URTNA, AFROVISION, and satellite broadcasting: The birth of a television news exchange system in Africa

The Union of National Radio and Television Organizations of Africa (URTNA) has played a leading role in providing a radio and television program exchange system in Africa for the past three decades. With the birth of AFROVISION in 1991, URTNA expanded its operations to include television news exchange via satellite to its member organizations, marking the cooperative beginnings of African nations’ quest to break their dependency on international news agencies. This article explores the evolution of AFROVISION up to its implementation and provides an historical look at URTNA and its program exchange operations.

Key terms:

• African satellite broadcasting
• AFROVISION
• INTELSAT
• international broadcasting unions
• International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
• satellite broadcasting
• satellite news exchange system
• UNESCO
• Union of National Radio and Television Organizations of Africa (URTNA).