Media
From the beginning of print journalism, Basque has been in the media. During the Carlist Wars, the press was used to send messages in Basque: in 1834, both sides, the liberals and Carlists, posted messages in Basque in El Correo del Norte. However, it was after the end of the Franco regime that the Basque-speaking media really developed, thanks to the determined support of social, political and cultural agents. Today, Basque has its own press, radio and television, as well as being at the forefront of digital media.
433. Uscal Herrico Gaseta by August Xaho, 1848. 434. War correspondents in Muskiz, Biscay during the Second
Carlist War. 435. The early days of EITB. Installing the aerials on the roof of the
ETB building in Iurreta, Bizkaia 436. The magazine Argia was the heir to Zeruko Argia, (Pamplona,
1919) and Argia (San Sebastian, 1921). The current Argia has been,
since 1980, a weekly current-affairs magazine in Basque and a reference
point for journalism in Basque. Since 1997 it also runs an
interesting and very complete website. 437. In the 1950s, some church-run radio stations begin to broadcast
religious, sports and cultural programmes in Basque. In the
1960s, they extended their subject matter. A key player in this process
was Herri Irratia in Loiola, which managed to take Basque out
of the rural sphere and adapt it to urban life. In 1976, Herri Irratia
organised the mass festival 24 orduak euskaraz at the Anoeta
Velodrome, to demand a Basque-only radio station. 438. Mihiluze is a quiz show on ETB1, based on everyday uninhibited
use of Basque. It has been a great audience success and over
500 programmes have now been made. 439. Euskaldunon Egunkaria, was a daily newspaper published
entirely in Basque. It was created in 1990 at the initiative of a group
of 70 people, the Egunkaria Sortzen. It had a print run of 12,000,
but was closed down by the Spanish National Court in 2003, accused
of having links with ETA. The charges were never proven. In
2010 the courts shelved the case for lack of criminality. The largescale
popular protest that arose when Egunkaria was closed led to
the creation of Berria (2004), which took up the baton as the only
daily newspaper in Basque. Behind the project was the group EKT,
which runs the portal site www.berria.info and the local Hitza
newspapers, with 7 editions. 440. The public broadcaster, Euskal Irrati Telebista, was created in
1983 by the Basque Government, thus initiating the first Basqueonly
broadcasts: ETB1 on television and Euskadi Irratia on the radio.
ETB1 and ETB3 currently broadcast solely in Basque; ETB2 broadcasts
in Spanish while ETBSat is a bilingual channel targeted at
Europe, and Canal Vasco has the same function for the Americas. 441. In Navarre, one of the most important of local media in Basque
was Ttipi-ttapa (1980), a magazine, website and TV station for the
Baztan, Bidasoa and Leitzaldea area. The broadcaster Euskalerria
Irratia, maintained by popular subscription, also broadcast from
1988 to Pamplona and its environs. One of the most important
bilingual initiatives was Ze Berri? (1996), a free magazine for promoting
Basque, published by thirty municipal authorities and
drawn up in the two languages, with a print run of 70,000 issues. 442. Hala bedi!, from Vitoria / Gasteiz, a veteran pirate radio station. 443. In the Northern Basque Country, Radio Côte Basque began
broadcasting in 1963. It paved the way for Baionako Gure Irratia,
Irulegi Irratia and Xiberoko Botza, all of which have broadcast only
in Basque since the 1980s. 444. Since 1990, EITB also broadcasts Euskadi Gaztea a station
with music and youth-targeted content. 445. Numerous local magazines and televisions were founded from
1980 on, most at the initiative of associations for the development
and standardisation of the Basque language. There are currently 33
local magazines, with a readership of around 260,000. There are
also 6 local radio stations and 7 television stations, all of which
enjoy government backing. In Gipuzkoa, local television stations
broadcast entirely in Basque 446. Goenkale, broadcast on ETB1, with 17 seasons and over 3000
episodes under its belt, is the longest-running series anywhere in
Spain. 447. ETB's children's schedule in Basque is made up of cartoons,
dubbed series and in-house productions, with leading figures such
as the popular clowns Txirri, Mirri and Txiribiton, who have been on
the air for over 25 years. Irusoin recording studios for mixing audio
and dubbing films. 448. Most public bodies offer Basque on their websites. In the picture,
the website of the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa. 449. There is also an extensive supply of information in Basque on
the Internet. Practically all print and audiovisual media have their
own websites. The digital press in Basque is also represented by
media such as argia.com, sustatu.com and enjoys the backing of a large number of active blogs in the Basque language. 450. The Balde is a free bilingual magazine in Basque and English
on art and avant-garde trends.