RFE/RL's RADIO FREE AFGHANISTAN

In Brief

• Languages: Pashto, Dari 
• Coverage: 12 hours daily as part of a joint 24-hour stream with Voice of America 
• Frequency: FM (100.5 in Kabul, Herat, Jalalabad, Mazar-e Sharif, and Kandahar), MW, SW, and Satellite
• Internet: www.azadiradio.org

History

• Radio Free Afghanistan (known locally as "Radio Azadi") first aired across the country from 1985-93, following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
• The current incarnation of Radio Azadi went on the air in January 2002 following the ouster of the Taliban by U.S.-led forces.
• Radio Azadi has become the most popular radio station in the country and produces a variety of programming -- from special programs for youth and women to political satires and music and literary programs.
• Radio Azadi is noted for its numerous programs on women's rights and on the establishment and function of democratic institutions. Radio Azadi conducted a joint seminar with Kabul University's School of Journalism on “Media and Democracy."
• In May 2002, U.S. First Lady Laura Bush addressed the people of Afghanistan in a speech delivered from the Prague headquarters of RFE/RL. In particular, she noted improvements in the lives of the country's women and children. "I'm confident Afghanistan can build a future of peace and freedom, and America will be your friend and partner in achieving it," she said.

Highlights

• Through its programs, such as "In Search Of Loved Ones," Radio Azadi has reunited many family members separated during Afghanistan's decades of war.
• One of Radio Azadi's biggest strengths is its audience interaction. Three live call-in shows each week focus on current affairs, health-care issues, and socioeconomic topics.
• Radio Azadi receives hundreds of letters and calls each month from across Afghanistan and neighboring countries. In one recorded message, a listener said: “It’s difficult to have a day without Radio Azadi. I have five radios. One in the living room, one in the bedroom, one in the hall, one in the car, and one in the workplace.”
• A would-be suicide bomber called Radio Azadi and said the station's programs had helped him to realize the error of his ways. “I want to tell other would-be bombers through Radio Azadi to stop these acts of evil," he said.
• Radio Azadi covered all aspects of the historic Peace Jirga (grand meeting) in 2007 between tribal leaders on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border aimed at halting crossborder terrorist activities.
• Radio Azadi was the only media outlet in Afghanistan that sent a reporter to the country's remote border areas to cover the crisis of the thousands of Afghan refugees being expelled from Iran.