The Public Radio of Armenia celebrates the 95th anniversary today.
“The construction of the radio station in Yerevan has been completed. The station will start operating in five days,” the “Soviet Armenia” newspaper informed on August 27, 1926.
The Voice of Yerevan was first heard on air on September 1, 1926.
Yerevan is speaking… these words have been on air for 95 years now, spreading the voice of the Armenian state worldwide.
On September 1, 1926, the first 15-minute experimental radio program called “Voice of Yerevan” was transmitted in Armenia. The first test programs were mainly folk music programs regularly interrupted by local news.
The creation of radio station made it possible to use radio broadcasting as one of the most effective means of mass communication for informing and educating the population. That is why radio programs were expected to cover topics that would be interesting to people of different specialties and meet their needs.
On June 15, 1927, the Armenian Republican Radio started to broadcast its programs on regular basis. In the early years only Yerevan and surrounding villages were included in the broadcasting radius. Due to efforts of a group of radio lovers radio services became available in more than 25 villages in 1927, and in another 40 the following year.
On April 6, 1927, national print media published the first radio program consisting of news and concerts.
Up until 1929 actors and journalists from newspaper editorials were being invited to host the radio programs. And only in December 1929 the first radio hosts – Vergine Babayan and Suren Kananyan were invited to work at the Republican Radio of Armenia.
At the end of 1929 the Republican radio committee was formed. The committee had 12 employees and annually aired 2,160-hour programs. In 1930s the audience was significantly expanded. New technical and creative capabilities were put into use.
During the post-war period the Republican radio opened a number of new editorial departments, extended the radius of radio transmissions, in 1947 it started to operate the second channel (music and information), created new programs and projects, increased broadcasting hours and expanded its audience. By 1962 the radio services covered the whole territory of Armenia,
