Russian news agency radio Sputnik has taken over the frequency previously used by BBC Arabic in Lebanon, according to a statement published on Sputnik’s website on Monday.
The BBC stopped its Lebanon-based broadcasting due to lack of funding in January.
Sputnik’s 24-hour Arabic broadcast will also be available in neighbouring Syria.
The programming will include talk shows hosted by renowned Arab journalists and programs covering a wide range of topics from Cairo and Moscow.
Additionally, the Sputnik Arabic frequency will air programs produced by RT Arabic.
Sputnik Arabic began broadcasting on February 4, 2015. The same year, a multimedia hub agency was opened in Cairo. Sputnik Arabic includes Arabic website and news feeds. The FM-radio broadcasting is transmitted in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, as well as on the Sputnik official website and in its mobile apps. Combined Sputnik Arabic outlets have a total audience of three million people.
“Back in 1938, when the BBC first launched its radio in Lebanon, it chose the ‘This is London’ slogan as its opening line. Now the news bulletin starts with ‘This is Moscow’,” said Chairman of Sputnik Radio in Lebanon Dmitri Tarassov.
“Our main focus will be placed on information and analytical content. We will address the hottest international topics and matters affecting Lebanese society since local audiences resonate with social issues the most,” noted Lina Andreichenko, Sputnik Arabic’s managing editor for radio and podcast content.
Russia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Rudakov welcomed the launch of Sputnik’s radio station on Tuesday, saying he hopes this event “would constitute a new page in relations with the Middle East region, and that the workers in the Lebanon office of Radio Sputnik would contribute to conveying a transparent and true picture of life in Russia.”