Radio listeners across the Tunisian central coast are discovering the sounds and tunes of the latest new-born on the airwaves: "Radio Al Jawhara", Tunisia's second private radio station.
The radio, which started broadcasting from the city of Sousse Monday, will try to duplicate the success of "Radio Mosaique", the country's first private station. www.mosaiquefm.net
"Al Jawhara Radio" will broadcast, initially, 19 hours a day (from 6.00 am to 1.00 am). Its "FM" signal will cover most of the central region of the Mediterranean coast (including the governorates of Mahdia, Kairouan, Monastir and Sousse).
The new station is called "Radio Al Jawhara" (Arabic for "Pearl Radio"), in reference to the nickname "Pearl of the Sahel" given to the city of Sousse, Tunisia's third largest city and a major sea-resort.
In a message to the management and staff of "Al Jawhara Radio", Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali expressed his hope that the new station serves as a "voice reflecting the maturity of national media and their diversity, and helps widen their horizons and enhance their prospects."
He added that the Tunisian government highly appreciates the role of the media in society "based on our belief that it constitutes a crucial means for the consecration of intellectual and political pluralism, enriching democratic life and bolstering the conditions for development."
Since the end of government monopoly of radio and television broadcasting, in 2003, another private radio station, "Radio Mosaique-FM", started broadcasting from Tunis and immediately attracted a large audience. In 2005, it enlarged its broadcast area to cover other parts of the country's North-East.
The end of state monopoly on radio and television broadcasting brought about also the first private television, "Hannibal TV" launched last February on Arabsat and Nilesat satellite frequencies.
Other private radio and TV stations are expected in Tunisia in the future.
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