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| Iraq |
| Talk radio hits Iraq |
| 2005-12-07 |
| On a recent afternoon, two sheiks representing their Sunni and Shiite communities meet in the modest studio of Radio Dijla to discuss terrorism and why people are killing innocent civilians. Moufaq Al-Alani, the host of the show, patiently waits for a caller to finish a thought before politely suggesting parents and teachers must instill a sense of national unity and respect into younger generations. Qasem Al-Joubari, the Sunni sheik, proposes imams bring the communities together to emphasize that killing innocent civilians is never acceptable for a Muslim. Mahdi El-Mohamedoui, his counterpart, adds that the violence reflects poorly on their country and their religion. Next, an engineer who was busy turning and sliding dials on a bulky sound board furiously spins his right hand in a circle, signaling a commercial break before a young staffer rushes three small glasses of sweet black tea into the studio for the host and his two guests. This is talk radio in Iraq. "Our country has been usurped by a `with us or against us attitude,"' says Al-Alani, who has worked as a reporter in Iraq for 44 years. "This station is giving all Iraqis a chance to express their viewpoints in a non-confrontational manner. Our audience enjoys this; they want peace." Iraqis have responded overwhelmingly to the country's first independent all-talk radio station. Radio Dijla, which transmits to a 90-mile radius from a two-story villa on a sleepy residential side street in west Baghdad, gets up to 1,000 calls per day and more than 1 million hits a month on its Web site, according to the station manager, Kareem Al-Yousif. "We want to bring people together, and make everyone feel welcome no matter who they are and what their viewpoint is," says Omar Fadhia Al-Azaouwey, the station's 28-year-old program director. "We give our listeners a topic to discuss, and then we let them call in and talk without interrupting them, as long as they're respectful." Radio Dijla's moniker comes from Arabic name for the ancient Tigris River wending through Iraq and its capital. The station carries 21 live hours of programming a day, between 7 a.m. and 4 a.m., on the FM dial at 105.2 in Baghdad. The station offers 23 programs weekly, including a variety of political, religious, sports and entertainment shows wrapped around hourly news updates. There also are programs on women's issues and children's interests, and even a mix of traditional and modern music. Suhad Rabiat, 29, hosts "Service Period," one of Radio Dijla's most popular shows. She fields callers' questions and complaints about issues ranging from utilities to the government and its policies. Rabiat recently spoke with Saleh Sarham, a defense ministry official, regarding a new government initiative that allows officers under Saddam Hussein's regime to rejoin the military. "My husband was an NCO (non-commissioned officer) for 20 years, and he can't get back in," says a caller. "He even paid a bribe" to rejoin the military. "There is no need for bribes as long as he's less than 45 years old, and his rank was not beyond major; he's eligible," Sarham replies, before giving a number listeners can call for more information. Rabiat believes politicians and other government officials are among her most devoted listeners because "it's the one place where they can hear what the people are truly thinking." Fatah Al-Shaich, a national assembly member loosely associated with the powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr, says Dijla Radio provides Iraqis with a unique and invaluable service. "There are many politicians like me listening because the station is independent, and doesn't serve any party or group," he says in a telephone interview. Programs such as "Eve on the Air," which considers issues facing Iraqi women, and "The Referendum," a political roundtable, allow listeners to express opinions and concerns without fear of judgment or reprisal. Perhaps most significantly, they also provide Iraqis with a forum for constructive dialogue. "We like any kind of show that supports unity and brings people together," says Abu Mohamed, a 36-year-old grocery clerk. Al-Yousif, the station's executive manager, says there have been no public threats against Radio Dijla staffers since they took to the air nearly 20 months ago. "The only difficulty," he explains, is the occasional one of "getting guests safely into the studio." Radio Dijla -- founded with a $300,000 grant from an undisclosed Swedish aid group -- offers streaming Internet broadcasts at www.radiodijla.com. It also recently began transmitting across North America and Europe through the German satellite company Hotbird. The station is preparing to provide an FM signal throughout the rest of Iraq in the coming weeks. Al-Yousif says the station has operated solely on advertising since its inception and currently holds 12 percent of the ad market among all media outlets in Baghdad. Station managers hope to eventually expand studio and office space and update equipment. Right now, the station employs about 100 Iraqis, most in their 20s and 30s, including 60 journalists and broadcasters, and 40 support staff. Most work long hours for no more than $300 per month, a lower-middle-class income by Iraqi standards. Tuesday's noontime slot is reserved for the station's 78-year-old anomaly, Khaleel Alrafai, the "Old Storyteller." The legendary Iraqi actor of the screen, theater and radio spends an hour spinning yarns and reminiscing. On this day, Alrafai, who rose to fame in a 1946 television serial called "The Trouble Maker," relates a parable of brotherly love, a timely comment on Iraq's current sectarian strife. Alrafai -- dressed in a gray wool sport coat over a bright green V-neck sweater with a red paisley scarf rakishly draped over his neck and a colorful yellow patterned prayer cap propped atop his head -- animatedly waves his hands while jumping between classical and modern Arabic for comedic effect. For good measure, he plays an Iraqi folk song on his harmonica. "I'm running out of breath ... I'm tired," Alrafai says to signal the engineer to open the phone lines. "Please help me." The harmonica melody garners a call from a listener who inquires about the Iraqi maqam, a centuries-old music genre. Alrafai reflects on the days when countless coffeehouses across Baghdad featured maqam singers and ensembles during peaceful nights filled with song and dance. No longer, but perhaps again one day. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 We should see if we can get Art Bell syndicated over there. That'd scare the shit outta them. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-12-07 12:32 |
| #1 Anthropologists talk about 'a package' of innovations. An example from 5,000 years ago would be cultivating wheat, pottery and wooden/stone houses. In 2005 the 'package' would include democracy, reality TV and talk radio (and of course blogs). |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-12-07 06:22 |