BBC ends broadcasts on 90.3 FM in Abu Dhabi, UAE

BBC World Service has announced today that from Tuesday 30 June 2015 its radio services in English and BBC Arabic will no longer be available on 90.3 FM in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

There are a variety of ways audiences can still access BBC World Service:

At bbc.com/worldserviceradio or bbcarabic.com via the internet.

Via audio channels on Nilesat or Arabsat satellite.

By downloading the BBC Arabic app on iTunes.

On medium wave radio in English on 1413 KHz between 6am and 7am, and 10pm and midnight local time and in Arabic on 702 KHz between 6pm and midnight local time – daily

A BBC Spokesperson said: "The BBC World Service is moving quickly towards a mix of radio and digital platforms and, in this rapidly developing environment, regrettably FM is no longer a cost-effective way of serving listeners in the UAE. This has resulted in the difficult decision to end this broadcast. We would like to thank our audience for listening via FM over the past 10 years and hope you will stay tuned, as BBC World Service can still be reached easily through a range of devices."

The BBC's FM frequency in Abu Dhabi, which was first established in 2003, has been streaming live and 27/4 a mixed radio schedule from BBC Arabic and BBC World Service English.

BBC Burmese now on FM in Burma

BBC Burmese radio programmes - Mobigeno (Mobile Generation) and the English learning series Flatmates - will now be available for listening on FM in Burma (Myanmar), thanks to a re-broadcasting agreement with the country's leading radio network, Padamyar FM. This is a first for the BBC in Burma.

 

The Padamyar FM network, which is available in 120 towns across Burma, will now re-broadcast two BBC Burmese programmes which have a special appeal to younger audiences. The 10-minute Mobigeno – a programme for "mobile generation", in which successful young professionals, artists and sports personalities share their experiences and aspirations - will be broadcast at 10.25am local time every Saturday. Flatmates, the 5-minute radio soap opera for English learners, will be broadcast at 13.55 on Sundays and Thursdays.

 

Editor of BBC Burmese, Tin Htar Swe, says: "With the internet not readily available in Burma, FM is an important and very popular platform in the country. We are really thrilled to be expanding our reach via Padamyar FM's extensive network. This is also an exciting development for our listeners who can now tune in to BBC Burmese in crystal-clear FM quality."

 

Thida Swe, Assistant Director of Padamyar FM, adds: "We see the re-broadcasting partnership with the BBC as a milestone for our network. And while we are proud to be the first to deliver the BBC Burmese radio on FM in Myanmar, we are also happy that these programmes help the country's youth to better themselves and their chances for success – via inspirational stories from their peers, and also by improving their English."

 

BBC World Service is a mass broadcaster in Burma. Independent surveys show that BBC Burmese has established itself as a trusted international broadcaster in Burma. BBC Burmese keeps its audiences informed about regional and international events via radio, online on bbcburmese.com and increasingly via Facebook and other social media.

 

(BBC Press Release)

BBC launches new FM service in Ghana's Western Region

The BBC will today launch BBC 104.7FM in Ghana's Western Region, from a transmitter based just outside Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana's third largest media market and the country's new oil city. The transmission will also reach parts of the Central Region and provide coverage along important transport routes in the area.

BBC's investment in a second 24/7 dedicated FM in Ghana gives audiences in and around the Western Region the opportunity to hear the full range of BBC programmes. BBC 104.7FM will broadcast news and current affairs programmes, sports and documentaries.

Simon Kendall, Head of Business Development at BBC Global News, said: "We are absolutely committed to our audiences in Africa and delivering our content on FM, whether through relays or with partnerships, will be a big part of that commitment. Our investment in BBC 104.7FM will
help us reach a wider audience in Ghana, growing our connection with listeners in this important country."

Solomon Mugera, Editor, Africa, said: "Audiences are at the heart of everything we do at the BBC; the launch of BBC 104.7 FM brings the BBC much closer to its audience, offering them a range of African and world news and current affairs programmes. Audiences also have the opportunity to tune to live Premiership match commentary every Saturday and Sunday."

To mark the launch of the transmitter World Have Your Say – the BBC's award-winning global interactive news discussion show on radio and TV – will be at Skyy House in Takoradi to broadcast a special launch show at 6pm. Hosted by Nuala McGovern, the programme will be connecting audiences in Ghana with people around the world. On a day that celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women over the last century, the programme will debate the following question: "Why do so many men around the world think it is okay to harass and sexually assault women?"

Hosted on the BBC's international news services – on radio (BBC World Service) and on TV (BBC World News) – the show is a global conversation, with the agenda set by everyone taking part. The show uses different technology to enable as many people as possible in different parts of the world to join the debate via bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldhaveyoursay, Twitter (@bbc_whys), Facebook (World Have Your Say), telephone and on air.

(BBC World Service Publicity)