The popular blurb ‘Station to the Nation’ and the SLBC English services are now established brands in electronic media.

Credibility, programme content, character, accuracy, and credible dependency for news and a wide spectrum in entertainment are long established traits of Sri Lanka’s national radio station.

With effect from September 1st, the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) English Services will reach new heights in radio listening, yet maintain its rich tradition built over the decades.

After World War II, Radio Ceylon succeeded the services of Radio SEAC (South East Asian Command radio). Broadcasts on short wave and medium wave were received in every household in any part of the country.

Radio Ceylon gave way to the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, and around mid 1980s Frequency Modulation (FM) broadcasting was tested and eventually became the new frequency for listener entertainment. (There were also trials for Amplitude Modulation (AM) broadcasting but shelved because of insufficient technical input at that time).

To accommodate growing audience demand for entertainment from SLBC studios and lateral programme content, the SLBC would enter a more modern realm and foster progressive listener demands for updated entertainment acceptable to a wide mix in audience appeal.

SLBC Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe indicated that programmes would include the ‘Six to Sixty’ age groups. The September 1st deadline would be ongoing innovation for revamped services listeners could expect. The entertainment mix and wide cross section of programme content would have wide audience appeal and attraction, he assured.

The nine hour BBC belt has been reduced to three hours each day. Wide programme mix stemming from more entertainment time would mean a highly motivated group of programme presenters who would place listener priorities foremost on their lists.

The back-up music library has been quite often described ‘the best in Asia’ dating back to those breakable, low fidelity 78 rpm records, well documented. And usable.

Substantial material of the 1940s, 50s, 60s, music on long playing Hi Fi records are still being used and thanks to updated maintenance turn tables are in good nick.

The CD era brought in technical inputs to accommodate that level in broadcasting. The CD library is large and regularly up-dated.

Broadcasting medium is still restricted to Analog techniques, but this is expected to change to digital services in future. That too in the not too distant future.

What the SLBC has in store for envisaged listening effective 1st September will be wide music genre from pop, to hip hop to country to mow town, Jazz, from the classics, to sponsored programmes, talk shows, educational interviews, comedy blips, in short all that could be listened to and, more importantly to have listener dials constantly switched to SLBC frequencies. And permanently held at those frequencies. Perhaps at lower or higher decibels (db) as each listener would desire.

SLBC also beams its English programmes to All Asia on short wave in the 19 meter band, and also 31, and 49 meters. Listener audience in those countries could be matched to most other regional broadcasters and more so standards are maintained at competitive levels.

Compiler Programmes M. Thaseem confirmed future expectations for listeners and programme content.

Most important, image building presenters Indranee, Nihal, Niranjan, Kumar, Caryl, Chris, Soundhi, Githanjali, Kanishka, Chanakia, to name a few, and newer voices added to these exciting times listeners could look forward to, Thaseem said.