Broadcasting of television programs in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic began on March 1, 1963 with a 100-watt transmitter. After a while, this transmitter was replaced with a 2-kilowatt transmitter to expand the broadcast range. Through this transmitter, the programs of the local Nakhchivan television were broadcast for several hours a day and could only cover the city of Nakhchivan and its adjacent territories.
Until 1969, as in all spheres of life, there were many serious problems and issues awaiting solution in the field of communications and television and radio.
With the advent of the great leader Heydar Aliyev to the leadership of Azerbaijan, as in many other spheres, a fundamental turn was made in the direction of the development of communications and television transmitters. Thus, during 1969–1973, powerful television centers were created in Shusha and Nakhchivan. As a result of the construction of the 285-kilometer Yevlakh-Shusha-Nakhchivan radio relay line, broadcasting of Azerbaijani and Moscow televisions was organized in Nakhchivan.
In those years, improving the quality of broadcasting and expanding the coverage of television and radio programs was always in the spotlight. In 1980, the existing radio relay equipment was replaced with more modern devices to broadcast Azerbaijani television programs in the regions of the autonomous republic. A year later, the Duzdag-Daste radio relay line and the Deste Radio and Television Transmitter Station were put into operation. Thus, the majority of the population of the Ordubad and Julfa regions was able to watch Azerbaijani and Moscow television programs.
In subsequent periods, as a result of the construction of new radio relay lines and transmitter stations, the population of the Sharur and Sadarak regions also gained the opportunity to watch central television programs.
On September 20, 1991, the Bichenak intermediate station of the Shusha-Nakhchivan radio relay line located in Batabat was completely destroyed by Armenian armed groups. This event led to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic being virtually completely blockaded.
On March 24, 1992, a cooperation protocol was signed between the Republic of Turkey and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The development of communications and television broadcasting in Nakhchivan occupied a special place in the protocol. According to the document, necessary measures were to be taken for the high-quality broadcasting of Turkish TRT television programs in Nakhchivan.
In subsequent years, as a result of the efforts of the Azerbaijani state, important steps were taken to eliminate the telecommunications blockade of Nakhchivan. In 1996, a special channel was allocated for the transmission of Azerbaijani television to Nakhchivan through the “TURKSAT” satellite communication system. After that, the population of the autonomous republic gained the opportunity to watch Azerbaijani television and radio programs.
Since June 15, 2003, Nakhchivan television and radio began to broadcast on a separate channel. For this, 35 new Italian-made radio and television transmitters were installed and put into operation.
In accordance with the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 026 dated February 10, 2011 on approval of the “Program for the introduction and development of the DVB-T digital television broadcasting system in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, digital television broadcasting was launched in the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. In December 2014, analog television broadcasting was stopped in the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and it was completely switched to digital television broadcasting. According to the agreement concluded between “BBTV” Limited Liability Company, 67 television programs in the DVB-T2 standard were made available to the viewers of the autonomous republic from January 2015 through the head station established at the Duzdag Radio-Television Transmitter Station.
In parallel with the development of Azerbaijan, the number of television and radio channels has also increased. Currently, a number of television and radio channels operate in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and are broadcast through modern transmitting stations.
The “Voice of Nakhchivan” radio, which began operating on September 19, 2001, and the “Channel-35” scientific-journalistic television channel, which was launched on July 14, 2004, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the return of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev to political power, operated under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic until February 2020. Thus, one of the most important stages of development in the history of radio and television broadcasting of Nakhchivan, which began in 1963, took place in a short period of time. This clearly shows the speed and scale of the construction and reconstruction work carried out in the autonomous republic.