An English-language radio station based in Ramallah and financed by a Jewish South African went on air live this morning with the aim of providing a platform for "peaceful dialogue" between Israelis and Palestinians.

The station, 93.6 RAM FM, is based on the popular South African radio station, 702 Talk Radio, which its founders believe played a key role in the transition from the country's apartheid regime to democracy.

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The format will include adult contemporary music, as well as hourly news updates provided by the station's service, Middle East Eyewitness News.

Call-in and talk show programs in English will be introduced within a year.

The station has studios in both Ramallah and West Jerusalem, but will be transmitted from the West Bank, which means that certain parts of the country, including Jerusalem, may have difficulty picking up the signal.

The project required an initial investment of $2 million, 25 percent of which was funded by Isaac (Issie) Kirsh, the Jewish South African who is the founder of 702 Talk Radio. It will operate independently of any governmental or NGO funding and is a purely commercial enterprise that aims to become self-sustaining through advertisements.

"There is a need for a daily debate on the issues affecting both Israelis and Palestinians," said Kirsh, who was also involved in the establishment of Radio Tel Aviv. "This will be an opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians, in the comfort of their homes, to talk to each other, build bridges."

Kirsch conceived of the idea for RAM some five years ago in the hopes of replicating 702 Talk Radio's success in the Middle East.

"I am not doing this for the money," he told Haaretz. "I don't need the money."

RAM, which bills itself as "in touch, in tune and independent," hires Israeli, Palestinian and international reporters. They have freelance journalists in Baghdad, Cairo and Damascus, with a plan to possibly expand coverage into Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

John Berks, a popular South African radio personality who was a key member of the 702 radio staff during the country's transition to democracy, has been tapped to co-host RAM's morning broadcast.

"We're committed to telling both sides of the story," Andrew Bolton, the station's news editor said at a press conference yesterday launching the station. "We are apolitical and will not toe any political line, other than peace."

Bolton said the news program would therefore not include either terms like "martyr" or "terrorist," both of which he called "loaded."

702 Talk Radio, which was founded over 25 years ago, is said to have contributed to South Africa's transition into a post apartheid society. Nelson Mandela has called the station "democracy in action."

RAM received a license from the Palestinian Authority in December 2005 and has been in its test broadcast stage for about a year. They do not have a license to operate in Israel.