Açık Radyo

Infobox Radio Station
name = Açık Radyo


area = Turkey - Regional FM
Istanbul
airdate = November 13 1995
frequency = 94.9 MHz (Istanbul)
format = News, Music, and Personality
owner = Acik Radyo
website = [http://www.acikradyo.com.tr/ www.acikradyo.com.tr]

Açık Radyo 94.9 (Open Radio 94.9), is an independent radio station broadcasting from Istanbul, Turkey 94.9.

The Structure

Açık Radyo (Open Radio), which went on air on 13 November 1995, is a “regional” radio station, which broadcasts to the metropolitan Istanbul area and its environs. It is founded as a private company as required by the Turkish Law on Radio and TV, but nevertheless functions quite like a non-profit organization. In 2003, the General Assembly of shareholders formally adopted a resolution to that effect.

Açık Radyo is rather a collective, which has 92 partners holding almost equal shares where the shareholders own “share certificates”, which are composed of marked and numbered lithographs of the late distinguished painter and sculptor Abidin Dino. (The inscription on the back says: “This is to certify that the support you have provided for the founding of a free, independent, democratic, dignified, compassionate, and out-of-the-ordinary radio station would hopefully lead to the creation of other similar projects.”)Açık Radyo is not dependent on any interest group or any capital group. It is also completely independent from any kind of “ideology” except the principles of pluralist democracy, the rule of law, and the protection and promotion of universal human rights and fundamental freedoms. Thus, it is an independent body. It can be considered as one of the rare independent institutions in the Turkish media, which is under increasing pressure from the concentration of ownership of financial and power centers.

The Motto

“Open Radio is open to all the sounds, colours and vibrations of the universe.”

General Character

Açık Radyo can be best described as a combination of News, Music, and Personality.

Programmers

During its existence of 10 years Açık Radyo has summoned the talents and efforts of 728 individuals from all walks of life and from a rich variety of professions – as well as those of a few unemployed – who contributed with more than 698 talk shows, music shows, etc.) to the general program of the radio station.

Currently, 154 programmers – ranging from age 10 to 75 – are contributing with more than 122 different programs to Açık Radyo each week. Together with the “guest speakers”, it can be said that every week more than 250 persons occupy the tiny studios and the narrow corridors of Açık Radyo, thus contributing to the general “uproar”.

People with various nationalities – American, British, Bulgarian, Canadian, Costa Rican, Dominican, French, German, Greek, Iranian, Lebanese, Spanish, Sudanese, etc., – have been coming from many parts of the world to take part in the Açık Radyo family of programs.

The outstanding common characteristic of the whole bunch of Açık Radyo programmers, producers, DJs, etc., is that they all “work” on a totally voluntary basis. That is to say, they are all volunteers, working without any salary or remuneration whatsoever. This is, as far as we can tell, a unique phenomenon.At Açık Radyo, there is one individual who regularly co-produced a weekly music show for 6.5 years posthumously! (His family’s permission obtained.) And, another individual prenatally contributed for a show called “Baby Scent” (Her permission taken for granted.)

Guests

More than 10.000 “guests” have been hosted at Açık Radyo over 10 years’ broadcasting. Just for some “namedropping”: From Noam Chomsky to Richard Falk, from Joseph Stiglitz to Dani Rodrik, from Thomas Friedman to Daniel Pipes, from Hasan Cemal to Can Dündar, from Daniel Amit to Uri Avnery, from Gilberto Gil to Tania Maria, from Mike Stoller to Hal David, from Füruzan to Muhibbe Darga, from Fredrick Jameson to Thomas Pogge, from Vandana Shiva to Meena Seshu, from Yaşar Kemal to Çetin Altan, from M.Ali Talat to Bakır Çağlar, from Çağlar Keyder to Orhan Pamuk, from Ibrahim Ferrer to Bertrand Cantat, from Sue Mingus to Susana Baca, from Ajda Pekkan to Nil Karaibrahimgil, from Cem Boyner to Bülent Eczacıbaşı, from Tariq Ali to José Bové, from George Soros to Michael Albert, from Ahmet Yüksel Özemre to Atilla Kıyat, from Burhan Doğançay to Mehmet Güleryüz, from Tomris Uyar to Vüs’at O. Bener, from Aykut Barka to Celal Şengör, from Haluk Bilginer to Kenan Işık, from Aykut Kocaman to Simon Kooper, from Ornette Coleman to Bonnie Prince Billy, from Arif Mardin to Ahmet Ertegün, from Niyazi Sayın to Nevzat Atlığ, from İnci Çayırlı to Münip Utandı, from Kazım Koyuncu to Bülent Ortaçgil, from Susan Buck-Morss to Elizabeth Provinelli, from John Zerzan to James Petras, from Wolgang Sachs to Lisa Franzetta, from Joel Kovel to David Barsamian, from Bertrand Tavernier to Ulaş İnaç, from Thierry ‘Titi’ Robin to Inti İllimani, from Charlie Haden to Toots Thielemans, from Stefanos Yerasimos to John Berger, from Semih Balcıoğlu to Piyale Madra, from Harun Tekin to Aylin Aslım, from Dave Clark to Peaches… From the torturer to his victim, from HIV/AIDS patients to transvestites, from the 3 year old horse-rider to the 92 year-old experienced musician, from the autistic to the genetic scientist, from TESEV to TEGEV, from KADER to KAMER, from Amnesty International to Greenpeace, on the average 3 guests a day throughout 10 years

Employees

Currently Açık Radyo has 26 professional employees. The average age for the administrative and technical personnel is 33.

International Links

Açık Radyo, together with various other bodies (including Radio Nova Paris, and RBB Multikulti Berlin), carried out a collaborative program of research and technological development on world music and the internet. It has also been carrying out program exchanges with 4 European radio stations: A world music show on Açık Radyo is broadcast by RBB Multikulti Berlin, VDR Funkhaus, Radio Sweden P 6, Europa Köln, and Radio Bremen. Açık Radyo is also cooperating with RFI.

Talk ‘Shows’

Açık Radyo airs “talk shows” on: News and commentary, ecology, environment, public culture, philosophy, language, civil society, women, children, youth, grass roots organizations, the city of Istanbul, European Union, The Mediterranean, Anatolia, fundamental rights, law, peace movements, history, mathematics, science, science-fiction, mythology, anthropology, economy, political economy, meteorology, climatology, local administration, design, architecture, world literature, poetry, books, drama, cinema, plastic arts, urban planning, museums, communications, world wide web, television, psychology, traffic, business world, advertising, consumption society, health, cuisine, wine, bread, olive, coffee, football, sports, nature, amateur aviation, riding, sailing, earthquake preparedness, etc.

Some Of The Main Issues Covered

Global Climate Change and Global Justice: Açık Radyo, since its inception, has been actively engaged in the struggle against global climate change and global warming. It has continuously tried to amass scientific information and evidence of devastating changes in the atmosphere, oceans, ice cover, land, and biodiversity, and then to disseminate and share this information with the public in general. In short, it has always tried to focus on what it deems to really matter. Besides giving widest possible coverage to this greatest threat ever faced by the biosphere – caused mainly by human behavior, and affecting foremost the poor and the weak – its editors have undertaken the rather painful task of organizing of and taking part in panels, conferences, seminars, TV/radio shows on the issue. Açık Radyo produced two separate live shows powered by solar energy on the subject. Most recently, it has been one of the main organizers of the Istanbul march and meeting, held on 3 December 2005, in coordination with the global movement, to protest against global climate change and to support the Kyoto Protocol measures, and the measures to be taken after the Kyoto Protocol expires. The meeting, the first of its kind ever, was held with the active participation of more than a thousand individuals.

War and Peace: When Açık Radyo first went on air the war in Bosnia had entered into its culminating phase, nevertheless, it was still to go on for many months to come.. Açık Radyo, both with its word and music, unhesitatingly took sides – with the underdogs: Throughout the war it produced a daily program called “The Bosnian Diary”, connecting by phone to the ordinary people of Sarajevo. From then on, Açık Radyo continued to focus on cases of international violence. It was certainly one of the first media outlets in the world to perceive the coming threat of the illegal, unethical occupation of Iraq. 17 months before the invasion, Açık Radyo began to warn its listeners on such a possibility and even made a “scoop” on the so-called “Rumsfeld Plan” of 2001, through reading in between the lines of mainstream newspapers. Açık Radyo commentators were among the earliest – globally – to thoroughly expose the lies concerning Saddam’s “weapons of mass destruction”. Long before the invasion, a daily half-hour news program called “The Peace Band” was aired and this went on well after the invasion. Açık Radyo broadcasted “live” – through telephone from London and New York – the huge global mass protests of 15 February 2003. It was also the only radio station in Turkey reporting live the mass protestations in Ankara on the same day when the Turkish Parliament rejected the deployment of US troops on Turkish soil for the invasion of Iraq. On 24-27 June 2005 the historical Final Session of the WTI (World Tribunal on Iraq) and the consequent Verdict of the Jury of Conscience was also broadcast live on Açık Radyo for four consecutive days…

Disaster Preparedness: From day 1 of the great Marmara (epicenter Gölcük) earthquake disaster of 1999 Açık Radyo started to perform as a “clearing house” for the civil society, formed an Earthquake Communication Center (ARDIM), broadcasted 24 hours for 60 consecutive days, and continues to produce to this day a program called “Golden Hours” on earthquake and other disaster preparedness. (Transcripts of the specific individual programs are being posted on the website of the radio station.)In 2000, on the first anniversary of the great 1999 Earthquake disaster, Açık Radyo produced and presented a 2-hour documentary on the event.

Music ‘Shows’

World Music, Jazz, Blues, Rock, “Oldies”, Folk, Western Classical music, Antique music, Renaissance music, Troubadour music, Opera, Turkish/Ottoman Classical music, Contemporary Classical Music, Turkish Folk music, Rembetiko, Sephardic music, Chanson, Reggae, Dub, Rap, Hip Hop, Latin, Brazil, Cuba, Operetta, Musicals, Techno, etc.Special Programs aired on different musical instruments such as the human voice, viola da gamba, cello, piano, guitar, clarinet, jaws harp, didgeridoo, etc.

ome Radio Documentaries

During 10 years of broadcasting Açık Radyo has aired and/or has been airing various “documentaries” and/or “serials” on: Andersen (200th anniversary, 26 weeks), Bach (250th Anniversary of his death, 4,5 years), Baroque music (1 year), The Beatles (6 months/100 hours), Berlioz (200th anniversary, 6 months), short stories of Borges (6 months), Brel (25th anniversary of his death, 6 months), composer Mesut Cemil (100th anniversary, 1 week), Coltrane (1 year), Don Quijote (400th anniversary, 32 “chapters”), Dvorak (100th anniversary of his death, 6 months), Dylan (60th anniversary, 1 year), Duke Ellington (100th anniversary, 30 days), The ECM Anthology of Music (1 year), life and works of Sigmund Freud (6 months), Gershwin (100th anniversary, 30 days), Gödel-Escher-Bach (18 weeks), Woody Guthrie (4 weeks), His Master’s Voice in Turkey (8 weeks), Billie Holiday (90th anniversary, 6 months); Lennon (25th anniversary of his death, 6 months), Mahler (90th anniversary,1 year), Mozart (250th anniversary, 1 year), Jim Morrison & the Doors (30th anniversary of his death, 5 days), Music from the Times of Shakespeare and His Contemporaries (1 year), Music Societies in Turkey (6 months), composer and Singer Münir Nurettin Selçuk (4 weeks); Oral History of the Turkish State Radio (3,5 years), Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker (50th anniversary of his death, 6 months), Presley (25th anniversary of his death, 30 days), Protest Music in History (6 months), Soviet Russian Rock (1 year), composer Selahattin Pınar (4 weeks), composer Cemal Reşit Rey (100th anniversary, 34 weeks), Selected Short Stories from World & Turkish literature (3 years), composer Skalkottas (16 weeks), Stravinsky (6 months), 100 years of Recording History of Turkey (4,5 years), , 40 years of Turkish Pop Music (2.5 years), Turkish Rock (1 year), composer İlhan Usmanbaş (8 weeks), String Quartets (1 year), Tales from 1001 Nights (6 months), Kurt Weill (100th anniversary, 1 month), Frank Zappa (1 year)…

Açık Radyo has acted as the semi-official radio station of the UN international HABITAT (II) Conference held in Istanbul on 1996 and broadcasted bilingually for 15 days…

Since its second year Açık Radyo has been presenting a two-hour yearly “wrap up” program called “Last Year in Perspective” on the last day of each year…In 2005, Açık Radyo produced, in cooperation with Radio Nederland, a two-hour program commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto against nuclear arms.

Also in 2005, Açık Radyo produced a 6-hour documentary on the 50th anniversary of the 6/7 September 1955 events where attacks against the businesses and homes of the Greek, Jewish and Armenian minorities were perpetuated.

Music Festivals

Açık Radyo organized (in collaboration with Positive Organization) the Istanbul Musical Festivities I and II in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Attended by 10.000 music lovers each, these two events covered all kinds of music, from Classical to Folklore, from World Music to Jazz, from Arabesque to Salsa, as well as activities for children, international panels, world premier performances, dance work-shops, etc., (125 activities in toto).

Exhibitions

Açık Radyo co-sponsored two photograph exhibitions; the first being “1968 Through the Lens of Magnum” in 1968; and the second, on the millennium, “Portraits of the 20th Century”. Each one of these exhibitions was visited and viewed by around 8,000 individuals.

Conferences And Panels

More than 50 conferences (5 per year, i.e., 1 in 2 months) were given, or panels attended by Açık Radyo editors and programmers on broadcasting, independent media, freedom of the press, global climate change, globalization, history of music, etc. at various universities and cultural centers.

Parties

More than 50 parties have been organized by Açık Radyo, each with a different theme.

Media Coverage

Açık Radyo and/or its programs, and its activities have been covered by approximately 3,700 articles, interviews, broadcasts, etc. during the station’s 10 years of existence, averaging one mention per day.. It has been the subject-matter of two documentaries, two separate master theses. It has been mentioned in at least 3 novels, and one detective novel. Furthermore, a great number of articles have quoted Açık Radyo programs as sources.

Awards

Açık Radyo has been the recipient of 23 awards in Turkey between the dates of November 1996 and November 2005. Among them: 2005 – ARSC (Association for Recorded Sound Collections) Award for Best Research in Recorded World Music was won by programmer Cemal Ünlü for his book Git Zaman, Gel Zaman (Pan Yayıncılık, 2004), based on his programs at Açık Radyo; The Best Radio Program of 2003 (Association of Turkish Journalists); The Best Radio Station of 2002 (Association of Contemporary Journalists); The Most Successful Radio Station of 2001 (Istanbul University, Faculty of Communications); The Most Preferred Radio Station of 2000 (Marmara University, Faculty of Communications); 2 awards in the branch of Radio Programs speaking the Best Turkish (2001/2000); 4 awards in the branch of Technology and Computer Sciences, (1996, 97, 98, 99); Turkish Association of Journalists Radio Program Awards (1998/1997); 3 awards in the branch of Health program (2004/1999 - Istanbul Chamber of Medicine; 2000 - Turkish Association of Physicians).

Açik Radyo Online

The Açık Radyo website was started in the beginning of 1997, at which period there were only around ten million internet users in the world. In the first two years of its existence the web site of Açık Radyo (www.acikradyo.com and www.acikradyo.com.tr) encompassed basic information about the programs and programmers, broadcast schedule and the general structure of the radio station. Also, Açık Radyo has been broadcasting online since May 2000. Açık Site (Open Site): Together with the Açık Radyo web site a second web site became operative towards the end of 2001, when there were an estimated 700 million internet users in the world. Açık Site as would be seen from its own “manifesto” was aiming to be “a tiny flash-light upon the dark side of the world”. Here, transcripts of various interviews and talk shows of Açık Radyo have been regularly posted, plus links from various original and translated articles concerning the state of the world written by eminent thinkers and artists of the world.

Açık Radyo + Açık Site: Starting as of December 2004, the pay subscription system of Açık Site was eliminated, and, the two web sites were combined in one: http://www.Acikradyo.com, http://www.Acikradyo.com.tr.In addition to gaining access to detailed information about Açık Radyo, its programs, its programs and its listeners it is now possible to find a “civil library” comprising more than 12,000 articles, commentaries, special dossiers, research, reports, cartoons, and the like…

The "Open Space" Project

In the fall of 2005 a group of students from İstanbul Bilgi University carried out a collective graduation project on Açık Radyo. They were asked to design a project that would 1- Expand recognition of AR by youth groups. 2- To attract young people to join the AR family and to pass the flag in the long run. 3- To push more young blood, vision and energy into AR. The students came up with the idea of a creating a youth community within AR through a program contest that will enable young people to express themselves through alternative media. Thus AR had its first program contest for university students; “Change the world, even if it’s for an hour a week”. The winning project was produced into a weekly live show by its creators throughout a full broadcast season. (6 months)

Meanwhile both winners and other participants began to get together on a regular basis and exchange ideas through a mail group. Acquiring the name “Open Space” They decided to let the synergy of the group define the objectives in its own course. The main focus of the group turned out to be the unrelenting issue of “boredom”. Open Space is currently working on a web supported project titled “Something To Do”. Open Space is concurrently organising the program contest 2006, with the title “Invitation to the game”, because it is looking for new play-pals.

Listeners And Listener-Support Projects

The opinion poll conducted by AC Nielsen in 2000 regarding Açık Radyo shows that its “core listeners” (those who listen every day) number around 45,000; those who listen every other day: 80,000; once a week: 120,000; the number of listeners who have listened at least once during the last 3 months is around 200,000. According to the polls conducted by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Arts (IKSV) in 2001 and 2003 among the music lovers and filmgoers of the International Festivals of Classical Music, Jazz, and the Istanbul International Film Festival, Açık Radyo was chosen the most popular radio station.

At the beginning of March 2004, a project called “Açık Radyo is seeking its listeners” was started. The purpose was to further the effort of the 92 founders and 650 volunteer programs with the contribution of the listeners. The main aim was to attain a level of “sustainable independence”. With the addition of these funds raised from a few thousand individual “listener-sponsors” to the regular income obtained by advertisements and sponsorships, it is hoped to reach a level of permanent financial sustainability.

During a year-long campaign the listeners were asked to sponsor one or more programs. At the end of 2004 the number of listeners who had sponsored their own radio station turned out to be 2,250 – meaning that 2250 individuals had consciously chosen to pay from their pockets for a public service completely free of charge!

It can be argued that this constitutes a very rare case for individual participation in the Turkish media, if not unique. The Second “campaign” of 2005 seems to have produced more or less the same number of individual sponsors. With the yearly perpetuation and augmentation of the support, this may herald the birth of a model of sustainable independence for a media organ in Turkey.

The Beginnings Of The Second Decade

Açık Radyo has produced an 8-part, 4-hour “collage of sound” on its 10th anniversary, gathered from its ten years’ broadcasting. The Station, an alternative medium with its independent standing outside mainstream media, keeps on its determined effort at its 11th year, to share – through its talk shows and music programs – information with a view to transform its listeners into informed citizens, to transform itself into a forum of discussion, and to pave the way to get organized for a better future. It strives, in brief, to show that another world is not only possible but essential as well.

External link: Açık Radyo website

* [http://www.acikradyo.com.tr/ Açık Radyo website]