Surviving Siege: Closure, and Curfew: The Story of a Radio Station

Nablus's first radio station-the second in the Palestinian territories-was founded in 1997 as a mostly music broadcasting venue. This personal account by TMFM's founder/manager describes its evolution-mainly under the impact of the intifada-into a diversified community-oriented station that became an important information conduit for Palestinians confined to their homes during frequent curfews. While describing the station's tribulations and struggles to survive-including the studio's shelling and Israeli confiscation of transmitters and equipment-a picture emerges of a town's daily life under extreme conditions.

Amer Abdelhadi is the owner and manager of Radio Tariq al-Mahabbeh in Nablus, Palestine.