Civil Society: Success Stories
Tajikistan: First Independent Radio Station in Dushanbe
USAID-assisted Asia-Plus became the first independent radio station to broadcast in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe. Following multiple instances of government refusal to grant Asia-Plus a license, USAID provided the station with technical and legal assistance and widely publicized the matter to win international and domestic support. Asia-Plus started its broadcast in September 2002 and airs a mix of music and news and regularly covers political parties and local and international current events.
Although Asia-Plus deliberately refrains from criticism of the government and those in power, its coverage of politics and news is filling the information vacuum in Tajikistan. Unlike the majority of independent media outlets operating elsewhere in the country, Asia-Plus Radio is unique in that it has the potential to reach a large urban audience. The majority of the country's 17 independent television stations are limited to the north of the country, and the government continues to maintain a strong monopoly over radio.
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