Radio Sawa to Scale Back Regional Broadcasts

In cost-saving move, BBG network plans to focus its OTA transmissions just on Iraq

JAMES CARELESSMAR 28, 2018

To save $9.5 million in 2019, the U.S. government's Arabic language broadcaster Radio Sawa plans to restrict its FM and AM transmissions to Iraq. This will mean the end of Radio Sawa's radio service, AM and FM, to the rest of the Middle East.

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https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/radio-sawa-to-scale-back-regional-broadcasts

Reach of Radio Sawa Expands in Libya

The Broadcasting Board of Governors has just launched a transmitter in Misrata, providing Radio Sawa's latest news and information to citizens in the northwestern Libyan city. The Misrata FM channel marks the third transmitter launched in Libya since the fall of former leader Moammar

Gadhafi.

"Getting a clear signal into Libya is critical," said André Mendes, the BBG's Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer. "We're delighted that we've been able to complete the installation despite this period of uncertainty in Libya and now can reach a larger audience than ever before in this pivotal country."

"Radio Sawa is the most popular radio network in the region and we expect that success to continue as the network grows in Libya. Listeners tune into Radio Sawa to hear all sides to the most important

news stories of the day," stated MBN President Brian Conniff. MBN manages and operates Radio Sawa.

The Radio Sawa network can now be heard in the three largest Libyan cities-99.1 FM in Misrata joins 106.6 FM in Tripoli and 88.1 FM in Benghazi. Radio Sawa's coverage of the clashes in Libya won a Silver Radio Award in the 2012 New York Festivals Radio Program & Promotion Awards®. The award-winning report covered the violence in Misrata during the fighting that led to the fall of Gadhafi, highlighting the courage and resilience of the city's inhabitants who continued their fight for democracy in the face of death and destruction.

Recent surveys by international research companies such as ACNielsen show that Radio Sawa has a weekly reach of more than 13 million adults across the Middle East and North Africa. Radio Sawa is operated by the non-profit corporation, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN). MBN is

financed by the U.S. government through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an independent federal agency. The BBG provides oversight and serves as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters.

(BBG Press Release)

Newly-Delivered, Innovative Equipment Gives Libyan Listeners Expanded FM Access to Radio Sawa

Washington, DC — The Broadcasting Board of Governors has launched an FM radio transmitter in Tripoli that covers the Libyan capital and its suburbs, home to about two million people.

The new transmitter broadcasts a 24/7 stream from Radio Sawa, with a signature mix of more than six hours of daily news combined with popular Arabic and Western music.


"This is a country in turmoil, seeking a foothold in democracy," said Brian Conniff, president of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc., home to Radio Sawa. "We offer a reliable source of news and information essential as the people of Libya strive to shape their future. We are proud to support free media in Libya, most especially during its political transition."


The BBG, which provides and maintains technology around the world to support its broadcasters, had been working non-stop since mid-2011 to get the new transmitter in place.
Compact enough to fit in a refrigerator box, the equipment enables programming on 106.6 FM, an easy-to-find frequency.


"It's crucial that we reach audiences via the media that they prefer," said André Mendes, the BBG's Chief information Officer and Chief Technology Officer. "In this region, at this time, that means FM radio. And we're delighted to be able to use a frequency with such a good signal, so people will hear our programs loud and clear."


Audiences in Benghazi have heard Radio Sawa programming around the clock on the locally well-known 88.1 since October 2011. A major Libyan city, Benghazi was the stronghold of Libyan rebel forces.


As the protests of the Arab Spring swept across the Middle East in 2011, correspondents for Radio Sawa and its sister station, Alhurra Television, reported on the wave of uprisings in Libya by traveling from Benghazi to Tripoli. Their on-air and online reporting tackled the news from the front lines as well as the challenges facing Libya during its transition to a new government.


Radio Sawa has a weekly reach of 14 million listeners, according to international research firms such as ACNielsen. In addition to Libya, Radio Sawa broadcasts on FM in Morocco, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, U.A.E., Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan and Djibouti. Radio
Sawa also broadcasts on medium wave to Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Syria and online at http://www.radiosawa.com/

(BBG Press Release)

BBG 9/11 Programming Reaches Millions Worldwide

On the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. international broadcasting offers compelling coverage of the impact of these events around the globe. Through on-the-scene reporting, local investigative journalism, social media and in-depth interviews with opinion makers and world leaders, BBG brings top quality programming to its worldwide audience of 165 million listeners, viewers and fans.

"The BBG is engaging audiences around the globe in a conversation about 9/11," said Walter Isaacson, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors that oversees all U.S. international broadcasting. "From Kabul to Cairo to Beijing, our coverage presents a sweeping picture of how the world was transformed by the 9/11 attacks—and where it is a decade later." Starting in late August and culminating in live coverage on September 11, BBG programming includes the following:

Alhurra TV airs 50 hours of programs focused on religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue: "The Road" documents the journey of six young men from extremism to tolerance; the "9/11 Generation" series features young Arab adults whose lives have been shaped by9/11; and "Hope Town", a VOA-Alhurra co-produced documentary, tells the story of the peaceful coexistence of Muslims, Jews and Christians in Teaneck, New Jersey;

VOA broadcasts in-depth reports from Kabul, Baghdad, Islamabad, Jakarta and Nairobi that explore the progress made and challenges remaining in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the complicated alliance between Pakistan and the U.S., the trends of terrorism in Asia and Africa, and the U.S. continuing battle against terrorism globally;

On social media, from Facebook, Twitter to YouTube, BBG conducts an interactive conversation on "My 9/11", "What's Your 9/11?" and "What Does Religious Tolerance Mean to Me?";
All networks conduct extensive interviews with those touched personally by 9/11: survivors, witnesses and families of victims, Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans, American community and religious leaders, residents in Afghan villages and ethnic Muslim Uyghurs in China; Alhurra TV and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty score high profile interviews with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett , former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, former First Lady Laura Bush, Senator Ben Cardin, and global terrorism expert Charles Kurzman;

and Serving their audience of 165 million and in 59 languages, all networks will provide live coverage on September 11 from New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. including locations at the State Department, Capitol Hill, and California.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency, supervising all U.S. government-supported, civilian international broadcasting, whose mission is to promote freedom and democracy and to enhance understanding through multimedia communication of accurate, objective, and balanced news, information, and other programming about America and the world to audiences overseas. BBG broadcasts reach an audience of 165 million in 100 countries. BBG broadcasting organizations include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Martí).

(Press Release)