleb Broadcasting Corporation (Irjysian: Tekeleb Almedevana Golkeshim), commonly known as TKBC is the state-owned broadcaster of Tekeleb, and a division of the Government of Tekeleb. The network runs all national media in the country, as the sole legal broadcaster. All local radio and television stations in Tekeleb are either owned or are associated with TKBC.

TKBC commenced radio broadcasts under the Avajahena Tekeleb name in 1938. The Tekeleb Broadcasting Corporation name, with the TBC acronym, began to be used in 1941, but was renamed to TKBC in 1959, with the acronym standing for Tekeleb Kahnawe Broadcasting Corporation (Kahnawe meaning country). However, even if its full name was reverted back to its current name in 1976, the acronym was retained until today. Television broadcasts under the TKBC TV brand began in June 1966.

TKBC is very often accused for being a government propaganda outlet. It was also criticized for mass censorship and oppression of liberal media. It is also often boycotted by Tekelebese underground pro-democracy movements mostly based in and Maryaadah. TKBC operates 49 radio stations and 62 television stations across Tekeleb. It is also the owner of the sole satellite television provider in Tekeleb, Tekeleb Home DTH, and cable provider Tekeleb Cable TV.

History
On April 21, 1938, the Avajahena Tekeleb (Voice of Tekeleb) began broadcasting from Maunja in southern Tekeleb. This was the first local radio station in the country. Later, the year after, three more stations were established in Hakonja, Juntela, and Ongolaweta. Radio arrived in Suhar in 1941, which was when the Tekeleb Broadcasting Corporation name was first used for international shortwave broadcasts, which was also commenced that year. Avajahena Tekeleb began to be administered by the Tekeleb Broadcasting Corporation.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the Tekeleb Broadcasting Corporation was used as a mouthpiece of the government, which led to severe boycotts against the network by pro-democracy movements. On July 15, 1959, the radio network was renamed to Tekeleb Kahnawe Broadcasting Corporation, with the TKBC acronym, for unknown reasons, but it was most likely for promoting the Irjysian language and culture to outsiders.

On May 26, 1961, TKBC announced the establishment of a local television station with the growing demand for television in the Nesionytan Islands since 1950. During that time, television sets were imported from Maryaadah and the Maryaadah Television System, which was receivable in southern Tekeleb, gained intense popularity. Originally scheduled for August 29, 1962, which was the 140th year of Tekeleb's independence, a fire at TKBC's headquarters and a fluctuating economy delayed the launch of Tekeleb's first television station.

On June 14, 1966, TKBC TV1, at the time just TKBC TV, commenced transmissions. At the time, it was only available in Suhar, Tekeleb's capital, and only broadcast for one hour on Mondays and Saturdays. Later, TKBC TV was made available to other major Tekelebese cities in 1967. Both radio and television broadcasts were suspended due to the Tekelebese Civil War. At the end of the war in 1972, radio broadcasts immediately resumed, but television broadcasts were not restored until 1974.

On November 23, 1976, the Walakarimasist government reverted the network's name back to Tekeleb Broadcasting Corporation, but the acronym remained intact. Experimental color broadcasts of TKBC TV and English-language broadcasts of Avajahena Tekeleb were both commenced in 1979. As TKBC TV fully migrated to color broadcasting on June 30, 1981, TKBC changed its logo. Avajahena Tekeleb's logo was also changed to resemble its parent's logo.

On April 12, 1982, with the launch of TKBC TV2 and TKBC TV3, targeted towards central and southern audiences, TKBC TV was renamed to TKBC TV1. Later in 1985, the TKBC TV brand was founded with the launch of TKBC TV4. Avajahena Tekeleb was renamed to Radio Tekeleb to attract international audiences. In 1991, the Government of Tekeleb began a modernization and liberalization program for TKBC, including the replacement of outdated technology with a newer one.

Radio Tekeleb's name was reverted back to Avajahena Tekeleb in 1994, and the network later began broadcasting in other Nesionytan languages such as Ulakisonian and Morasavian. The network commenced satellite broadcasting with the launch of TKBC TV Sat 1 and TKBC TV Sat 2 on August 9, 1996. It also began broadcasting foreign programming to compete with the growing number of foreign channels in Tekeleb after they were allowed in the early 1990s.

In 2001, the network launched 25 more television channels and 14 more radio stations across Tekeleb, as a part of its expansion project. Digital equipment was also provided by Maryaadanese technology companies, and TKBC began to heavily modernize itself during the 2000s. TKBC shifted its headquarters from Turobinya to Velekya in Suhar on June 25, 2005.