RTM came into its current state with its present name in 1969 when it merged its radio and television services to form the present-day broadcast department.
[1][8] In 2019, RTM became the most trusted media organisation in Malaysia ahead of Astro Awani, TV3 and Malaysiakini, according to a survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
[19] Blue, Green and Red Networks were also used to refer to regional stations and programmings and radio broadcastings were done using amplitude modulation (AM) or short and medium wave transmissions during those times.
[40] By 31 August 1978, Voice of Malaysia had expanded its broadcast to include 5 other language services namely Thai (1 January 1972), Arab (1 November 1972), Tagalog (22 October 1973), Burmese and Malay.
[71] In a viewership study carried by Survey Research Malaysia in September and October 1985, RTM's entertainment programmes made to the top 10 shows thanks to the position of being aired at 8:30 pm where viewers were mostly at home.
[75] In August 1986, RTM decided to buy RM4.5 million worth of satellite receiving equipment, drafted in the amendment of the then-Broadcast Act.
[87] In April 1989, the government approved a project to improve television and radio broadcasts, set to be handled by Transponder Services Sdn Bhd.
In addition to managing radio stations, RTM state branches also produced shows and news content for television broadcast.
[134] RTM and TV3 in August 1994 were ordered by the Information Minister, Mohamed Rahmat to banned khunsa (a person who have both male and female genitals) and pondan (a men who resembles a women) from appeared in any of its programs.
[147] In December 1996, RTM acquired 60% of its programming content from Bumiputera production companies that registered with the Federal Treasury,[148][149] which was welcomed by local film producers.
[159] In October 2000, RTM signs a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreement with Japanese broadcasting company, Fuji Television for the TV programs and news exchanges.
[177] RTM began to banned advertisements that portraying sexy images and Western influences that does not reflect on Malaysian values from airing on TV1 and TV2 in June 2005.
[181] On 1 April 2006, in conjunction with its 60th anniversary, RTM began its non-stop broadcast for 60 hours and airs programs in selected locations on its radio and TV networks.
[188] Owing to the diminished effectiveness of a shortwave radio service over time with changing technology and media consumption habits, Voice of Malaysia was dissolved on 31 August 2011.
[193][194] It also launch a global television channel that caters to the Malaysian diaspora worldwide, named RTM World and set to begin broadcast in April 2008.
[204] In 2011, RTM began collaborating with the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) to launch the proper usage of national languages drive which to be aired on its radio stations, including Klasik Nasional and Ai FM.
[212] In 2018, it was announced that RTM and Bernama would merge to form a standalone public broadcasting corporation as part of the government's efforts to reduce operation costs.
[229][230] In November 2023, RTM signed an MoU agreement with the Indian public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati during the 6th India-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in New Delhi, India.
Among artistes who involved in it were Siti Nurhaliza, M. Nasir, Syafinaz Selamat, Alif Satar, Soo Wincci, Sarimah Ibrahim, Aznil Nawawi and Wani Kayrie.
[238][239] The broadcaster began collaborating with Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) in November 2024 to empowering the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) digital contents to Malaysian community.
[256] On 19 April 2013, RTM announced an online alternative new channel called Portal 1News to complement its TV1 and TV2 news bulletins, which was launched in August 2013.
[4] Despite the advent of commercial television and radio, with competition from Media Prima, Astro and TV Alhijrah as well as digital service providers,[267] RTM has remained one of the main elements in social and cultural history of Malaysia through its obligation to produce radio and TV programmes for mass audiences, inline with the "government's policy and the nation's aspiration".
[4] However, when TV2 came to exist, it allowed the RTM to produce programmes that encompassed various genres like drama, documentaries, religious programming, current affairs, entertainment, and sport.
Examples cited include the television series Simfoni Alam, Gerak Khas, My Travel Sight, Mat Despatch, Opah, Forum Perdana Ehwal Islam and Bicara Rakyat.
[10] Bintang RTM, the broadcaster's reality singing competition, have produced many of its notable contestants who first got their fame such as Sudirman Arshad, Jamal Abdillah, Ramlah Ram, Izwan Pilus, Siti Sarah and Ernie Zakri.
[277][278] It also known for airing a large number of public service announcements (PSA), with most of these ads were from government agencies or RTM itself, especially PSAs that produced during the Mahathir Mohamad's era as the fourth Prime Minister.
[280] Nevertheless, it also become more inclusive in "help shaping a progressive community" and "nurturing the values of positive spiritual and attitude" in order to reflect the diversity of Malaysia.
[281] RTM's legacy as a national public service broadcaster in the country is much praised and lauded by many parties, despite received much criticism in recent years.
Former sports journalist Ahmad Faisal Mohamed Fiah, in his column written in Sinar Harian, observed that RTM's contribution to the broadcasting industry is "undeniable" and "continued to move forward with the nation's development and progress".
The contour of the Televisyen Malaysia's logo is consisted of a star lies in a black circle surrounded by a blazing fire rendered in white and orange.