The RTVC stands to incur massive losses from the torching of its offices

“The memory of RTVC’s heritage went up in flames,” Marc-Anderson Brégard, general director of Radio Télévision Caraïbes, told AyiboPost

Port-au-Prince’s oldest radio station was set on fire on the night of March 12 to 13, 2025, endangering a large part of the institution’s archives.

Gangs from the “Viv Ansanm” coalition controlled the area around the station for almost a year.

“The memory RTVC’s heritage went up in flames,” Marc-Anderson Brégard, general director of Radio Télévision Caraibes (RTVC), told AyiboPost.

The damage has yet to be assessed because the area is inaccessible. But Brégard tells AyiboPost that the space located on Ruelle Chavannes, in downtown Port-au-Prince, housed several broadcast recording studios – two rack rooms containing automatic recording devices for RTVC programs – solar equipment – and other computer equipment.

For two months, gangs have been advancing in downtown Port-au-Prince, despite the presence of Haitian security forces and a multinational force led by Kenya.

The gangs set fire to homes, dig openings on the roadways and set traps to hinder police interventions.

During the rise in violence last year, RTVC left Rue Chavannes in May 2024 relocating to Pacot. And, at the beginning of June, part of the station moved into La Maison des Radios, in Pétion-Ville.

For two months, gangs have been advancing in downtown Port-au-Prince, despite the presence of Haitian security forces and a multinational force led by Kenya.

“For the time being, we have a makeshift studio in Pétion-Ville, because our equipment remains at the station,” explains Brégard, referring to the locale on Ruelle Chavannes.

The manager explains that many of his personal documents such as certificates, diplomas, etc., remained at the radio station on Ruelle Chavannes.

Bandits who had been controlling the area around the Marché Salomon, Rue Magloire Ambroise, Rue Capois, etc., for two months “entered the radio station and set it ablaze,” reports Brégard.

Images posted on social media on March 13 show the institution’s buildings with windows blackened by flames, from the ground floor to the upper floor housing the television studio.

“An indication that the interior of the space is on fire,” concludes Guerrier Dieuseul, head of the newsroom and presenter of the morning news program Premye Okazyon.

Security agents monitoring the building left well before this attack, because the bandits took control of several streets not far from the station, Dieuseul reports to AyiboPost.

Due to technical difficulties and limited space since the forced abandonment of their premises, most RTVC broadcasts have been suspended, including news programs such as Jounal Bon Pawòl, Journal 19 – 20, and Dènye Okazyon.

Only a few shows, such as La Manne du Matin, Journal Premye Okazyon, and those hosted by Brégard are still airing.

However, “keeping the population informed pushes us to stay on the air,” explains journalist Guerrier Dieuseul, who has worked at RTVC since 2008.

Radio remains the leading mass medium in Haiti, with a 90% penetration rate. Despite an accelerated drop in advertising revenue, most of the radio stations in Port-au-Prince, including Caraïbes, are continuing their operations, often by adapting to the upsets of the internet.

In November 2024, the leader of the “Viv Ansanm” gang coalition, Jimmy Cherizier, publicly threatened several journalists, including two RTVC presenters, Johnny Ferdinand and Guerrier Dieuseul.

For Dieuseul, this fire is no surprise.

“We can’t say that we didn’t expect this, nor that the bandits were going to protect the radio, because we usually denounce their abuses,” declares journalist Guerrier Dieuseul.

The press worker fears that other media denouncing the bandits will also be attacked.

Mélodie FM, another radio station broadcasting on Rue Capois, was also attacked on the night of March 12.

In a press release dated March 13, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security condemned the attacks against RTVC and Radio Mélodie FM.

We can’t say that we didn’t expect this, nor that the bandits were going to protect the radio, because we usually denounce their abuses

– Guerrier Dieusel.

In 2024, the country’s oldest newspaper, Le Nouvelliste, had to leave its locale in the city center, under attack by gangs.

Founded in 1949, RTVC is one of the oldest radio stations in Haiti. In 2006, the media outlet launched on the web following significant investments in equipment.

But, during the earthquake of January 12, 2010, the RTVC building collapsed. This resulted in the loss of nearly 50 years worth of its archives.

By Jérôme Wendy Norestyl

Cover |Photo of the facade of the Radio Télévision Caraibes building.

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