Al-Bayan (radio station)

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Al-Bayan
Frequency 92.5 FM
First air date 2015
Format News/Talk
Owner Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Al-Bayan (Arabic: البيان‎) is a radio station in Iraq owned and operated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) which broadcasts at 92.5 on the FM dial. The station airs a news/talk format and broadcasts in the Arabic, Kurdish, English, French, and Russian languages.[1]

Sample from an English-language news bulletin broadcast in April 2015 on al-Bayan.

Originating from Mosul, Iraq, al-Bayan programs have been credited with being "highly professional and slickly produced" and have been compared to NPR and the BBC for tone and quality.[2][3][4] Al-Bayan's reporting on ISIL military operations have been referenced by the Associated Press and the Washington Post.[5][6]

Al-Bayan went on-air in early 2015 with English-language news bulletins added to the multilingual programming lineup in April of that year.[7][8] The station offers a wide-range of programming including music, language instruction, and interview shows, interspersed with regular news bulletins and field reports from al-Bayan correspondents in Iraq and Syria.[9] English-language news bulletins are delivered by an American-accented, male newsreader and datelines are read in the Islamic calendar.[2]

Sister stations[edit]

In February 2015, ISIL captured a radio station in Sirte, Libya that it subsequently began operating. It is unclear whether that station is still under ISIL management.[10] An ISIL-owned satellite television station, also based out of Sirte and operating under the brand name "Tawheed," began broadcasting the previous October.[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Islamic State launches English-language radio news bulletins". Daily Telegraph. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015. 
  2. ^ a b Sharma, Swati (4 June 2015). "Islamic State has an English-language radio broadcast that sounds eerily like NPR". Washington Post. Retrieved 5 June 2015. 
  3. ^ Hinhant, Lori (1 June 2015). "The ISIS Radio Station Targeting Foreign Recruits Sounds Like NPR". Business Insider. Retrieved 5 June 2015. 
  4. ^ "Thanks for listening to ISIS radio in English". Public Radio International. 22 April 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015. 
  5. ^ Murphy, Brian. "Islamic State claims responsibility for Texas attack outside Muhammad cartoon show". Washington Post (5 May 2015). Retrieved 6 June 2015. 
  6. ^ Maamoun, Youssef (23 May 2015). "Islamic State Group Radio Claims Saudi Arabia Mosque Suicide Attack". Huffington Post. Retrieved 6 June 2015. 
  7. ^ Withnall, Adam (18 January 2015). "Isis to launch first 24-hour online TV channel featuring British hostage John Cantlie and flagship show 'Time to Recruit'". The Independent. Retrieved 5 June 2015. 
  8. ^ "ISIS launch English-language radio bulletins". Al-Arabiya. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015. 
  9. ^ "Interview with Charlie Winter". BBC Radio 4. 12 May 2015. 
  10. ^ Mosendz, Polly (13 February 2015). "ISIS Takes Over Radio Station in Libya, Reports Say". Newsweek. Retrieved 5 June 2015. 
  11. ^ Vella, Matthew (15 October 2014). "Islamic State to launch Sat-TV station in Libya – Herald". Malta Today. Retrieved 6 June 2015.