Radio broadcasting in Sri Lanka dates to 1923. Radio broadcasting, like other forms of media in Sri Lanka, is generally divided along linguistic lines with state and private media operators providing services in Sinhala, Tamil, and English language.
History
The first radio broadcast in Ceylon was in 1923 when recorded music was broadcast using parts of radio equipment from a captured German submarine.[1] Regular broadcasting started in Colombo in July 1924.[1] Ceylon's first radio station Radio Colombo started regular broadcasting on 16 December 1925.[2][3] The station was taken over by the British military during World War II who renamed the station Radio SEAC which broadcast across South Asia from October 1944. After the war the station was handed back to the civilian government of Ceylon who renamed it Radio Ceylon on 1 October 1949.[1][3] The station was immensely popular both in Ceylon and other parts of Asia.
The Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation Act No. 37 of 1966 incorporated the Department of Broadcasting.[2] Radio Ceylon became a public corporation on 30 September 1967, changing its name to Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).[2][3] Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka in 1972 after becoming a republic and consequently CBC was renamed Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC).[2][3]
SLBC broadcast on medium wave until 1993 when FM broadcasting began.[2] 95% of the country received FM transmissions by 1999.[2] The government maintained a monopoly on radio broadcasting until the early 1990s when private radio stations were allowed to broadcast. Today there are numerous private radio stations but the state-owned stations continue to dominate the market.
Radio stations
The following is a list of radio stations based in Sri Lanka.[4]
Terrestrial radio
| Station | Ownership | Owner | Language | Established | FM 1 (MHz) | FM 2 (MHz) | Digital (DRM) | Internet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddhist Radio | Charity | Sri Sambodhi Media Network | Sinhala | 101.3 | 101.5 | — |  | |
| City FM | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 89.6 | 89.8 | — | | |
| E FM | Private | EAP Broadcasting Company | English | December 1999 | 88.3 | — | — | |
| FM Derana | Private | Derana Macro Entertainment under Dilith Jayaweera | Sinhala | 29 March 2009 | 92.2 | 92.4 | — | |
| Fox FM (formerly New FM, Allai) | Private | Asset Radio Broadcasting | English | 91.4 | — | — | | |
| GoldFM | Private | Asia Broadcasting Corporation | English | September 1998 | 93.0 | 93.2 | — | |
| Hiru FM | Private | Asia Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 1998 | 96.1 | 96.3 | — | |
| Isira Pearlbayradio | Private | https://pearlbayradio.com/ | Sinhala | 89.1 | 89.3 | — | | |
| ITN FM (formerly Lakhanda radio) | State-owned | Independent Television Network | Sinhala | 93.5 | 93.7 | — | | |
| Kiss FM (formerly Kiss 898) | Private | Voice of Asia Network | English | 13 August 2009 | 96.9 | — | — | |
| Kothmale FM / Kotmale Community Radio | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala and Tamil | 97.6 | — | — | — | |
| Lak FM | Private | Lakview Broadcasting | Sinhala | 106.0 | 106.2 | — | | |
| Lakviru | Private | Lakviru Radio and Television Network | Sinhala | 105.2 | 105.4 | — | — | |
| Legends FM (formerly Isura FM, Kirula FM) | Private | MBC Networks | English | 96.6 | — | — | | |
| Lite FM | Private | TNL Radio Network | English | 27 February 1999 | 87.6 | 87.8 | — | |
| Neth FM | Private | Asset Radio Broadcasting | Sinhala | 94.8 | 95.0 | — | | |
| Pirai FM (Muslim) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Tamil | 90.1 | — | — | — | |
| Ran FM (formerly Ranone FM and Raja FM) | Private | EAP Broadcasting Company | Sinhala | 88.1 | 100.5 | — | | |
| Rangiri Sri Lanka | Charity | Rangiri Sri Lanka Media Network | Sinhala | 104.4 | 105.7 | — | | |
| Real Radio | Private | Voice of Asia Network | English | 97.1 | — | — | | |
| Red FM | Private | Sky Media Network | English | 107.8 | — | — | | |
| Rhythm World (formerly Asura FM, Rhythm FM) | Private | TNL Radio Network | Sinhala | 95.6 | 95.8 | — | | |
| Seth FM (Negombo only) | Private | Friend Media Network | Sinhala | 101.8 | — | — | | |
| Shaa FM (formerly Tharu FM) | Private | Asia Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 90.9 | 91.1 | — | | |
| Shakthi FM | Private | MBC Networks | Tamil | 20 November 1998 | 103.9 | 104.1 | — | |
| Shree FM (formerly Savana Radio) | Private | EAP Broadcasting Company | Sinhala | 1999 | 100.0 | 100.2 | — | |
| Sitha FM (formerly Singha FM & Youth Radio) | Private | Sky Media Network | Sinhala | 88.6 | 88.8 | — | | |
| Sirasa FM | Private | MBC Networks | Sinhala | 2 March 1994 | 106.5 | 106.7 | — | |
| Siyatha FM | Private | Voice of Asia Network | Sinhala | 98.2 | 98.4 | — | | |
| Vidula | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | English,Sinhala,Tamil | 107.3 | 107.5 | — | — | |
| SLBC Commercial Service (Velanda Sevaya) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 94.3 | 94.5 | — | | |
| Thendral FM | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Tamil | 104.7 | 104.9 | — | | |
| Radio Sri Lanka | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | English | 97.4 | 97.6 | — | | |
| SLBC National Service (Swadeshiya Sevaya) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 91.7 | 91.9 | — | | |
| SLBC National Service | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Tamil | 102.1 | 102.3 | — | | |
| SLBC Regional Service (Dabana) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 97.6 | — | — | — | |
| SLBC Regional Service (Jaffna) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala/Tamil | 90.1 | — | — | — | |
| SLBC Regional Service (Kandurata Sevaya) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala/Tamil | 107.3 | — | — | | |
| SLBC Regional Service (Rajarata Sevaya) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 107.3 | — | — | — | |
| SLBC Regional Service (Ruhunu Sevaya) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 107.3 | 107.5 | — | — | |
| SLBC Regional Service (Uva) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 107.3 | — | — | — | |
| SLBC Regional Service (Wayamba Handa) | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | Sinhala | 90.1 | — | — | — | |
| SLBC Sports Service | State-owned | Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation | English,Sinhala,Tamil | 107.3 | 107.5 | — | — | |
| Sooriyan FM | Private | Asia Broadcasting Corporation | Tamil | 103.4 | 103.6 | — | | |
| Sun FM | Private | Asia Broadcasting Corporation | English | 98.7 | 98.9 | — | | |
| TNL Radio (formerly TNL Rocks) | Private | TNL Radio Network | English | 99.2 | 101.8 | — | | |
| V FM | Private | Lanka Television Network | Sinhala | 107.0 | — | — | | |
| Vasantham FM | State-owned | Independent Television Network | Tamil | 102.6 | 102.8 | — | | |
| Star tamil radio (formerly Varanam FM, Vettri FM) | Private | Voice of Asia Network | Tamil | 11 February 2008 | 90.4 | 90.6 | — | |
| Capital Radio (formerly Sath FM) | Private | Sat Net | Tamil | 94.0 | — | — | | |
| Y FM | Private | MBC Networks | Sinhala | 1 December 2005 | 92.7 | — | — | |
| Yes FM | Private | MBC Networks | English | 10 December 1993 | 100.8 | 101.0 | — | |
| Tamil Radio | Private | Sky Media Network | Tamil | — | 99.7 | 99.5 | — | |
Internet radio
It has been possible to identify several media organizations that currently run online radio channels in Sri Lanka.For your convenience in identifying them, the names of some of those media organizations and their channels have been noted below.
- Good Media Network broadcasts freefm.lk and goodfm.lk.
- TBN Radio Network (Trevor Broadcasting Network) broadcasts WoW Radio, Sky Radio, Radio Gold and ONE Radio.
- Max Streaming Networks(MSN Networks) under Flizard Solutions broadcasts HITZ fm 24, Youth One Radio and Warnam Radio.And Ever fm channel under ever broadcasting group also broadcasts under the management of Max Streaming Networks.
| Station | Ownership | Owner | Language | Established | FM 1 (MHz) | FM 2 (MHz) | Digital (Website) | Internet | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HITZ fm 24 | Private | Max Streaming Networks | English | 8 May 2021 | Online | Online | https://hitzfm24.godaddysites.com/ | | ||
| Youth One Radio | Private | Max Streaming Networks | Sinhala | 25 April 2022 | Online | Online | https://youthone.godaddysites.com/ | |||
| Ever Fm | Private | Ever Broadcasting Group | Sinhala | 12 March 2021 | Online | Online | everfm.live | |||
| Sisilasa Radio | Private | Max Streaming Networks | Sinhala | 24 December 2023 | Online | Online | ||||
| Beat FM | Private | DigiBiz Holdings Pvt Ltd | Sinhala,Tamil,English | 9 May 2015 | — | — | beatfm.lk | | ||
| Heart FM | Private | DigiBiz Holdings Pvt Ltd | Sinhala,Tamil,English | 16 May 2021 | — | — | heartfm.lk | | ||
| Radio.lk | Private | DigiBiz Holdings Pvt Ltd | Sinhala,Tamil,English | 25 November 2022 | — | — | radio.lk | | ||
| WoW Radio | Private | TBN Radio Network | Sinhala | 1 January 2021 | — | — | trn.lk/wowradio | | ||
| Sky Radio | Private | TBN Radio Network | English | 25 November 2020 | — | — | trn.lk/skyradio | | ||
| Radio Gold | Private | TBN Radio Network | English | 12 June 2022 | — | — | trn.lk/radiogold | | ||
| ONE Radio | Private | TBN Radio Network | Sinhala | Soon on Stream | — | — | trn.lk/oneradio | | ||
| GOODFM.LK | Private | Good Media Network Limited | Sinhala,English,Tamil,Hindi | 2017 | — | — | — | | ||
| FREEFM.LK | Private | Good Media Network Limited | Sinhala,English,Tamil,Hindi | 2017 | — | — | — | | ||
| CSL FM | Private | CS BroadCasting Limited | Sinhala/English | 2023 | — | — | — | | ||
| Mark FM | Private | MF GROUP PVT LTD | Sinhala | 2016 | — | — | — | | ||
| Amen FM | Private | MF GROUP PVT LTD | English | 2022 | — | — | — | | ||
| Haritha Radio | Community | Haritha Network (Haritha TV) | Sinhala | 2022 | — | — | — | | ||
| Aquinas Radio | Private | Aquinas University College. | Sinhala and English | 2014 | — | — | — | | ||
| CRI Sri Lanka | Private | China Radio International | English and Sinhala | 2010 | — | — | — | | ||
| Daham Gagana Radio | Charity | Edirisingharama Monastery | Sinhala | 2011 | — | — | — | | ||
| Everlasting Radio | Private | MJF Media | English | — | — | — | | |||
| ilamai FM | Private | ilamai Media | Tamil | 24 October 2012 | online | — | — | | ||
| Kirula Radio | Private | Sinhala | — | — | — | | ||||
| Sabanda Radio | Private | Sabanda Networks | Sinhala | 10 October 2015 | — | — | — | | ||
| Siyeli Handa | Charity | Sinhala Catholic Radio | Sinhala | 2013 | — | — | — | | ||
| Rasa FM | Private | Sky Media Network | Sinhala | — | — | — | | |||
| Tamil2 FM | private | Tamil 2 | Tamil | January 2016 | — | — | — | | ||
| Tamilaruvi Radio | private | North East Media | Tamil | May 2011 | — | — | — | | ||
| Thaalam FM | Private | Yellowin Media | Tamil | — | — | — | | |||
| Tharu | Private | Sinhala | — | — | — | | ||||
| Max digital radio(formerly yathra fm, you fm, MAX Radio) | Private | MGMR Networks | Sinhala | 10 September 2006 | — | — | — | |||
| Sanda Radio | Private | Sinhala | 2024 | Online | Online | sandaradio.lk | |
International broadcasters
Several international broadcasters operate radio stations aimed at Sri Lankan audiences but broadcasting from outside Sri Lanka:
- All India Radio
- BBC World Service Sinhala Service (Sandeshaya)
- BBC World Service Tamil Service (Tamilosai)
- China Radio International Sinhala Service
- China Radio International Tamil Service
- Radio Veritas Asia
Some broadcasters use local transmitters to relay their broadcasts. Deutsche Welle broadcasts are relayed via Trincomalee on medium wave and short wave. Trans World Radio India broadcasts on medium wave using SLBC's transmitter in Puttalam. The International Broadcasting Bureau broadcasts programmes from Voice of America, Radio Azadi, Radio Free Afghanistan, Radio Free Asia, Radio Liberty and Radio Sawa on short wave using the relay station at Iranawila.
See also
References
- "FM Channel Assignment Plan" (PDF). Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka. 1 May 2015.
- Alan G. Davies. "Radio Stations in Sri Lanka". Retrieved 2010-01-01.