The Romanian National Television and the Romanian Communist Party during the 1970s: A complicated relationship Cover Image

The Romanian National Television and the Romanian Communist Party during the 1970s: A complicated relationship
The Romanian National Television and the Romanian Communist Party during the 1970s: A complicated relationship

Author(s): Silvia-Cristina Baumgarten
Subject(s): Cultural history, Media studies, Political history, Recent History (1900 till today), Theory of Communication, History of Communism
Published by: Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti
Keywords: Romania; communism; Romanian Communist Party (PCR); Romanian National Television (TVR); propaganda; ideology; media studies;

Summary/Abstract: To legitimize its actions and to control the population, the Romanian Communist Party (PCR) worked constantly to impose its vision, with the propaganda apparatus acting intensely during both the period of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, as well as during the reign of his successor, Nicolae Ceaușescu. From its establishment in 1956, the Romanian National Television (TVR) had been one of the instruments through which the voice of the communist authorities had been heard, both literally and figuratively. In this study I investigate the evolution of TVR as a propaganda tool of the communist regime during the 1970s, with a focus on the evolution of the propaganda programmes and on the main requirements of the Party. For this purpose, I used sources from the Romanian National Archives and the Archives of the Romanian Broadcasting Society, and I analysed the measures that PCR took in relation to TVR so that the latter meets the ideological expectations of the communist regime.

  • Issue Year: XXII/2021
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 117-135
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: English