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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

On World Radio Day, Oman looks at day it went on air

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By Lakshmi Kothaneth — MUSCAT: Feb. 13 - Even as the World Radio Day was celebrated globally, the day brought into focus how radio has grown in Oman, having begun its journey a week into the country’s modern renaissance. On July 30, 1970, to be precise. The first broadcast was made through a 1-KW transmitter installed at Bayt Al Falaj in Ruwi. Within a year, another radio station was set up in Salalah. By 1972, a medium wave radio station was launched, and by 1979 a satellite technology linked both Muscat and Salalah radio stations.


Radio became a focal point as citizens became part of the development process. It made a significant contribution in raising awareness.


On December 15, 1975, another frequency on Omani airwaves came alive, and that was the Radio Sultanate of Oman in English on 90.4 FM.


“Radio, as a medium, continues to hold its ground because of its immediacy. It’s an ideal platform for news and entertainment,” said Sultan al Esry, Director of Radio Sultanate of Oman 90.4 FM, Public Authority for Radio and Television.


From live coverage of elections and other national events, to music programmes and interviews the radio stations of Oman have been truly a gateway to the country.


The millennium saw a radio channel in Arabic exclusively dedicated to youth of the nation, called Shabab FM. The millennium also saw the Ministry of Information issuing licences for private radio stations such as Hala FM, HI FM, Merge, Wisal, with the latest being Muscat FM.


On the occasion, Director-General of Unesco, Irina Bokova said in a statement: “We are living a revolution in how we share and access information — and, yet, in the midst of deep change, radio has never been so dynamic, engaging and important.”


She added, “At a time of turbulence, radio provides an enduring platform to bring communities together. On the way to work, in our homes, offices and fields, in times of peace, conflict and emergencies, radio remains a crucial source of information and knowledge, spanning generations and cultures, inspiring us with the wealth of humanity’s diversity and connecting us with the world. Radio gives voice to women and men everywhere. It listens to audiences and responds to needs. It is a force for human rights and dignity and a powerful enabler of solutions to the challenges all societies face.”


This requires a new commitment by all to radio, said the Unesco Director-General. “Broadcasters, regulators and audiences alike should nurture and make the most of its power. Listener clubs and forums are uniting communities around common issues with the power to hear themselves on the airwaves and to have others listen to them. Audience engagement policies are placing listeners at the heart of broadcasts. Media and information literacy has never been so vital, to build trust in information and knowledge at a time when notions of ‘truth’ have been challenged. This is how radio can provide a beacon for innovative solutions to local problems, and continue to advance human rights, gender equality, dialogue and peace.”


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