A West Bank radio station that sought to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to the tune of easy-listening rock music has gone of the air because of a lack of funding.
RAM-FM had been broadcasting English-language talk shows and artists like
Michael Bolton and Air Supply from a studio in the town of Ramallah since last year. An official from the station confirmed Monday it went off the air last week. In a statement, the station said it was unable to generate sufficient advertising revenues to sustain its ongoing operation.
Owned by South African Jewish businessman Issy Kirsh, RAM-FM was modeled after a South African station that provided a venue for reconciliation after apartheid. It attracted fans in both Israel and the Palestinian territories.
This is the second time the Ram FM studio has been closed this year. In April, police temporarily shut it down, citing a lack of broadcast permit.
"We instructed the police to close the station in Jerusalem because they were broadcasting without a permit," said a Communications Ministry official in April. "They interfere with airwaves and endanger airport signals," he added.
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