On October 2, the international news and radio agency Sputnik launched a 24-hour broadcast in Arabic, allowing Lebanese people to listen to Sputnik programs on the radio frequency previously used by the British radio station.
"Back in 1938, when the BBC launched radio in Lebanon, it chose a slogan that can be translated as 'This is London'. Now it would be 'This is Moscow'," said Dmitry Tarasov, head of Sputnik Radio in Lebanon.
Moreover, the signal of the Sputnik radio station also reahces the territory of neighboring Syria. Sputnik Arabic radio broadcasts will be hosted by well-known Arab journalists in the region. The broadcast will also include programs from Cairo and Moscow on a wide variety of topics.
"We will mainly broadcast informational and analytical content. We will talk about the hottest international issues and problems that affect Lebanese society, because social issues resonate strongly with the local audience," said Lina Andreichenko, Editor-in-Chief of Sputnik Arabic radio and podcasts.
In addition, a number of RT Arabic programs will be broadcast on the new radio frequency of Sputnik Arabic.
Sputnik Arabic was launched on February 4, 2015, the same year the agency's multimedia hub opened in Cairo, Egypt. The editorial office is based in Moscow. Sputnik Arabic offers a website and news feeds in Arabic, as well as radio broadcasts in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. The radio is also available for streaming on both the official website and mobile applications. Sputnik Arabic's social media accounts have an audience of 3 million people.