Radio Sawa was an Arabic speaking radio station broadcasting to the Arab world from March 23, 2002, until November 2024. The station was a service of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc., which also operates Alhurra Television and was publicly funded by the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the U.S. Congress.[1] The word "sawa" (سوا, ) means "together" in many Arabic dialects.
Preexisting attitudes and concurrent reality of opinions towards the United States led to the creation of Radio Sawa. It sought to effectively communicate with the youthful population of Arabic-speakers in the Middle East. The station's goal is to promote pro-American attitudes to youth in the Arab world. Radio Sawa's first broadcast was on March 23, 2002. Its newscasts were broadcast live on air from its studios in Washington, D.C. and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Radio Sawa also had news bureaus and reporters throughout the Middle East.
History
Radio Sawa and its sister-network, Al Hurra TV, are part of a larger U.S. Public Diplomacy effort in the Middle East. Their stated mission is to "improve America's image in the Middle East and win the hearts and minds of the Arab people."[2]