BBC to reinstate FM broadcasts via Sri Lankan national broadcaster SLBC
BBC World Service has reinstated its FM programming on the Sri Lankan national broadcaster SLBC from Thursday, April 15. This will be the first BBC programming on the SLBC FM network for 14 months.
BBC World Service has reinstated its FM programming on the Sri Lankan national broadcaster SLBC from Thursday, April 15. This will be the first BBC programming on the SLBC FM network for 14 months.
The BBC had suspended its programmes in the English, Sinhala and Tamil languages on February 10, 2009, following deliberate interference in its broadcasts. During the suspension, the BBC’s services in all three languages remained available in Sri Lanka via short wave; on bbc.com/news, bbcsinhala.com and bbctamil.com via the Internet; and news bulletins in English via the Sri Lankan commercial broadcaster MBC.
Director of BBC Global News, Peter Horrocks, said, “The BBC wishes to rebuild its partnership with SLBC – part of a strong relationship with listeners in Sri Lanka that goes back to the 1940s. We have been reassured by SLBC that our contractual agreement will be respected, which guarantees that our programmes in English, Sinhala, and Tamil are broadcast uninterrupted.”
