Posted on 06/28/2004 1:32:26 AM PDT by A_Niceguy_in_CA
By TAREK EL-TABLAWY Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The calls come in a flurry - a race by residents of Baghdad and the surrounding areas to dial one of Radio Dijla's two call-in lines.
``Hello, hello. Yes, so what do you think?'' asks program host Majid Saleem. ``Should there be a curfew on the day of the handover?''
As Iraq's interim government prepares to assume sovereignty on Wednesday, the country remains plagued by blackouts, security woes, overflowing sewers, a lack of clean drinking water, unemployment and doubts about whether it is headed toward democracy.
Amid that litany of despair, what Iraqis do have is the region's first independent, uncensored talk radio station. And, after 35 years of Saddam Hussein's dictatorial rule, where voicing the wrong opinion could lead to a beating or even execution, Iraqis are eating it up.
``Radio Dijla? Hi, this is Marwa. Yes, it's a good idea,'' says one caller from Baghdad. ``We should celebrate democracy. But we've got to take care. It's just not worth having people killed in a bombing just to attend a celebration. Stay home.''
``Thank you,'' says Saleem. ``Next caller.''
This is talk radio Baghdad-style, where the survey question of the day mirrors the shifting priorities of Iraqis - whether they are worries that foreign insurgents will try to derail the handover, or if there's an end in sight to the long gas lines in a country with vast oil reserves.
In the roughly two months it has been around, broadcasting from a villa crowned by a 40-foot antenna in western Baghdad, Radio Dijla, named after the Arabic name for the Tigris River, has unseated competitors such as the U.S.-funded Radio Sawa. There are no ratings charts in Iraq. But nearly 18,000 calls a day on its two lines testify to its popularity.
``Iraqis have needed to talk for years. They've had a lot to say,'' says Ahmed al-Rikabi, the station's founder.
``We're a bridge - a conduit - between the people and the government,'' said al-Rikabi, who was born in Prague to Iraqis living in exile and has a long background in broadcast journalism in Europe.
The station's mission is clear in the motto squeezed in between calls and songs: ``Our opinion doesn't matter; it's your opinion that's important.''
Al-Rikabi also helped launch the Iraqi Media Network, a brainchild of the Pentagon aimed at presenting a more pro-American slant on the news.
Disillusioned with what he said were editorial restrictions in the network, which runs the al-Iraqiya television station and two Baghdad radio stations, he left and set up Radio Dijla with a $300,000 grant from a Swedish foundation.
``We capture the pulse of the street because the programs are driven by those who call in. Their voice is the voice of the street.''
While Radio Dijla has been credited with filling a void in the lives of Iraqis, al-Rikabi and others at the station argue their real accomplishment is helping to train Iraqis for democracy - starting with the staff.
``The biggest challenge I had when we first started was getting the announcers to see that there are more than one source to the story,'' he said. ``Under the previous government, the radio, the television, the newspapers were like one big commercial selling one product. That product was Saddam Hussein. They said, wrote or broadcast what the government told them to.''
The radio also had to contend with a public unaccustomed to open debate.
``When we first started, people used to call in and give their opinions. But they always ended it with, 'Don't you think so, too?', or 'How do you feel?''' he said. ``Now, callers aren't worried about whether you agree.''
In a country where insurgents are trying to sow the seeds of sectarian unrest, Radio Dijla, with a staff of about 40, works hard to ensure its programing alienates no one. The only restrictions on callers is a ban on incitement of violence, hateful language or defamation of character.
Those not interested in Saleem's late-night program on social issues can try the morning Fatwa, or religious edict, show in which a two Muslim clerics - Shiite and Sunni - get together to answer religious questions on their different interpretations of Islam.
``It's a way to help both communities come together and learn a little more about each other,'' said al-Rikabi, flashing one of his easy smiles, then grimacing from the bane of all in the radio industry - a sore throat.
For Saleem, Radio Dijla is a far cry from his days at Radio Shabab, or Youth Radio, a station headed by Saddam's older son, Udai. While at Radio Shabab, Salem would occasionally find himself dragged out and beaten by Udai's guards for the mistake of a reckless caller.
``I tried to speak of freedom at a time when there wasn't any,'' he said, lighting up a cigarette in a dining room that doubles as the station's conference room.
``I think that's why the fans have stuck with me. I still get calls from people who used to listen to me on Radio Shabab. The difference now is that they're free to say what they want.''
Good post, very interesting. Talk radio rules!
The US government would be smart to get some of it's people interviewed on Iraqi talk radio and let the callers pose questions and comments. Why not even President Bush himself?
Ali Limbali's open line Friday, so to speak.
Rush needs an interpreter so he can expand his audience. And perhaps an English version so the free market can get Rush over to our soldiers, perhaps. FReegards....
"The US government would be smart to get some of it's people interviewed on Iraqi talk radio and let the callers pose questions and comments. Why not even President Bush himself?"
Great idea! I hope they do it.
They call it "Talkback Radio" in Australia...
"Ali Limbali's open line Friday..."
LOL, I'd forgotten about that!
This is great! A knife in the back of terrorists...next we will see individual terrorists being turned in by locals. Freedom is addictive, and no one defends it more vigorously than those who have lived without it.
In case you missed it:
"They now even have talk radio in Iraq.I don't know if they've contacted Rush, yet" ~ Pres. Bush McDill Air Force Base Tampa, Fl ^ | 6-16-04 | President G.W. Bush
Posted on 06/16/2004 11:11:53 AM EDT by Matchett-PI
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1154538/posts
"They now even have talk radio in Iraq. I don't know if they've contacted Rush yet." Loud applause and laughter!!!
"The difference now is that they're free to say what they want.''
THIS is the best way to identify Democracy. Hopefully, somewhere down the road, they will not allow "political correctness" to censor the debate about ideas.
al-Rushbo...
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