EBU.CH :: EBU news - 2003_01

BBC World Service is Afghans' favourite radio station

An unprecedented 82 per cent of Afghans surveyed in the capital Kabul listen to BBC World Service broadcasts in Persian and Pashto every week, according to the first media survey in that country since the Taleban left power in 2001.

The survey, conducted by independent market researchers last month [December 2002], showed that BBC World Service is the leading broadcaster in the Afghan capital, beating all local and international broadcasters on both radio and television. It is an unprecedented level of market penetration for an international broadcaster.

Since the fall of the Taleban, access to newspapers, television and local radio has been growing and market competition has increased. In Kabul, several new newspapers have started up. Afghans are now able to watch television, which was banned by the Taleban.

In an extra boost to the BBC, the survey found that BBC World - the international television news and information channel - is the leading international television broadcaster in Kabul, with 15 per cent of the weekly television audience.

"These survey results are excellent," said Baqer Moin, head of the BBC's Persian and Pashto language services.

"The results confirm many anecdotal reports which reached us even during the Taleban days which indicated that BBC World Service is Afghanistan's favourite radio station".

"Even more importantly, this survey confirms that BBC World Service is respected and trusted by Afghans for its objectivity and accuracy," he adds. "This is a great boost as we start to extend our FM transmissions to other cities over the next few months."

The survey is the first independent research to be conducted for BBC World Service in Afghanistan since the Taleban fell in 2001.

The survey showed:

There was almost universal awareness of BBC World Service - 98 per cent in Kabul;
82 per cent of all Afghans in Kabul listen to the BBC World Service, mainly on the new 88.9 [MHz] FM frequency which began in June 2002;
44 per cent of BBC listeners in Kabul listen to Pashto broadcasts;
40 per cent of BBC listeners in Kabul listen to Persian broadcasts;
19 per cent of BBC listeners in Kabul listen to both Pashto and Persian broadcasts;
91 per cent of Afghans in the survey said they turn to the radio for news;
88 per cent of Afghans in the capital perceive BBC World Service as a high-quality, trusted source of relevant information.

The survey shows that Afghans are very interested in Afghan affairs and regional events and have a greater interest in international affairs than people in most other regions of the world. Four out of 10 Afghans say that they are very interested in events in neighbouring countries.

Afghan's hunger for news has been stimulated by 23 years of war, a heavily censored domestic media and interest in the current transitional phase of government in the country.