This year the 29th September, 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the Broadcasting Authority through the Broadcasting Ordinance of 1961. It was set up under an Executive Council with an Interim Constitution during a period when a new constitution for Malta was being prepared allowing for a measure of self-government and recognizing the State of Malta.

The Broadcasting Ordinance of 1961 was modeled on the Independent Television Authority of 1954 at that time in the UK, which was created to supervise the creation of Independent TV (ITV), the first commercial television network in the UK.  However, the Broadcasting Authority was also given the power to produce its own radio and television programmes, while it also had to annually invest £10,000 and £25,000 in qualitative programmes that were to be broadcast on both the services licensed to its two contractors: Rediffusion (Malta) Ltd. and Malta Television Service Ltd.

The first meeting was held at The Palace, Valletta on Monday 2nd October 1961 under the Chairmanship of Lt. Col. G. C. Micallef-Eynaud. The other Members of the Authority were Mrs. Inez Galea, O.B.E., Rev. Fr. C. G. Vella, and Prof. V. Caruana Galizia, O.B.E. The Authority’s offices were at 12, Old Treasury Street, Valletta, and the first staff was seconded from Government to the Broadcasting Authority.

From this date, all broadcasting ceased to be the responsibility of the Government of the day and with immediate effect all sound and Television broadcasting services in Malta (except for Forces Broadcasting) became the exclusive responsibility of the Authority.

Within twelve months of its foundation by the end of 1962, the Authority had consolidated all local broadcasting services by taking stock of such services and requested its long-established cable radio service provider, Rediffusion (Malta) Ltd., to expand its local programmes to include regular local news bulletins.  In 1963 broadcasts on cable radio formed the largest share of broadcasting services on the islands. Out of a total of approximately 275 hours of weekly broadcasts on all services, 89.4%, or 246 hours, of programming were broadcast by Rediffusion on both the "A" and "B" services while 10.6%, or 29 hours, of broadcasting services were on Television.

Television[1] started with an average of 4½ hours of daily broadcasts; out of which 24.4% were local productions, while the rest were direct imported recorded programmes. Although no data was found recording the actual number of viewers, the Authority reported at the end of March 1963 that this new service was listened to extensively in Malta and Gozo and the total number of TV licences issued increased drastically and was in excess of 19,000 television-sets. In fact, since the Authority was to receive a fixed percentage from such licences, the amount received by the Authority rose from £17,200 in 1961/62 to £45,000 in 1962/63.

While the main offices of the Broadcasting Authority were in Valletta, its operations were conducted at Television House, Gwardamangia thus ensuring immediate and effective consultations between the executive of the Authority and its licensed contractors. In fact, within ten years of its inception, half of the staff of the Authority was directly involved in programme services. However, it was soon felt that the Authority should move closer to its main contractor and the appointment of Mr Joseph Grima on 2nd November 1971 as Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Authority, and the appointment of a new Board on 31st March 1972 under the chairmanship of Chev. J. P. Vassallo O.B.E., the Authority held its meetings at its new offices at National Road, Blata l-Bajda[2].

This was the start of a nationalization period involving directly the Broadcasting Authority. The Labour Government elected in 1971 proceeded to nationalise local broadcasting services by taking a number of measures including the setting up of a competing terrestrial radio station run by the Broadcasting Authority.  In May 1972, when Malta changed over to a decimal currency and abandoned its old system of pounds, shilling and pence, 520 spots of advertisements on sound and 284 spots on Television were broadcast by the Authority on national services. Several half-hour slots were also utilised on Television for adult education programmes in connection with the decimal currency switch-over.

Following a sit-in by workers in 1975, government itself assumed responsibility for broadcasting which became part of Telemalta Corporation – a parastatal entity then responsible for telecommunications.  This was a paradigm shift from a commercial company running public service broadcasting under the guidance of a regulator, to an organisation called Xandir Malta that was totally owned and controlled by Government. All the communications media including the former Telephone Department and the Cable and Wireless Department became part of this new public corporation.

The Nationalist Government elected in 1987 promised the introduction of pluralism in broadcasting. By the start of the 1990s the broadcasting structure required a much needed overhauling as it was inhibiting the development of new broadcasting services. The scarcity of radio frequencies and TV-channels was a thing of the past especially today in the digital and IT age. The White Paper set out in September 1990 ushered a new era establishing pluralism in broadcasting. Subsequent legislation facilitated the development of new radio services at the national and at community levels.

In fact, in 1991 Xandir Malta was hived off from Telemalta Corporation, and was set up as a limited liability company in preparation for the introduction of pluralism in broadcasting.

So, until 1991, sound and television broadcasting was the monopoly of the state owned national broadcaster, regulated by the Broadcasting Authority set up in 1961, with Malta Television Services Ltd. being its only contractor.  The public service obligation of the national broadcaster included the obligation to offer a full range of programming within the categories of information, education and entertainment while transmitting on three radio networks and on one television channel.

The first private radio stations went on the air in the summer of 1991 – Super One Radio in August and Radio 101 a month later – each separately owned by the two major political parties. The Authority was also tasked with the setting up of a new community TV-channel operated by itself, Channel 12, and an educational channel which was to be provided by the Education Department in consultation with the Authority.

Cable Television, run by Melita Cable plc., was introduced in 1992 resulting in a limited level of pluralism in the field of TV broadcasts – there were on cable an Educational Channel run by the Ministry of Education and a Community Channel run by the Broadcasting Authority besides the retransmission of both analogue and satellite stations.

The removal of broadcasting barriers which had shielded the public service monopoly in broadcasting, the advent of a cable television network and the fast expending FM radio stations in 1992, required more that the premises held at Television House in Gwardamangia and in March 1994 construction work on a new office building started at Mile End Road, Hamrun, the present offices held by the Authority. By September 1995 the Authority moved into its newly built office premises and by that time a television studio of 100 square meters, located mainly underground, was in its final stages of completion for the Authority’s community television station (Channel 12), which became fully operational and under the direct control of the Broadcasting Authority on 29th September 1996.

On 1st January 2001, the Malta Communications Authority was set up to liberalize and regulate telecommunication services. While the onus of broadcast content remained the prerogative of the Broadcasting Authority, telecommunication licences including those for radio frequencies in the UHF Band and digital terrestrial television broadcasting had to be endorsed by the Malta Communications Authority which took over the operations of the Wireless and Telegraphy Department.