Agreement allows US Radio Sawa to broadcast on FM
Text of report by US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) website, BBC Monitoring Media.
The BBG has signed a letter of intent with the government of Sudan that will allow its popular Arabic-language broadcasts of Radio Sawa to be heard on FM in Sudan. The agreement provides for up to 12 FM transmitting locations in Sudan’s main population centres and will enable greater access to accurate and objective news and information from Radio Sawa 24/7.
The BBG currently broadcasts to Sudan solely during night-time hours from a distant AM transmitter. These new FM stations – which will be operated and maintained by the Sudanese – will allow Radio Sawa to reach new audiences in Sudan with news and information at all hours of the day.
Pending finalization of a long-term bilateral agreement with the Sudanese government, the BBG is planning for the first station to become operational in the capital city Khartoum in December 2005.
Radio Sawa seeks to effectively communicate with the youthful population of Arabic-speakers in the Middle East by providing up-to-date news, information and a mix of Western and Arabic popular music on its 24/7 FM and mediumwave radio stations throughout the region. Its secondary target audience is news-seekers of all ages. Radio Sawa is committed to broadcasting accurate, timely and relevant news about the Middle East, the world and the United States, to the highest standards of journalism, as well as the free marketplace of ideas, respect for the culture of its audience, in a style that is upbeat, modern and forward-looking.
Radio Sawa : a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week Arabic-language network, is unique in the Middle East. It broadcasts an upbeat mix of Western and Arabic pop music along with up-to-the-minute news, news analysis, interviews, opinion pieces, sports, and features on a wide variety of political and social issues. Radio Sawa (www.radiosawa.com) originates its programming from Washington and is broadcast across the region, using a combination of medium wave (AM) and FM transmitters, digital audio satellite, short wave and Internet. Radio Sawa will ultimately have six streams tailored to specific parts of the region.