Voice of Turkey (VOT)

History

Turkey’s first external broadcast was started on January 8, 1937 by The Ankara Radio Corporation. This broadcast which was designed to help resolve The Hatay Problem was, in fact, the transmission in Arabic of an address delivered by the-then-Prime Minister Ismet İnönü.

Upon the widespread social impact of this transmission on Iskenderun Province, Syria and its environs, a news bulletin in Arabic was started by the Istanbul Radio Corporation. News broadcasting in Arabic was irregular indeed, and it shortly ended after The Hatay Problem was resolved.

External broadcasts on a regular basis started in Turkish, English, French and German on October 28, 1938.

During the Second World War, “Short Wave Ankara Radio” gained considerable public attention with its impartial transmission among other short wave radio stations of the world.

It was the years starting from 1943 to 1949 that the Radio got the chance of broadcasting to the U.S., the West, the Far East and Australia.

Another important era in the external broadcasting encompasses the period between 1949-1958 when Turkey joined the NATO, sent troops to Korean War, and developed new ties with the West.

Since it was founded, the external radio broadcast was carried out under the name of “Short Wave Ankara Radio”, but beginning with January of 1963 all transmission has been carried out under the name of the “Voice of Turkey” (“VOT” from this point onwards).

After The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) was founded in 01 May 1964, VOT started to operate within a new department in TRT.
 

Voice of Turkey

Today, Voice of Turkey carries out the external radio transmissions of Turkish Radio and Television, TRT.

Organized under the External Broadcasting Department, VOT broadcasts on a daily basis in 29 languages, including Turkish, German, Albanian, Arabic, Azeri, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Chinese, Dari, Farsi, French, Georgian, English, Spanish, Italian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Hungarian, Macedonian, Pashtun, Uzbek, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Tatar, Turkmen, Urdu and Greek.

VOT covers the whole world via short wave transmitters, satellite and the internet. It constantly seeks to expand its audience with a more locally focused content, broadcasting through local FM channels.

With the guiding principles of impartiality, accuracy and instantaneity, VOT is improving its broadcasts with colorful and fascinating programs, targeting general public regardless of age and status, and strengthens its status as a forthcoming, reliable source of information.

Turkey and Turkish people are depicted through the programs which include news and newscasts, culture & arts and music. Complying with Turkey’s policy of maintaining good relations with the neighboring countries, and emphasizing Turkey’s regional ties, the transmissions lay emphasis on the ideas of peace and cooperation.
 

For more information: ( http://trt.net.tr/International/VOTAnaSayfa.aspx )