Israel Broadcasting Authority

Infobox Network
network_name = Israel Broadcasting Authority _he. רשות השידור
network_
country = flagicon|Israel Israel
network_type = Broadcast radio and television
available = National; international
owner =
key_people =
launch_date = 1948 (radio)
1968 (television)
founder =
slogan =
motto =
past_names = Israel Broadcasting Service
(1951–1965)
website = [http://www.iba.org.il www.iba.org.il]

Israel Broadcasting Authority (often referred to as "the IBA"; _he. רָשׁוּת השׁידוּר, "Rashùt Ha-Shidúr") is Israel's state broadcasting network. It grew out of the radio station "Kol Yisrael", which made its first broadcast as an independent station on 14 May 1948. The name of the organisation operating "Kol Yisrael" was changed to "Israel Broadcasting Service" in 1951. The law creating the "Israel Broadcasting Authority" was passed by the Knesset on 6 June 1965. Television broadcasts commenced on 2 May 1968, with colour television following on 23 February 1983, although occasional colour transmissions were made earlier, such as the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 and the visit of the Egyption president Sadat in 1977.

Overview

It operates four television channels and several radio stations. IBA's television stations are officially free of advertising, but programs are often "sponsored" by commercial entities. Full advertising on the radio is allowed however.

In 1990, the Israeli parliament passed a law which resulted in the creation of the Second Israeli Broadcasting Authority, whose function was to enable and regulate commercial television and private radio broadcasts in Israel. Until the establishment of the Second Broadcasting Authority and the widespread availability of cable television services in Israel (which also produce their own cable programming directed at the local market) in the early 1990s, the IBA maintained a virtual monopoly on television and radio broadcasting and production in Israel. There were a few exceptions, such as the morning and afternoon broadcasts delivered through IBA's television channel which were produced by Israel Educational Television, the popular Israel Army Radio service, and a private radio station ("the Voice of Peace") which operated offshore, outside Israeli territorial waters.

Israel Broadcasting Authority domestic programming and broadcasts are funded by levying television licence fees upon the owners of television sets. Additional funding is received by sponsorship from commercial entities and from radio advertisements. All broadcasting is covered by the code of ethics set out in the Nakdi Report.

The IBA (IBS at the time) was admitted as a full active member of the European Broadcasting Union in 1957. The decision made by the EBU General Assembly had the immediate effect that two founding broadcasters (the Egyptian and Syrian broadcasting services) quit as active members [p. 26, EBU Diffusion Special, May 1997] .

TV channels

*Channel 1 ("Haarutz Ha-Rishon") - the IBA's main channel (until the beginning of the 1990s there were no other channels in the Israeli television, and it was called "Ha-Televizia Ha-israelit" - "The Israeli Television").
*"Arutz 33" ("Channel 33") - the IBA's Arabic-language channel.
*"Ha-Hinuhit" ("The Educational Channel", "Channel 23")- Special channel for Life style and educational programs. In the past was a section of the IBA and broadcasted through the only channel.
*"Arutz Ha-Knesset" ("The Knesset Channel", "The Israeli parliament channel")- a special channel for broadcasting from the Knesset- the Israeli parliament.
*List of Israeli television channels

Radio stations

"Kol Yisrael" ("The Voice of Israel") is the collective name for IBA's radio networks as well as for the international service.
*"Reshet Aleph" ("Network A"): radio station.
*"Reshet Beit" ("Network B"): popular news, current events, and talk radio station.
*"Reshet Gimel" ("Network C"): radio station devoted for promoting Israeli music.
*"Reshet Dalet" ("Network D"): radio station in Arabic.
*"Reka" or "Reshet Klitat Aliya": radio for recent immigrants to Israel, broadcasts in 13 languages (mostly Russian). This service was formerly known as "Kol Zion La-Golah" ("Voice of Israel abroad") and "Reshet Heh" ("Network E").
*88 FM: radio for quality music.
*"Kol Ha-Musika" ("The Voice of Music"): a radio station devoted for promoting classical music.
*"Kol Ha-Kampus" ("The Voice of the Campus") - a joint educational project of Kol Yisrael and the Israeli College of Management media school, in which students run the radio station and host programs of alternative music.

References

External links

* [http://www.iba.org.il Official site] (mostly in Hebrew)
* [http://www.israel-radio.com/ Israel Radio Stations]
* [http://www.ietv.org.il Israel Educational Television]
* [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/437945.html Article on IBA English-language IBA programming]
* [http://www.radio.co.il All the Israeli radio stations in one site on the internet]
*Kishkashta