In a country like Afghanistan, where the literacy rate is low, with no major or national newspapers, radio is still the most leading and important means of information as compared to other media outlets. On the radio and its listeners, the Waamaa Research and Results Organization (WRRO) conducted a survey in the Afghan capital to find out what Kabul residents had to say about its broadcasts. In this face-to-face and online survey, 5376 people were interviewed, of whom 36.3% were females. Among the survey respondents, 56% were aged between 30 and 39 years, 25.4% between ages of 21 and 29, 11.3% aged between 40 and 49 years while the remaining 6.7% were between ages of 18 and 20. The respondents were first asked about the approximate number of hours they had listened to the radio in the last seven days. 33.7% of the respondents said that they listened to the radio for 6 to 10 hours, 25.4% for 1 to 5 hours, 20.8% for 11 to 15 hours and 17.8% for more than 16 hours. Many respondents claimed that they listened to the radio at home. Others said that they listened to the radio while traveling, a lesser number of them stated that they listened to radio broadcasts at work. Only 0.1 % of them responded that they listened to the radio online. In response to a question concerning the most-listened to radio stations among Kabul residents, Azadi Radio was mentioned first, then the BBC Radio, Arman FM, Spogmai Radio, Killid Radio, and at last Radio Afghanistan. The survey respondents were also asked about their most popular radio broadcasts, 33% of them stated news, 24.3% of them music, 15.7% of them social and political programs, 11.2% of them religious teachings, 10% of them Sports and information, while the rest of them noted debates. WRRO has also asked the survey participants when they mostly listen to the radio. 36.6% of the respondents said that they listened to the radio programs and news before noon, 24.8% of them at noon, 20% of them in the afternoon and 15% of them at night. As the last question of the survey, Kabul residents were asked what media they use to keep them updated about the situation in Afghanistan and the world. 43.7% of the respondents mentioned radio, 39.3% of them noted television, while the rest of them stated social media, particularly the Facebook. It is to be stated that the radio first started broadcasting in Afghanistan 94 years ago during the reign of King Amanullah Khan. In 1926, King Amanullah Khan sent a man named Engineer Attaullah to Germany to acquire the knowledge required to install and operate a radio station. The man spent a year in Germany and, after receiving the necessary training, returned to Kabul with two German engineers, and two radio transmitters. After months of efforts by the German engineers and an Afghan expert, the installation of a 200-watt radio station was completed and it started broadcasts on a 360 meter-wave in Kabul. The life of this radio was short therefore due to internal events, its broadcasts stopped in 1928. During the kingdom of Mohammad Zahir Shah in 1938, the high council of ministers approved the purchase of a radio transmitter worth 1,700,000 Afs from Germany. In March, 1941, “Radio Kabul” started broadcasting again with the voice of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education-Sardar Mohammad Naeem Khan. In 1963, with the construction of new facilities and the installation of several high-quality systems, the name of “Radio Kabul” was changed to “Radio Afghanistan”. Following the installation of a shortwave radio transmitter, the broadcasts of “Radio Afghanistan” could be heard in several neighboring countries. With the installation of the shortwave system, “Radio Afghanistan” also began broadcasting in Urdu, English, Arabic, French, German and Russian. In the 1940s and 1950s, a number of Radio Afghanistan staff was sent abroad to gain further training and new experiences. A group of these employees traveled to the UK and visited the BBC Persian Radio Service. After 2002, in addition to state-run radio, private radio stations also began broadcasting. According to Mohammad Sabir Momand- Spokesperson of the Ministry of Information & Culture (MoIC), licenses of 234 radio broadcasting stations are registered with MoIC throughout Afghanistan, and among them 42 operating in Kabul and others in the provinces, said Naseer Ahmad Noori, Media Watch Manager of NAI-Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan.
2020, December, 29