Starting on 12 February, the Voice of America (VOA) begins a new daily radio broadcast in the Somali language to the Horn of Africa. A group of Somali broadcasters at VOA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. will team up with freelance reporters in Africa and elsewhere around the world to provide millions of Somali speakers with accurate, up-to-date news and information.
“We look forward to joining the information community in Somalia,” said VOA Director Dan Austin. “Providing accurate, objective, and timely news and information to the people of Somalia is vital during this critical time in the region’s history,” he added.
The new half-hour VOA programme will air seven days a week and will include world news as well as news of Somalia and entire Horn of Africa region. The broadcast will also offer music and discussion features that will allow leaders and ordinary listeners alike to express their opinions on topics of interest.
VOA’s Somali-language service is being funded by a grant from the US Department of State. The new service will supplement VOA’s current broadcasts to the Horn of Africa in Amharic, Afan Oromo and Tigrigna. VOA previously broadcast in Somali between 1992 and 1994.
The VOA Somali broadcast will air on AM, FM and shortwave radio at 1600 UTC and repeats at 1700 UTC. The 1700 UTC broadcast will also air on HornAfrik (88.8 FM), a VOA-affiliated station. The programmes will also be available live and on demand on the service’s website.
Frequencies:
1600-1630 UTC: 13580, 15620 , 1431 kHz
1700-1730 UTC: 13580 Khz, 15620 kHz
(Source: VOA/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)
“We look forward to joining the information community in Somalia,” said VOA Director Dan Austin. “Providing accurate, objective, and timely news and information to the people of Somalia is vital during this critical time in the region’s history,” he added.
The new half-hour VOA programme will air seven days a week and will include world news as well as news of Somalia and entire Horn of Africa region. The broadcast will also offer music and discussion features that will allow leaders and ordinary listeners alike to express their opinions on topics of interest.
VOA’s Somali-language service is being funded by a grant from the US Department of State. The new service will supplement VOA’s current broadcasts to the Horn of Africa in Amharic, Afan Oromo and Tigrigna. VOA previously broadcast in Somali between 1992 and 1994.
The VOA Somali broadcast will air on AM, FM and shortwave radio at 1600 UTC and repeats at 1700 UTC. The 1700 UTC broadcast will also air on HornAfrik (88.8 FM), a VOA-affiliated station. The programmes will also be available live and on demand on the service’s website.
Frequencies:
1600-1630 UTC: 13580, 15620 , 1431 kHz
1700-1730 UTC: 13580 Khz, 15620 kHz
(Source: VOA/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)
