Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., April 10, 2008 Nisan 5, 5768 | | Israel Time: 12:10 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

No voice for peace By Tamar Sukenik Tags: Jerusalem, Ram FM On Monday, at 2 A.M., police detained eight employees of RAM FM, which broadcasts from Jerusalem and Ramallah, alleging that the station in Jerusalem was operating illegally. Transmitters and office equipment were confiscated from the Jerusalem bureau although the Ramallah station has continued broadcasting. The Communications Ministry stated that the station's staff were detained because of police assessments that they were operating without a license and had gone on the air without a tender. "The resource of [available] frequencies is currently classed as a depleted resource, and the quality of broadcasting is compromised, as there are too many [broadcast] 'suppliers' offering services. We lack the authority to decide whom to arrest," Yehiel Shalvi, the ministry's spokesman, said yesterday. Advertisement Regarding the ongoing broadcasting from Ramallah, Shalvi said that licenses to operate radio stations there are issued by the Palestinian Authority. RAM FM staffers say the station operates legally, and that they are looking into the legal ramifications of the police's action. Jerusalem District Police spokesman Shmulik Ben-Ruby confirmed that eight of the station's personnel had been detained, among them station manager Maysoun Odeh-Gangat. "The Communications Ministry issued orders to shut down the station and confiscate the 'pirate' broadcasting equipment operating there. "We detained eight people for questioning, in accordance with new directives published by the State Prosecutor's Office and the attorney general, which state that we must deal with pirate radio stations with all the force of the law, after repeated cases of frequency interference, among other places, at Ben-Gurion Airport." The eight workers were released to house arrest yesterday afternoon, but the Jerusalem office remains closed and its equipment is still confiscated. Despite this, the station can be heard on 93.6 FM and on its Internet site, www.ramfm.net. Until Monday, everything at the Jerusalem station had seemed idyllic. At the entrance to the spotless building in the Malkha technology park in which the RAM FM studios are located, the strains of Keren Peles' latest hit were still playing. Eleven floors above, facing broad views of the Judean Hills, one could forget for the moment that this was Israel. As a rule, some 20 Anglo youths work in the spacious offices, established by South African millionaire Issy Kirsh in 2006. Kirsh is chairman of Primedia Broadcasting, and built RAM FM on the model of another station he owns, Radio 702, which operates in South Africa. During the apartheid era, this was the only station in which both whites and blacks were on the air. In its first year of operation, $2 million was invested in RAM FM, which began operating in February of last year. The station's declared goal is bringing people together through music. Recently the station mounted an outdoor advertising campaign in Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the catchphrase "music has no boundaries." The ads featured artists like Bob Marley and the Beatles as examples of musicians who transcended continents and cultures through their work. Brothers in arms - like South Africans Station manager Odeh-Gangat, a 42-year old Palestinian, studied economics in France and political science in Washington. She said the station's promotional concept reflects its attempt to create a professional radio station, untainted by racism and prejudice, to forge a connection between the two peoples. The station employs local DJs, editors, and writers as well as South Africans, Australians, Brits, and Americans who, according to Odeh-Gangat, "want to be partners in what is happening in the Middle East." RAM FMs chief news editor Mark Klusener noted that South Africans particularly feel that in Israel "they can make use of the unique life experience they gained in South Africa." Odeh-Gangat met her husband Rafique Gangat, a South African of Indian descent, when he served as the South African consul-general in the Palestinian Authority. He is also an announcer on the station. Apart from his wife, the other staff members detained on Monday are also "under house arrest for seven days and cannot leave Jerusalem, talk to each other, anyone else or members of the media," Gangat said yesterday. "The reality is that if RAM FM was a pirate station, we wouldn't have invested $2 million in it, and we wouldn't have launched a massive advertising campaign. Pirate stations stay under the radar; they don't have advertising campaigns. But we know that we are legal. Both of our frequencies (93.6 and 87.7) are licensed by the Palestinian Authority and we pay for those licenses. "The Jerusalem studio and the Ramallah studio are linked by fiber optics. Everything that is produced in Jerusalem is sent back to Ramallah and broadcast from there. Nothing is actually broadcast from Jerusalem. "We feel very strongly about our mission and this has just made us more determined," he said. "The show must go on." Martin B., a blue-eyed, 33-year old Londoner, exemplifies the team of adventurous and highly-motivated young announcers who entered a fray that is foreign to them. B. wandered the world for a decade, appearing on radio stations in Dubai, the Canary Islands, Egypt, and other locations before arriving here. He now lives at the top of the hill he sees from the window of his office, and presents "The Breakfast Show," daily from 6-9 A.M. His is one of the most popular programs on the station. He discovered RAM FM in a want ad. "You know the feeling when you just want to be part of something? That's how I felt when I read about the station," he said. "I thought that a station like that, so unique in the region in which it operates, would leave ample room for creativity." Despite his identification with the station's agenda, B. prefers to distance himself from politics on his own program. "I believe that people prefer lighter content when they wake up in the morning. So I try to maintain an upbeat atmosphere on the program," he says. B. says he has hosted a variety of guests in the studio, including representatives of charitable organizations, Jewish and Arab students who attend a local high school together, and even Uri Geller. For now, he enjoys living in the Middle East. "I'm in a new place, meet new and interesting people, and sense enormous openness. There's also a positive feeling at the station that something exciting is happening." Although most programs on RAM FM refrain from direct involvement in political issues, its chief point of pride are its self-produced hourly news bulletins. "Media in Israel is commonly classified as pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian," Odeh- Gangat observed. "We try to find a balance between the two sides." Following the Jerusalem station's closure, B. said: "Listeners have been calling us and sending emails to express their support. This came as a surprise. There were no prior warnings." B. is now broadcasting from the station's Ramallah branch. A balanced viewpoint The station employs Israeli announcers and writers, like Mike Brand, alongside Palestinians like Arda Aghazarian, who presents a daily, lunch program with Brand. This attempt to maintain balance is also evident in the content of news bulletins. "We won't use a term like 'terrorist,' which is considered offensive in Palestinian eyes, nor will we use 'freedom fighter,'" said station director Odeh-Gangat, adding that the station attempts to provide in-depth coverage of issues ignored by Israeli media. "A few days ago, a settler killed a Palestinian near Ramallah, after he took out a knife," she said. "We immediately reported the event but later sent a reporter to Bir Zeit University, where the Palestinian was a student, to shed light on the story from a Palestinian perspective. We will always try to bring both versions of the story. We do not have a political agenda. We mainly try to present facts on the ground in the most objective way possible." The station concurrently strives to present a broader view of local, cultural issues. Odeh-Gangat calls such subjects, the Ramallah International Film Festival, the local water shortage, the organic food industry in Israel, and special events at Bir Zeit University, "the little things." The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, but plays Western hits from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s rather than Israeli or Palestinian music. Music director Kevin Lee says that the station opts for a variety of music from Madonna to Linkin Park, "but we don't play the same songs a thousand times." Although the station is aimed largely at Israelis and Palestinians, all broadcasts are in English. Odeh-Gangat said that the choice is part of the station's effort to be impartial. "First and foremost, market research we conducted indicated that there was a demand for an English-language station," she said. "Moreover, we consider English to be a neutral language. If it is the official language used to conduct peace talks between Israel and Palestine, it is good enough for us." Daphna Berman contributed to this article. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Carter's contacts Report: Ex-U.S. president Carter to meet with Hamas leader in Syria. Warning shouts Officer: Palestinians warned Israelis of terrorist infiltration.   1.   And Israel is such a nation of democratic ideals 09:33  |  Marilyn 10/04/08   2.   Israel attempts to silence the voice of reason and peace 10:10  |  SJ 10/04/08   3.   Claims just like Arutz 7`s 12:03  |  Zvi 10/04/08

Today Online Israel to deny UN official entry for comparing country to Nazis Responses: 364 Rosner's Guest: Enough with occupation guilt, Gaza is not Auschwitz Responses: 73 State Prosecutor: New Katsav indictment may include rape Responses: 18 Alexander Yakobson: Israel is most successful integration of modern times Responses: 28 IDF begins collecting weapons from West Bank settlements Responses: 51 More Headlines 11:04 Israel plans diplomatic offensive to show Hamas behind deadly border raid 11:01 Policy at Gaza crossings won't change following terror attack 11:24 IDF officer held on suspicion of belonging to crime ring in South 12:03 Rabbis say AM:PM to close on Shabbat 11:54 'I worried customs would disappear' 05:37 Bush likely to make symbolic visit to Masada, avoiding contentious sites 09:52 Katsav case in better shape now, says senior judicial source 04:26 Attack at the border / Without necessary deterrence 09:05 Druze commando buried with honors, but not in IDF cemetery 06:32 Five-day Home Front drill comes to close with mock 'chemical attack' 00:53 PA police and escaped Fatah militants clash in Nablus 04:26 Father tracks down fugitive child abuser 20:48 Report: Ex-U.S. president Carter to meet with Hamas leader in Syria Previous Editions Select Day 09 apr 08 apr 07 apr 06 apr 04 apr 03 apr 02 apr 01 apr 31 mar 30 mar 28 mar 27 mar

Special Offers Advertisement Learn Hebrew online with Israel's best teachers Sign up for a trial lesson today Behind the Z Word Scholarly essays, commentary, podcasts, blogs and much more. NEW! Dan Boutique Jerusalem Hotel Hip Dan Hotel in Jerusalem. Attractive Introductory Rates Pardes Institute Summer Sessions Study Jewish texts and issues in Jerusalem, Co-ed, All Levels FAREWELL ISRAEL New Film The Coming War for Islamic Revival - View Movie Trailer Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved