BBC’s Arabic radio service officially ended its decades-long broadcast on Friday, leaving behind a legacy of 85 years.
The station launched in early 1938 as the BBC Empire Service’s first foreign language radio broadcast.
“It's far beyond sad and painful to see BBC Arabic radio shutting down today,” wrote Egypt-based BBC Arabic correspondent Sally Nabil on Twitter.
“It's incredibly difficult to describe how we feel!” She added.
The corporation said it is cutting hundreds of jobs in its World Service and has been forced to make the cuts because of the United Kingdom government’s imposition of a freeze on the license fee money it receives.
At least 382 jobs worldwide will be cut as the corporation focuses on digital content production amid a $35m funding gap.
The BBC announced in September that the Arabic language radio service was among 10 different foreign language services that would cease radio broadcasts, including the Chinese, Hindi, and Persian services.
The final words and signature statement of BBC Arabic radio presenter Mahmoud Almossallami, “Huna London” (This is London), seems to have brought tears to many eyes.
BBC News Lead Technical Operator Jack Mooney shared footage showing the last moments as the Arabic news network went off the air, while sound producer Tome Roles wrote: “I’ll always treasure the magic of sitting in a tiny studio at 3 am in London, picturing the sun rising thousands of miles away, and wondering about the lives of those tuning in.”
BBC correspondent Emir Nader shared the last two minutes of the Arabic radio’s final broadcast and wrote: “Today is a tragic day for Arab media... One of many huge losses following cuts in BBC World Service's budget.”
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