The Newest Slovak Television and Radio

Management Facing Low Brand Recognition

Keywords: Slovak Television and Radio, Public-service media, brand management, corporate visual identity, reputation

Abstract

This paper examines branding management at Slovakia’s public-service broadcaster, STVR, established on 1 July 2024, with particular emphasis on the implications of operating without a corporate visual identity (CVI). The absence of a coherent visual identity has resulted in a fragmented brand relying on logos from predecessor institutions, some of which are more than 30 years old, while public trust in the broadcaster has declined by seven percentage points in a single year. Using the corporate visual framework developed by Van den Bosh, Elving, and De Jong (2005), linking CVI to visibility, distinctiveness, authenticity, transparency, and consistency, the study investigates how the absence of CVI affects STVR’s reputation. Based on desk research of publicly available documents, the study finds that reliance on a newly introduced name and legacy visuals undermines the broadcaster’s reputation. STVR also illustrates Balmer and Greyser’s (2002) model of five organisational identities: actual, communicated, conceived, ideal, and desired.

Author Biography

Anna Sámelová, Comenius University Bratislava

PhD., is an Associate Professor at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. She previously served as News Director for the public-service broadcaster Radio and Television of Slovakia and co-founded IPI Slovakia. She is the author of numerous scholarly monographs, textbooks, and studies on media communication and media responsibility. More recently, she has participated in several grant-funded research projects and undertaken academic visits abroad.

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Published
2026-09-30
How to Cite
[1]
Sámelová, A. 2026. The Newest Slovak Television and Radio: Management Facing Low Brand Recognition. Perspectives on Culture. 54, 3 (Sep. 2026), 159-176. DOI:https://doi.org/10.35765/pk.2026.5403.10.
Section
Media management processes, business models and technological innovations