Sierra Leone is the third country to establish Radio, in 1934; after South Africa in 1923; and Kenya in 1928.

Sir Alfred Hudson, the Sunshine Governor, introduced the Freetown Re-diffusion Service in May 1934; with the Railway Department responsible for the technical aspects, while the government’s Public Relations Department took care of its programming.

In 1955, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) was launched under the Department of Broadcasting in the Ministry of Information; with responsibility for both programming and engineering. The first Director of Broadcasting, was Leslie Perowne, who was on secondment from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The BBC’s Motto: ‘And Nation Shall Speak Peace Unto Nation’ was adopted in 1927, and reflected the BBC’s ambitions and purpose at the time.

The nativity play, ‘King for all the World’, written and produced by Thomas Decker, was the first programme broadcast in Krio in 1959.
John Akar, the first Sierra Leonean Director of Broadcasting, was appointed in 1961.

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SLBS introduced School Broadcasting in 1962.

The Redifussion Service was phased out in 1963 and replaced by transistor radios, sold by the Government of Sierra Leone on hire purchase.

In 1969, a team of Broadcasting Consultants from the Commonwealth Broadcasting Committee recommended the establishment of a Public Service Broadcaster. The government rejected the recommendation; saying it was premature.

In 1974, SLBS inaugurated a 250Kw Shortwave transmitter at Waterloo for national coverage. SLBS’ signals were now being picked up in Asia, Europe and the Americas. SLBS FM 99.9 was established as the Private Atlantic Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). ABC FM 94 was stationed at Bintumani Hotel, where Captain Valentine Strasser announced the Military coup of 29th April 1992.
Earlier in 1988, the Wesleyan Church established the first private radio station in Sierra Leone- Radio Mankne in Makeni, broadcasting on Medium Wave.

In 1995, the first National Workshop on Broadcasting Policy for Sierra Leone was organised by the Department of Information and Broadcasting. The Workshop recommended the establishment of a Statutory Independent Broadcasting Authority to regulate the industry.

In his address in 1996 during the State Opening of Parliament, marking the return to Civilian Rule and Democracy, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah advocated for the establishment of Community Radios across Sierra Leone. Today, there are over 40 Community Radio stations in all the 16 Districts of the country; thanks to the three poineer organisatons- Radio Nederlands Training Centre’s Informotrac-Sierra Leone; Open Society Initiative for West Africa’s Community Radio Network; and Search for Common Ground’s Talking Drum Studio.

The Radio scape could be divided into four (4) broad categories, which are all present in Sierra Leone: state-controlled public radio; privately owned commercial radio; community-controlled radio; and international radio!

Credit: Joshua Nicol, Acting HoD, Journalism and Media Studies, Fourah Bay college, University of Sierra Leone.