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Afghan`s first private radio station takes to the air waves
Kabul, June 15: From a house in one of Kabul`s relatively unscathed districts, Afghanistan`s first commercial radio station is taking the city by storm with a mix of music and chat by male and female DJs that would have had the Taliban summoning the religious police.
Kabul, June 15: From a house in one of Kabul's relatively unscathed districts, Afghanistan's first commercial radio station is taking the city by storm with a mix of music and chat by male and female DJs that would have had the Taliban summoning the religious police.
Surrounded by posters of western and Indian pop stars and
footballers, Massouda Zalmai, 18, and her co-host Abdul Azim,
23, present Radio Arman FM's lunchtime show with a mix of
friendly banter, gossip about rising Bollywood actor Vivek
Oberoi and more serious discussions on the dangers of smoking,
interspersed with music.
Radio Arman ("hope") FM 98.1 went on air April 16 as Afghanistan's first ever private radio station, serving up a mix of entertainment, information and education for the capital's millions.
The station broadcasts Afghan, Indian, Tajik, Uzbek and western music 24 hours a day, with bilingual DJs using Dari and Pashtu, Afghanistan's two main languages.
Arman FM's format of music, gossip and chat has long been the staple of radio stations elsewhere, but the presenters' informal approach and use of colloquial Dari has drawn criticism from some listeners unused to hearing young men and women chat together on air even 19 months after the toppling of the puritanical Taliban.
Others among those who aired their views on state-run TV last week have accused the fledgling radio station of being unprofessional in recruiting young presenters with little or no training. And initially there were even complaints about the girls' laughing on air.
Bureau Report
Radio Arman ("hope") FM 98.1 went on air April 16 as Afghanistan's first ever private radio station, serving up a mix of entertainment, information and education for the capital's millions.
The station broadcasts Afghan, Indian, Tajik, Uzbek and western music 24 hours a day, with bilingual DJs using Dari and Pashtu, Afghanistan's two main languages.
Arman FM's format of music, gossip and chat has long been the staple of radio stations elsewhere, but the presenters' informal approach and use of colloquial Dari has drawn criticism from some listeners unused to hearing young men and women chat together on air even 19 months after the toppling of the puritanical Taliban.
Others among those who aired their views on state-run TV last week have accused the fledgling radio station of being unprofessional in recruiting young presenters with little or no training. And initially there were even complaints about the girls' laughing on air.
Bureau Report