"Long Stifled, Iraqis Make Most of Chance to Vent on Talk Radio"
Neat that talk radio is happening in Iraq. Also, don't know if they're genuine or if they're representative, but most callers apparently advocate Sadam Hussein's execution and denounce the actions of insurgents as 'terrorism.'
Excerpts:
The callers have reached Iraq's first talk radio station, Radio Dijla, which opened in April and has been putting Iraqis' opinions directly on the air, mainlining democracy from a two-story villa in central Baghdad for 19 hours a day.
In all, about 15 private radio stations have sprung up since the American occupation began, but Dijla, Arabic for Tigris, is the first to serve only talk. The station is one of the most listened-to in Baghdad, according to its employees, a claim that appears to have merit, judging by its broad following....
The station receives an average of 185 calls an hour, far more than it can handle....
"Iraqi citizens have big problems, but nobody listens to them," said Haidar al-Ameen, 34, a businessman, who listens to Dijla while driving. "If I have no gun, there is no one who is going to listen to me. The government has no time to listen."
The station forces the government to make time. Local and federal officials come as guests and are grilled by listeners. The talk shows result in uncomfortable situations, which would have been unheard of in the time of Saddam Hussein, when government officials were royalty and ordinary citizens were mere supplicants who were easily ignored. ...
Beyond easing the frustrations of daily life, the station provides a real chance for Iraqis to talk publicly about politics for the first time in decades. Listeners' calls open a window onto the lives of Iraqis, whose opinions often go unheard in the frantic pace of bombings, kidnappings and armed uprisings. ...
The station was started with seed money from the Swedish government. Its founder, Ahmed al-Rakabi, the former chief of the American-financed Iraqi Media Network, was born in Prague in 1969, after his family was forced to leave Iraq to escape repression under Mr. Hussein. ...
"Let everyone talk," he said. "All of Iraqis in different lines must talk, must talk under sun, not in secret."
Excerpts:
The callers have reached Iraq's first talk radio station, Radio Dijla, which opened in April and has been putting Iraqis' opinions directly on the air, mainlining democracy from a two-story villa in central Baghdad for 19 hours a day.
In all, about 15 private radio stations have sprung up since the American occupation began, but Dijla, Arabic for Tigris, is the first to serve only talk. The station is one of the most listened-to in Baghdad, according to its employees, a claim that appears to have merit, judging by its broad following....
The station receives an average of 185 calls an hour, far more than it can handle....
"Iraqi citizens have big problems, but nobody listens to them," said Haidar al-Ameen, 34, a businessman, who listens to Dijla while driving. "If I have no gun, there is no one who is going to listen to me. The government has no time to listen."
The station forces the government to make time. Local and federal officials come as guests and are grilled by listeners. The talk shows result in uncomfortable situations, which would have been unheard of in the time of Saddam Hussein, when government officials were royalty and ordinary citizens were mere supplicants who were easily ignored. ...
Beyond easing the frustrations of daily life, the station provides a real chance for Iraqis to talk publicly about politics for the first time in decades. Listeners' calls open a window onto the lives of Iraqis, whose opinions often go unheard in the frantic pace of bombings, kidnappings and armed uprisings. ...
The station was started with seed money from the Swedish government. Its founder, Ahmed al-Rakabi, the former chief of the American-financed Iraqi Media Network, was born in Prague in 1969, after his family was forced to leave Iraq to escape repression under Mr. Hussein. ...
"Let everyone talk," he said. "All of Iraqis in different lines must talk, must talk under sun, not in secret."
// 8/30/2004 
