Posted on 04/12/2003 4:55:04 AM PDT by kattracks
U.S. sends broadcast team to Baghdad airport
AS SAYLIYA CAMP, Qatar, April 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Saturday it is planning to start television and radio broadcasts from Baghdad international airport early next week.
A military plane has begun flying over Iraq broadcasting to Iraqi televisions even though shortages of electricity meant most people in the country were unable to watch.
"We do have a ground-based broadcasting team headed up to Baghdad International Airport," spokesman Captain Frank Thorp told reporters at Central Command headquarters in Qatar.
"They'll be able to broadcast radio and television, we expect to be operational on Monday. It's equipment that's going...and a broadcast team to be able to broadcast from the area."
A specially modified EC-130 plane known as "Commando Solo," a flying TV and radio studio, has started flying over Iraq broadcasting for five hours a day. It transmits to frequencies previously used by Iraqi state media.
Of the five hours now on air, the American content is produced by the Pentagon. U.S. officials say the current schedule includes replays of a message taped by U.S. President George W. Bush and slides of propaganda leaflets dropped over Iraq in recent weeks.
The British content, one hour of the total, is the responsibility of Britain's Foreign Office which has outsourced production to a private London-based company called World Television. Its producers and journalists are all Arabs.
Officials say the programming includes news, discussions, features, culture and "some" public service announcements.
04/12/03 07:25 ET
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