Sept, 1987
"Good evening and welcome to the first edition of the Voice of Palestine..."
[History]
It was with these words that the VOP collective first went on the air in September, 1987.
The collective consisted of concerned Palestinian and Canadian individuals who felt that the
mainstream media totally ignored the Palestinian issue, and therefore an alternative source of news and
information had to be created. Following that first broadcast in 1987, we were immediately
attacked by local and national pro-Israeli forces. Pressure was put on the station, the CRTC,
local media and many others in an attempt to muzzle the show. A front page headline in the Vancouver
Province (pre-Canwest Global) blared "Outrage" while the inside article stated "PLO war
takes to B.C.’s airwaves". (Amazingly, we were the ones accused of inflammatory rhetoric -
check our archived images for further documents and correspondence).
However, the collective with the backing of Coop radio, persevered and refused to be chased off the air. The process was dragged out for years, with hearings in front of the CRTC, and various other tactics employed, but eventually the credibility and legitimacy of the show was upheld. This was only after the issue had taken on national dimensions and been a test case for Palestinian support work in Canada. The fact that the first Palestinian intifada occurred during that time frame and showed public opinion around the world the true face of Israeli occupation certainly contributed to a more sympathetic environment.
Since that time, Voice of Palestine has continued to be on the airwaves, every Tuesday night for the last 16 years. The show expanded from a half-hour to one hour time slot, and also added various sections, such as Focus on Zionism, Eyewitness Palestine, and more recently, Media Literacy. Over the years, interviews have been conducted with such notable figures as - Marwan Bargouthi, Hannan Ashrawi, musician Mustafa al-Kurd who played live in our studios, and the late Israel Shahak. The show has built up a sizeable listenership, here in B.C. and in Washington State, and has supporters across the country. Many of the founding members still work on the show, and hope to keep it alive and broadcasting as long as such a counter-balance is needed in the Canadian media.
However, the collective with the backing of Coop radio, persevered and refused to be chased off the air. The process was dragged out for years, with hearings in front of the CRTC, and various other tactics employed, but eventually the credibility and legitimacy of the show was upheld. This was only after the issue had taken on national dimensions and been a test case for Palestinian support work in Canada. The fact that the first Palestinian intifada occurred during that time frame and showed public opinion around the world the true face of Israeli occupation certainly contributed to a more sympathetic environment.
Since that time, Voice of Palestine has continued to be on the airwaves, every Tuesday night for the last 16 years. The show expanded from a half-hour to one hour time slot, and also added various sections, such as Focus on Zionism, Eyewitness Palestine, and more recently, Media Literacy. Over the years, interviews have been conducted with such notable figures as - Marwan Bargouthi, Hannan Ashrawi, musician Mustafa al-Kurd who played live in our studios, and the late Israel Shahak. The show has built up a sizeable listenership, here in B.C. and in Washington State, and has supporters across the country. Many of the founding members still work on the show, and hope to keep it alive and broadcasting as long as such a counter-balance is needed in the Canadian media.
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