LONDON: BBC World Service has started broadcasting on FM in Dubai, the latest in a network of FM operations in the Gulf co-operation council states. The move will also bring BBC Arabic to listeners in the Middle East in addition to providing high quality sound.
The beeb is now broadcasting on 87.9 MHz FM in the Greater Dubai area, reaching listeners in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Umm al Qaiwain. The new service follows the launch last month of BBC Arabic's FM transmission to listeners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital Abu Dhabi on 90.3 MHz.
An official release informs that BBC Arabic is now available to listeners in the Gulf region in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, as well as in the United Arab Emirates. It can also be heard on FM Amman, northern Jordan and neighbouring areas, as well as in Khartoum and Wad Madani in Sudan.
The two new FMs in the UAE are the result of an agreement between the BBC and Emirates Media Incorporated (EMI), which organises broadcasting on a federal basis across the UAE as well as broadcasting the international Abu Dhabi Television channel.
BBC Arabic broadcasts news and current affairs programmes to the region as well as several interactive discussion programmes which enable listeners and users of bbcarabic.com to take part in the discussions. BBC Arabic also broadcasts throughout the Arab world on shortwave and medium wave frequencies. Around the world BBC World Service is present on FM in 140 capital cities.