About ARTA FM

January 2017

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What is ARTA?

ARTA for Media and Development is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation registered in Germany. It was founded in February 2013 by a group of Syrian-Kurdish activists and media professionals based in and outside Syria.

ARTA's first project was ARTA FM, an independent, multilingual community radio station broadcasting in the north-eastern parts of Syria. It is also available online (artafm.com) and on the NileSat satellite network. ARTA FM started broadcasting in July 2013 from Amuda, where ARTA is now headquartered.

ARTA FM broadcasts daily 11 hours of live programmes and news in in Kurdish and Arabic, in addition to weekly programmes in Syriac and Armenian – the four main languages of the local communities inhabiting the northern parts of Syria, along the Turkish borders. It is listened to by wide sections of the population in the regions of Amuda, Qamishli, Malikiyya (Derik), Ras al-'Ayn and 'Ayn al-'Arab (Kobani).

Other ARTA projects include Jin FM, a sister radio station run by women for women, which started broadcasting from and in Amuda in October 2015.

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Vision & Strategy

ARTA strives for a peaceful, democratic society where the rule of law prevails and everyone is free and equal, In the current circumstances in the Jazeera region in Syria, this means:

defending the freedom of speech and freedom of information;

defending individual and collective human rights and democratic values;

promoting a culture of plurality and tolerance among the various ethnic and religious communities of the region, in the face of rising fundamentalism and extremism;

strengthening the role of women in society and defending women's rights;

strengthening the role of the youth in society.

Towards these goals, ARTA works to:

establish independent media projects and train and support independent journalists, broadcasters and other media workers;

expose and challenge human rights abuses by all parties to the Syrian conflict;

help different communities in the region get to know each other and enhance mutual trust between them;

strengthen the role of women journalists and give women an equal voice in the media;

provide platforms for the youth and shed light on their problems.

“Starting ARTA FM was the beginning of an ongoing dream; a dream of hope, peace and plurality. ARTA FM is our contribution to the Syrian revolution.”

– Siruan Hadsch Hossein, founder of ARTA FM andExecutive Director of ARTA for Media and Development

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What is unique about ARTA FM?

Plurality: ARTA FM is the first and only Syrian radio station broadcasting in four languages: Kurdish, Arabic, Syriac and Armenian – the local languages spoken in north Syria. It is also one of a few media outlets in Syria that actively work to improve inter-communal relations.

Popularity: ARTA FM is the most listened-to radio station in north Syria. It has a listener share of 37.5% in Amuda and Qamishli, two of the biggest cities in the Jazeera region, according to an independent survey conducted by the Washington-based Navanti Group in September 2015.

Independence: ARTA FM is among a few truly independent media outlets in Syria. As a non-partisan community radio station with no political or religious agendas, it has established a reputation among the local population as an independent voice of truth on matters that concern them.

Reliability: Because of the above, ARTA FM has become a reliable source of news and information, not only for its listeners, but also for other media outlets inside and outside Syria. ARTA FM is frequently quoted by other media as a source.

“The main focus for ARTA FM is to push civil society, and its programs span topics from anti-sectarian advocacy and discussions on moderate Islam to journalistic reports on problemswith the local water supply.” - Newsweek, 13 Sep 2013

“Each contribution goes on air uncensored. For Syria, this is a revolution.” - Die Welt, 27 September 2013

“Arta FM – the only independent radio station in the Kurdish-dominated north of the country.”

- The National, 7 Dec 2015

“ARTA FM uses the airwaves creatively, with programs ranging from hard news to satires about IS [the so-called Islamic State]. The broadcasts seem to be a hit with listeners.” - Voice of America, 30 Dec 2015

“The voice of reason.” - Focus, 5 December 2015

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Studies about ARTA FM

An independent survey, conducted by the US-based Navanti group in late 2015, found that ARTA FM has a listener share of 37.5% in Amuda and Qamishli, two of the biggest cities in the Jazeera region, also known as the Hasaka governorate.

The study estimated that ARTA FM reached over 150,000 people on FM in these two citiesacross all age groups, and that 60 per cent of ARTA FM's listeners were women.

Another independent study by Weedoo in November 2016 ranked ARTA FM at the top of independent Syrian radio stations in online listenership levels.

A more recent in-depth study on the 'role and impact ofalternative media groups on the Syrian conflict', released bySyrian NGO Badael in February 2017, found that, in the Self-Administration areas in north-east Syria, ARTA FM wasperceived by the participants as “the best media outlet”among all media outlets in al-Jazeera in covering civic eventson all levels (speed, accuracy, details and balance).

For political events, Ronahi TV was ranked first, followed byRudaw and ART FM. However, Rohani was perceived as“misleading, emotional, exaggerative and intimidating”,whereas ARTA FM was ranked as “the outlet with the mostbalanced coverage”. ARTA FM was also ranked as first in the“levels of news sharing” by the audience, followed by YekitiMedia, Buyer Press and Ronahi TV.

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Partnerships

ARTA FM has actively sought to collaborate with otherorganisations and media outlets. For instance, over several monthsin 2015, ARTA FM broadcast a series of programmes andinterviews about the problem and dangers of landmines and otherunexploded ordnance. This included interviews with officials, police,civil defence workers and victims. The depth and consistency of theseries made it closer to campaigning than traditional media work.

In September 2015, ARTA FM, in collaboration with the UNICEF,launched a 10-day “Back to School” radio campaign, urging school-age children and their families to rejoin school. The campaign included adverts and commentary broadcast during various ARTA programmes (see, for example, this one and this one). The following month, in October 2015, ARTA also distributed stationary (paper, pens and blackboard erasers) to three needy schools in Amuda.

Since then, ARTA FM has collaborated with the UNICEF in other similar campaigns, including a 10-day radio campaign about child vaccination in March 2016 (see this video and this video) and another 10-day campaign about child eduction in March 2016 in that same month.

In 2016 ARTA FM and Enab Baladi produced a series of in-depth reports on Kurdish-Arab relations. In 2016 and 2017, ARTA FM and Hara FM developed collaborative radio broadcasts focusing on inter-communation relations and countering extremism and sectarianism across the northern parts of Syria.

In November 2014, ARTA FM, along with a few other independent Syrian radio stations, created the Association of Independent Syrian Radio Stations (ABRAJ). The goal of the network is to support new local radio stations through training courses and improving the standards of journalistic and management practices, as well as providing infrastructure and broadcasting technology. The non-profit organisation is also developing solidarity mechanisms for radio stations and journalists in emergency situations.

In September 2015, ARTA FM, along with 20 other independent Syrian media outlets, signed the Ethical Charter for Syrian Media Alliance, which consists of “a host of principles that help establish a state of balance and stability for the Syrian society’s benefit and development.”

Similarly, in 2016, ARTA FM, with support from the UK-based Community Solutions, organised a series of meetings and discussions with local journalists and media outlets in the Jazeera region tocoordinate their efforts to counter extremism and hate speech in the media. A media charter for al-Jazeera was agreed at the end of the meetings and signed by tens of local media outlets.

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Long-term socio-economic impact

ARTA FM's programmes, particlarly their awareness-raising and advocacy aspects, have had a considerable positive impact on listeners, raising their awareness of important social and political issues affecting their lives, such as women's rights, civil society activism, social cohesion, peace and democracy.

Many of ARTA's prorgammes and projects also focus on ordinary or marginalised people whose voices and stories are rarely heard, highlighting their everyday life problems and the difficulties they face, while at the same time sending positive messages of hope and using these voices as examples of how people can overcome those difficulties and be part of communities, despite the war and destruction.

Economically, ARTA FM has created tens of local job opportunities, and will create hundreds more in the years to come. And this economic impact is not confined to the staff working at the radio station itself. The food and services that they purchase from local shops and businesses also create a little ripple effect in the local economy.

While this economic factor may be small in scale, it is nonetheless a significant contribution to helping Syrians remain in or return to Syria. From the beginning, ARTA has insisted on keeping all its offices and studios and trainings inside Syria, rather than broadcasting from neighbouring countries, like many other Syrian radios are doing.

This is particularly important with women and the youth. ARTA has contributed to a significant quantitative and qualitative increase in women and young voices in radio and media more generally in the region – not only in entertainment and 'women-only' progarmmes, but also in serious social and political terrains.

On 23 April, a Germannewspaper, HalternerZeitung, published an articleabout ARTA FM and its workunder the title “A means tocounter mass migration”. Thelong article also talked aboutthe radio's contribution todefending the freedom ofpress and democracy inSyria, and in bridging thegaps between differentethnicities and religions in theregion and spreading aculture of tolerance.

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The ARTA team

As of January 2017, the ARTA team consists of 65 full-time staff members, 5 part-time, one consultant and 5 volunteers.

From the beginning, ARTA has insisted on keeping all its offices, studios and staff inside Syria, rather than broadcasting from neighbouring countries. The only staff members abroad are the editor-in-chief and the financial officer, who are based in Turkey, the fundraising and monitoring & evaluation officer, who is based in France, and the Executive Director of Arta for Media and Development, which is based in Germany but goes to Amuda frequently.

With the exception of a couple of professional journalists and broadcasters, the majority of ARTA FM's presenters and producers were local men and women hired and trained by professionals at the ARTA Academy and Jin Academy for Female Broadcasters in Amuda (which is also part of ARTA for Media and Development).

ARTA FM's main offices and studios are based in Amuda, north-east Syria. The radio also has four other smaller offices and studios in Qamishli, al-Malikiyya (Derik), Ras al-'Ayn (Sere Kaniye) and Kobani ('Ayn 'Arab). ARTA FM has a separate license for Kobani, so theKobani office produces its own local programs.

Each of the five offices is supplied with modern radio recording and production equipment and a 500W transmitter. The equipmrnt includes modern mixers, a 13-meter aerial, modern mics, headphones and cameras, as well as silent generators and UPS's.

Together, the five transmitters cover the eastern parts of the Syrian-Turkish border area, known as al-Jazeera region or al-Hasaka governorate, and the middle parts of the border area, known as Kobani ('Ayn 'Arab).

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