The Kelssek Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is Kelssek's national radio and television broadcaster. In French, it is called la Société Radio-Kelssek (Radio-Kelssek or SRK). A National corporation, it operates independently from the government; is responsible to the Parliament of Kelssek and is publicly funded through the Department of Heritage, which is part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The KBC is the country's oldest and largest broadcasting service, and has global reach through extensive use of satellite broadcasting. Already highly recognised for the quality of its programming and arguably the East Pacific's most reputed broadcaster, the KBC's stated aim is to expand its global stature and its channels are available through conventional sources such as cable or terrestrial broadcasting in over 50 countries. Its website is at http://kelssek.tripod.com/kbc and features a downloadable podcast.

Radio programming is free of commercial advertising, while KBC Television is bound by the same restrictions imposed other television providers of no more than 16 minutes per hour and a ban on advertising during shows aimed at young children. In addition, the KBC must have 66% of "Kelcon" - Kelssek-produced programs or with significant involvement by Kelssekians - in its daily programming.

Domestically, the KBC uses the tagline "Your KBC", alluding to its public, independent status, adding "Anywhere, Anytime" to promotions for Newsworld and news-related services like its website and the World Service.

The KBC is especially known for its international radio services. The English KBC World Service and the French Radio-Kelssek Monde are broadcast internationally, primarily with satellite technology. All Kelssekian embassies sell KBC satellite radio receivers for the local equivalent of 1 Kelssek dollar, and for free in some countries.

The KBC also distributes its television programming internationally. It broadcasts the Galaxie and Premiere channels as well as KBC Newsworld in English and French, using satellites with global coverage as well as through domestic cable outlets. The KBC spends almost KSD 80 million distributing satellite decoders for free worldwide, which allows the viewing of all KBC programming.

See also: "Bring the KBC to your country", the KBC/SRK international programming storefront including promotional materials.

History

The KBC was established in 1929 as the Kelssekian Radio Broadcasting Corporation following a reccomendation by a government-commissioned report over the need for a national, independent media source to provide information and promote a cultural identity. It took over the network of radio stations hitertho owned by the Kelssekian National Railway, which had been used to provide entertainment to its train passengers. It took its present name on November 2, 1936, when it became a full National corporation.

Through its existence, the KBC has consistently been the pioneer in broadcasting innovations in Kelssek. It was the first to introduce FM radio in 1946, colour TV in 1966, television satellite broadcasting in 1978, high-definition TV in 2002, and from July 1, 2007 it will become the first television network in Kelssek to fully broadcast in HD.

In recent years the viewership of the KBC has declined, along with those of its private competitors, due to the growth of cable and satellite specialty channels. Nevertheless, it remains a powerful cultural influence and is widely viewed as being on the cutting edge of the broadcasting industry, at least in the Kelssekian context. It retains a significant edge over private broadcasters in informational programming viewership, with the most-watched primetime newcasts while KBC Newsworld has long been the highest-rated 24-hour news channel in Kelssek.

In 2006, the KBC launched an ambitious international expansion bid costing over $200 million to make its programming more widely available worldwide without needing satellite dishes. KBC programming is now received by cable or terrestrial broadcasting in over fifty countries worldwide and it has established itself as a leading international broadcaster.

Services

Radio

English

• KBC Radio One
• KBC Radio Two
• Radio 3
• KBC Four
• KBC World Service

French

• La Première Chaîne
• Espace musique
• Radio-Kelssek dix
• Radio Monde

Television

English

• KBC 1
• KBC 2
• Newsworld
• Country Kelssek
• KBC Sports (bilingual audio)

French

• Télévision de Radio-Kelssek
• SRK Télévision 2
• le Réseau de l'information (RDI)
• KBC Sports (bilingual audio)