Eraldo Xhelili
A few days ago, while watching ERT 1, I was struck by the way Greek public television was proudly introducing the new digital era - with modern studios, new applications and collaborations with the BBC and RAI. But this renaissance came after ERT was shut down in 2013 due to abuses and lack of transparency, a fate that, in one way or another, is also following RTSH today.
RTSH is more than a public institution. It is a memory, a voice and a national history. For me personally, it is the place where I began to know the world in the Albanian language, an inseparable part of the media identity of Albanians.
In April 2025, for the first time, a woman was appointed to head the RTSH: journalist Eni Vasili. She found the institution in deep crisis, with debts, lost trials and unpaid employees for months. She did not create the problems, but inherited them. Lack of investment, depreciated infrastructure and wrong managerial policies have plunged the RTSH into decadence.
The once iconic building today resembles more of an abandoned institution than a national television station. RTSH has become a hostage to bureaucracy and servility, with little room for professionals and new talents. Even the closure of the cultural show "ARTES" is indicative of a lack of appreciation for cultural journalism and critical thinking.
However, the director's efforts are evident: contacts with the EBU, discussions in Brussels for technical assistance and requests for additional funds from the state. Vasili aims to restore the public spirit of television, make it more transparent and closer to citizens. But reform requires time, support and real political will.
Digital transformation is another necessity. The “RTSh TANI” platform, once one of the most functional in the region, is now defunct, a symbol of RTSH’s technological stagnation. Without a digital presence and public engagement, RTSH risks remaining isolated and irrelevant to younger generations.
In a democratic country, public media is a national asset, not a political property. Its leaders should measure success by loyalty to the public, not to the government. This is the biggest challenge and perhaps the last hope to save RTSH from decades of crisis.
Eni Vasili has a difficult, but not impossible, journey ahead. If she manages to restore trust, dignity, and transparency, she could become the figure who will finally lead RTSH out of the dark decade and into its new era.
