Carriers of Culture
Aramco foundational in growth of Saudi media
More than education and entertainment, Aramco’s media services have helped shape identify and shape Kingdom’s culture.
Aramco TV provided generations of residents of eastern Saudi Arabia and neighboring regions and countries with a rich source of culture, information, and entertainment from its first broadcast on Sept. 16, 1957, until it ceased production in Arabic in 1970.
Broadcasting continued in English until late 1998.
Programs were broadcast from a studio within the walls of Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran under the name “Wave TV No. 2,” and the facility was equipped with a special vehicle for filming and broadcasting local events.
The Arabic language TV channel complimented Aramco’s reach through other media such as The Caravan publication, which was later turned into a magazine, as well as through direct education and awareness campaigns.
Important films, series, and educational shows were run during the channel’s broadcasting, and Aramco TV played an important role in the dissemination of Arab culture.
Aramco radio: 65 years of broadcasting excellence
By Abdulaziz Bohmail
Aramco’s radio channels are well listened to by residents of Dhahran and its surrounding areas. But did you know that the radio station began broadcasting more than 65 years ago?
In the 1960s, Aramco’s radio offerings consisted of four stations, each specializing in a specific genre of music: country, folk, classical, and jazz. The stations broadcast on the AM range, and then in the mid-1970s, they were switched to FM. In the early 1980s, the number of channels was reduced and the genres of music broadcast were merged into two stations: Studio 1 and Studio 2.
In 2012, Aramco decided to brand its radio channels, expand their reach, and use them as a communication channel for the company. And in 2020, Aramco launched the Energy Radio KSA app to keep pace with the changing face of global digital media.
In 2022, the names of the radio stations were changed to Energy Radio 1 and Energy Radio 2. New stations offered more choice, and 10 more stations are slated to be launched, according to supervisor of Energy Radio, Jonathan L. Kirby: “Five new stations will be launched soon, with five more to be launched during 2023. All of these options come in an effort to satisfy our listeners who reached more than a million.”
The increased service offerings, the importance of diversity, and the large number of listeners has necessitated new recruits, and many Saudi talents have joined the radio team. Osama S. Al-Kadi, head of the Media Production Division, says: “Many qualified and talented people were attracted and trained intensively. Five of them have started presenting their own programs on the radio.”
2023 will be full of many developments, and we will work on making our shows live, direct, and interactive, through many local and regional events.
— Osama S. Al-Kadi
Caption for top photo: TV personnel work in Aramco’s new studio, setup props and cameras for presentation of the Baba Hattab Children’s Program in Dhahran in April 1964.