Radio Kabul
 |
|
|---|---|
| Radio station (state) | |
| reception | terrestrial ( VHF ) |
| Reception area |
 Afghanistan
|
| Start of transmission | 1940 |
| Broadcaster | Radio Television Afghanistan |
| List of radio stations | |
| Website | |
Radio Kabul is the state radio broadcaster in Afghanistan and is operated by Radio Afghanistan . Radio Kabul was also named after various predecessors of the station, which was officially founded in 1940.
history
In 1925, a Russian 200-watt transmitter that transmitted on AM 833 kHz was installed in the Kabul Palace by the then Afghan King Amanullah Khan . This transmitter was destroyed in 1929 during an uprising against the king. The transmitter was reinstalled in 1931 by the new King Mohammed Nadir Shah and in 1940 it was fitted with a new 20 kilowatt transmitter that transmitted on 600 kHz. This is considered to be the official birth of Radio Kabul. Programs were broadcast in Pashto , Dari , Hindi , English and French.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Radio Kabul hosted a slew of traditional and modern Afghan artists such as Ustad Nangyalai , Ustad Arman , Mohamed Hussein Sarahang , Farida Mahwash , Mohammad Hashem Cheshti and Rahim Baksh . These master musicians ( revered as Ustad ) were not only known in Afghanistan, but also in India, Pakistan and the entire Middle East.
When the king was overthrown in a coup in 1973, the new rulers reported the change of government via the transmitter. When the Soviet Union installed a puppet government in 1979 , Radio Kabul was used by the Soviet-backed government to implement pro-Soviet propaganda sent from Moscow.
During the civil war that followed and after the withdrawal of the Soviets in 1990, the broadcaster changed hands several times between the respective factions that gained control of Kabul. When the Taliban moved into Kabul in 1996 , the station was renamed Shariat Ghagh , which means voice of Sharia . At the time of the consolidation of the Taliban rule, the station was used to incite their supporters and to broadcast the calls of the mullahs .
During the Taliban era, music broadcasts were banned and the archives containing irreplaceable tapes with music and political programs spanning 40 years were ordered to be destroyed. The tapes appeared hopelessly lost until the BBC reported in 2002 that they had survived not only the Taliban era but also the bombing during the US intervention in November 2001.
Radio Kabul resumed broadcasting after the Taliban withdrew.
Web links
- Radio Kabul on a website of the BBC (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kabul's radio treasure trove , William Reeve, BBC News , May 16, 2002