RFE/RL's MOLDOVAN SERVICE

In Brief

• Language: Moldovan (Romanian)
• Coverage: Monday-Friday -- one hour; Saturdays and Sundays -- 30 minutes. Transdniestrian Project weekly broadcasts: 15-minute original program in Romanian, 15-minute original program in Russian.
• Frequency: SW, MW, FM, UKV, CBL, and Satellite
• Internet: www.europalibera.org

History

• The Romanian Service began experimental broadcasting on July 14, 1950, and was fully operational by May 1, 1951.
• Broadcasts to Moldova by the service began in 1989.
• Europalibera.org, the service's website, went public in 2003.

Highlights

• According to surveys of Romanians traveling abroad, Europa Libera's audience reached a high of 64 percent in 1989.
• The live program to Romania, "Europa Libera in direct," remains unique on the local media landscape for its balance, in-depth analysis, and commentary by prominent journalists from Romania and abroad. One of the program's highlights was the weekly memoirs from the communist period, "Eu si cainele meu, Securitatea" (I and my watchdog, the Securitate), by Neculai Constatin Munteanu.
• A 15-minute weekly program broadcast to Transdniester, "Dialoguri" (Dialogues), is produced in both Russian and Romanian and is rebroadcast by local FM stations.
• Radio Europa Libera remains the strongest international radio broadcaster in Moldova. In 2007, its 12-month audience figure was 12.8 percent. Eighty-seven percent of listeners credited its programs with increasing their understanding of current events "somewhat" or "a great deal."