Radio Ceylon, the trailblazer that was !

Radio Ceylon, the trailblazer that was !

By Dr Upul Wiayawardhana

In spite of the likelihood that I may be accused of dwelling on the glories of our bygone days, a favourite pastime of ours, I would fail in my duty if I do not share what I discovered, by sheer accident,about an institution I was associated with in my youth. Listening to 'Radio Ceylon' on a 'valve' radio with a creaky sound, in spite of a huge aerial drawn across the two tallest coconut trees in our garden, was the main source of entertainment in our childhood. It was a time when, fortunately for us, children's programmes were at their zenith and soon Karunaratna Abeysekara, better known as 'Karuayya', became my idol.

Read the article here :

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=140599

Broadcast battles

Tracing the fascinating story of the rivalry that raged between All India Radio and Radio Ceylon between the 1950s and 1970s.

More at :

http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/broadcast-battles/article5562685.ece?homepage=true

An ode to the radio of yesteryear

An ode to the radio of yesteryear

V. Natarajan
I am sure that what I write below will find a resonance with quite a few readers who are senior citizens. An electro-mechanical contraption, sometimes as big as a 21-inch television set, vanished from the scene altogether some three decades ago - giving way to smaller devices, gradually reduced and ultimately miniaturised to a shirt-pocket size. Yes, I mean the big radio of yesteryear powered by vacuum tubes, ironically called valves, metamorphosing into a wonder creation of semi-conductor technology called pocket radios or transistors. Finally, the entry of TV into the drawing room has vanquished the dignified and respectable presence of the radio in middle class homes in what can be termed the tragedy of decent entertainment at home.

Read the interesting write up at :
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-openpage/article2332336.ece

(Thanks to C.K.Raman,VU3DJQ, New Delhi for sharing the link)

The ‘haunted’ past of Radio Ceylon

by Chamari SENANAYAKE

Walking into the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) buildings at Torrington Square, one would immediately feel the historical value of the place, but most people would not know just how valuable it is. Our SLBC is Asia's first broadcasting corporation. Radio Ceylon started in Sri Lanka then Ceylon, paving the way for many other radio stations that later came to be celebrated around the world, inspiring countries such as Hong Kong, Korea, India and Singapore to enter the world of wireless media.

Full story with photo's at :
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/07/10/spe01.asp

Radio Ceylon, King of the Airwaves in South Asia

Radio Ceylon is the oldest radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis in Ceylon by the Telegraph Department in 1923, just three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe.

More at :
http://tinyurl.com/3afl8cg

When RADIO was indeed king !

An interesting article on good old days of radio ...

http://tinyurl.com/nb7cnl