TVP Info is a Polish free-to-air television news channel, run by the public state broadcaster TVP. It is focused on newscasts, mainly broadcasting nationwide news bulletins. Until 20 December 2023, its main offices were located in the Television Information Agency [pl] building at Warsaw Insurgents Square; since 29 December 2023 the channel's activities are carried out from the main TVP building on Woronicza Street, Warsaw.[1]
During the rule of the Law and Justice-majority government from 2015 to 2023, the channel was increasingly criticized by the opposition and external observers for airing government propaganda.[2]
TVP Info replaced TVP3 and was launched October 2007. It has regional branches in most of the major Polish cities and, similarly to France 3inFranceorRai TreinItaly, for a couple of hours every day it broadcasts regional programming, including local news and reports in sixteen versions. These were transferred to the revived TVP Regionalna (which later was renamed TVP3 again) in September 2013. In addition, it disseminates certain programs on YouTube, where it has the TVP World channel.
Broadcasting via Astra 19.2°E started in 2005, but was discontinued on 31 December 2014 due to economic issues.[citation needed]
TVP Info has been broadcast in 16:9 since 23 February 2011. Its HD simulcast feed was launched on 30 September 2016 on digital terrestrial television and on 5 April 2017 on Hot Bird satellite. The SD feed was closed down there on 21 April 2017.[citation needed]
Just weeks after winning the 2015 parliamentary elections, the conservative Law and Justice party passed a media law in December 2015 giving the government direct control over public broadcasting. It is fully controlled by Poland's government, causing Reporters Without Borders to bemoan the fact.
The first media reports about TVP Info HD appeared in December 2014,[3] which were confirmed in March 2015 by TVP president Juliusz Braun.[4]
On 15 February 2016, TVP President Jacek Kurski announced in a media interview that he planned to launch TVP Info HD.[5] In the night of 18 to 19 July 2016, due to the planned launch of TVP Info HD on the third digital terrestrial television multiplex, TVP Polonia was replaced.[6] On 26 September 2016, TVP announced that the station would broadcast in HD resolution starting 30 September 2016. As per that date, TVP Info HD was available via the multiplex of the third digital terrestrial television[citation needed] and in cable networks.[7] Via satellite, only the SD feed could be tuned in until 5 April 2017.[8]
On 5 April 2017 at 1:00 pm, TVP Info HD started broadcasting via satellite.[8] On 20 April 2017, TVP Info shut down its SD feed.[9][10][11]
According to Kurski, the channel would be set to begin broadcasting in 1080i50 in early 2018, accompanied by a change of the scenery for the main studio of TVP Info.[12]
In November 2021, an English-language channel known as TVP World was launched, its initial date having been brought forward from January 2022 due to "the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, and the need to produce honest and fair reporting, especially regarding issues that feature false reporting along with propaganda disinformation from Russia and Belarus". The TVP President Kurski said: "Polish public television feels responsible for defending the Polish raison d’état, which is why we hastened TVP World’s debut."[13][14] The channel is simulcast on TVP Info during late nights.[15] Later, the channel TVP World only ran for 24 hours, since the middle of 2022.
On 20 December 2023, a day after the Polish Sejm (now controlled by a coalition of parties opposed to the Law and Justice party) passed a resolution demanding the restoration of legal order at public broadcasters, TVP Info went off air at 11:18:31 CET. Its website redirected users to the main TVP website, while both the terrestrial broadcast and the online stream began alternating between programming from TVP 1 (except for news programming which was replaced by a standby sequence of the TVP 1 logo), programming from TVP Polonia (again without any news programming), and repeats of Ranczo. The apparent shutdown had been preceded earlier in the day by the new government's culture minister, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, announcing his decision to dismiss the current presidents and supervisory boards of TVP, Polskie Radio, and the Polish Press Agency.[16][17][18][19]AYouTube stream, showing a television screen with what would be TVP Info's normal output, went live at around 14:00 CET and lasted for under half an hour before being terminated.[18][20] The TVP World channel also went off air, with the broadcast being switched to that of TVP Polonia and the TVP World website redirecting users to the main TVP website;[21] a formal suspension of operations until mid-January was announced on 27 December, with its director Filip Styczyński adding that he had been relived of his duties.[22] The decision to take TVP Info off air was taken by Tomasz Sygut, who had been appointed as the new TVP CEO the day before.[23]
On 28 December, multiple outlets reported that TVP Info's broadcasting was to be resumed on 29 December. Programmes such as the Minęła series of talk shows, Forum, and Woronicza 17 would remain part of the lineup, while programmes such as W tyle wizji [pl][24] that were deemed to be more politically charged would no longer be produced and would not receive direct replacements.[23][25][26] Grzegorz Sajór confirmed that transmissions would resume at 7:30 p.m CET, concurrent with the recently introduced 19.30 news programme.[27][28] The relaunched channel would indeed begin with 19.30, followed by a guest segment in which 19.30 presenter Joanna Dunikowska-Paź interviewed Waldemar Skrzypczak in relation to how a Russian missile intended for Ukraine entered Polish airspace for some time. At 20:15 CET, Minęła 20 was presented by Jarosław Kulczycki [pl] who introduced viewers to the relaunched TVP Info proper and said it would now give voice to all sides and would aim to unite Poles rather than divide them. The channel initially continued to discuss the Russian missile incident, then began a discussion on public media. The first news bulletin since the relaunch began at 21:00 CET, with Zbigniew Łuczyński [pl] serving as presenter.
The initial broadcast used a modified version of the previous incarnation's logo and reused visual sequences pertaining to commercial breaks and public service announcements (up to 24 January 2024, when it changed idents), but did feature a new filler sequence (and newsroom background) centered around the motif of water droplets joining up with one another to eventually form one large droplet. It did not feature chyrons or a news ticker, but Grzegorz Sajór said that these elements were being worked on.[29][30]
Just before noon on 15 January 2024, the TVP Info website and YouTube channel were restored; access to archived material was also restored where said material was not biased towards the previous Law and Justice government. Andrzej Jaszczyszyn was named as the head of the restored tvp.info service.[31][32] On 19 January 2024, TVP Info's schedule was again changed, with the evening program Publicystyka TVP Info divided into two discussion programs and the『Oko na Świat』program at 23:00 CET (since February at 22:15 CET); on the same day, they moved to a new studio, but in same place.[33][34] On 22 January 2024, TVP Info regained effective control of its X account; the account had previously continued to be under the control of Samuel Pereira [pl] and other pre-takeover individuals until at least 11 January.[35][36]
On 5 February 2024, the relaunch of TVP World was unofficially described by online news outlet Wirtualnemedia.pl [pl] as being imminent, with the station's schedule being worked on; Jerzy Kamiński was described as carrying out director duties.[37] On 8 February 2024, it became known that channel programmes would be produced and aired from a building in the Warsaw Insurgents Square, instead of the TVP headquarters as was the case previously. Unofficially, it is known that TVP World may resume broadcasting by the end of February.[38] On 29 February 2024, it was announced that Michał Broniatowski would become the new director of TVP World from March.[39]
On 4 March 2024, the program was changed again, this time the Morning and Evening programs were changed, and 4 new programs were introduced, one of them was on air again.[40][41]
On 8 March 2024, Wirtualnemedia.pl reported that TVP World would resume broadcasting on cable and digital platforms on 11 March, with plans to launch German, Russian and Ukrainian language services at a later date.[42][43]
19.30 (stylized as i9.30) – Main news program of TVP1 from 21 December 2023 onwards, replacing the earlier Wiadomości. Its first broadcast on TVP Info was synonymous with the channel's 29 December relaunch. On 5 February 2024 it was confirmed that the thirty-minute 19:30 CET bulletin would not be joined by the various ten-minute bulletins of the earlier Wiadomości.[44]
Teleexpress – Second news program of TVP1. Off air from 20 December 2023 to 3 January 2024, broadcast resumed on 4 January 2024.[45]
Teleexpress Extra – Exclusive to TVP Info, broadcast after Teleexpress. Off air from 20 December 2023 to 14 January 2024, broadcast resumed on 15 January 2024.[46] (also on TVP Polonia)
Teleexpress Weekend – Summary of the week. It is presented by Bartosz Cebeńko and Mateusz Jędraś. (also on TVP Polonia)
Info Poranek (Info Morning) – Morning news.
Serwis Info Poranek (Info Service Morning) – Live news segment every half hour during Poranek Info.
Gość Poranka – Morning talk. (also on TVP Polonia)
Przed południem – Before noon broadcast.
Serwis Info Dzień (Info Service Day) – Midday news.
Serwis Info Wieczór – Evening news.
Serwis Info – Live news broadcast.
Pogoda Info (Info Weather) – National weather forecast.
Kontrapunkt – Journalist talk show.
Pytanie dnia [pl] – Interview segment following the main 19.30 broadcast, shown on weekdays. It does not appear to be exclusive to TVP Info and is often shown on TVP1 as well as on TVP Polonia during that station's 19.30 repeat. It is presented by Justyna Dobrosz-Oracz [pl], Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf [pl] and Marek Czyż.[47]
Oko na Świat – Foreign news and about current affairs.
Polska bliżej – Intervention program broadcast in Friday. It is presented by Igora Nazaruka.
Forum – Friday talk show. (also on TVP Polonia)
Rozmowy niesymetryczne (Asymmetric conversations) - Saturday interview show broadcast from 10 February 2024 onwards. It is presented by Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf, a Gazeta Wyborcza journalist in past, who had previously been involved with TVP from 2004 to 2016.[48][49]
Rozmowy (nie)wygodne (Conversations are (un)comfortable) - Saturday interview show broadcast from 17 February 2024 onwards every second week. It is presented by Mariusz Szczygieł.
100 pytań do... (100 questions for...) – Saturday program whose formula assumes questions from the audience. It is presented by Wioleta Wramba, where she previously worked at Polsat.
Woronicza 17 – Sunday discussion show, in TVP building on Woronicza Street, Warsaw. It is presented by Kamila Biedrzycka [pl].
Redakcja – Sunday talk show. It is presented by Paweł Płuska [pl], where he previously worked at TVN.
Bez retuszu (No retouching) – Sunday journalistic program carried out with audience participation. It is presented by Marek Czyż, where he hosted the show from 2014 to 2016, when he quit when the channel was owned by the Law and Justice party, a few months later.
Wiadomości (News) – Main news program of TVP1 until 20 December 2023, though the last effective broadcast actually took place on 19 December. While TVP1 featured several Wiadomości bulletins during the day (08:00 CET, 12:00 CET, 15:00 CET, and 19:30 CET, with the latter bulletin lasting thirty minutes while the others lasted ten minutes[44]), TVP Info would only broadcast the 19:30 CET bulletin as well as a repeat of the same at some point after (or sometimes exactly at) 00:00 CET; a further repeat of the 19:30 bulletin would be aired at 01:30 CET on TVP Polonia.
Gość Wiadomości – Exclusive to TVP Info (though often a brief introductory fragment would be shown on TVP1), broadcast after the 19:30 CET Wiadomości bulletin.
Gość 19.30 – Interview segment following the main 19.30 broadcast. Compared to the preceding Gość Wiadomości, it does not appear to be exclusive to TVP Info and is often shown in full on TVP1 as well as on TVP Polonia during that station's 19.30 repeat.
Panorama – Main news program of TVP2. Off air from 20 December 2023 to 9 January 2024, broadcast resumed on 10 January 2024 at a new timeslot.[50] Since 1 February 2024 the TVP Info broadcast has ceased; TVP2 and TVP Polonia broadcasts continue as normal.
Panorama Info (Info Panorama) – Main news program, not to be confused with TVP2's Panorama.
Jedziemy (Stylised #Jedziemy) – Weekday morning talk show that was presented by Michał Rachoń [pl]. The show consisted of a Jedziemy segment and a virtually identical Jedziemy dalej segment, with a commercial break or an Agrobiznes segment in between the two. Following the 2023 takeover of TVP, the show became part of Telewizja Republika's lineup with Rachoń continuing to serve as presenter.[51]
Reportaż TVP Info (TVP Info Report) – Reports.
Debata TVP Info (TVP Info Debate) – Weekly news debate, airing on Saturdays two or three times a month.
Sport Info (Info Sport) – Sports news.
Info Biznes (Info Business) – Business news.
Strefa starcia – Sunday evening debate show. From May 2023 to December 2023, it was also shown on TVP1.[52]
Jak oni kłamią (How they lie) – Anti-TVN show broadcast from 3 July 2023 to 19 December 2023 which, as the title suggests, purported to demonstrate the supposed lies of that station's news broadcasts. The programme's presenters would constantly refer to TVN presenters and journalists as being "szamani z Wiertniczej" ("shamans from Wiertnicza Street"), with this epithet being uttered during the very first edition,[53] though on occasion alternative epithets such as "funkcjonariuszy z Wiertniczej" ("officers from Wiertnicza Street") would be used instead.[54]
Teleexpress na deser – Broadcast on Sunday after Teleexpress Extra.
Minęła ósma/Minęła dziewiąta/Minęła dwudziesta (After Eight/After Nine/After Twenty) – Morning and evening talk shows following a similar format to one another.
