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is a regional
Due to financial problems of the said university's foundation, Ryukyu Broadcasting was established on September 20, 1954 with a capital of ¥10 million to take over the radio operations of the Voice of Ryukyus, with Okinawa Times being the primary owner. Ryukyu Broadcasting officially started broadcasting on October 1, 1954 with the same call sign (KSAR) from its previous owner. An English version of the existing radio station started broadcasting on September 1 of the following year, with the callsign KSBK, primarily aimed for the US military and their families.On July 30, 1958, the broadcaster began a groundbreaking ceremony of the construction of its second generation headquarters, which was completed on May 20 of the following year, and started operations on June 23 of the same year.
On July 24, 1957, the broadcaster applied for a TV broadcasting license, which was later rejected by the prefectural government. Two years later, on April 9, 1959, they applied again for a TV broadcasting license, which was approved and obtained on December 2 of that year. Prior to their start of TV broadcast, they joined
Corporate website
Radio website
Television website
{{Authority control Japan News Network Television stations in Japan Mass media in Okinawa Prefecture Companies based in Okinawa Prefecture Television channels and stations established in 1960 Mass media in Naha
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
and television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
broadcaster headquartered in Naha
is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area ...
, Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, Japan that serves Okinawa Prefecture. It commenced radio broadcast in October 1954 and television in June 1960.
History
Okinawa under US rule
On May 16, 1949, the radio station Voice of Ryukyus was founded by the U.S. military government in the Ryukyu Islands for a trial broadcast under the call sign AKAR, and officially started broadcasting on January 21, 1950, as the first Japanese language broadcast by the U.S. military government to the Ryukyu people, with 75% of the programs broadcast by NHK and 25% by the U.S. Military Government. On February 1, 1953, its call sign changed to KSAR, alongside the increase of the broadcaster's transmitting power. On April 1, 1954, the radio station was handed over to the University of Ryukyu Foundation owing to a shift in the broadcasting industry in the United States, which had an impact on Okinawa as well.
Due to financial problems of the said university's foundation, Ryukyu Broadcasting was established on September 20, 1954 with a capital of ¥10 million to take over the radio operations of the Voice of Ryukyus, with Okinawa Times being the primary owner. Ryukyu Broadcasting officially started broadcasting on October 1, 1954 with the same call sign (KSAR) from its previous owner. An English version of the existing radio station started broadcasting on September 1 of the following year, with the callsign KSBK, primarily aimed for the US military and their families.On July 30, 1958, the broadcaster began a groundbreaking ceremony of the construction of its second generation headquarters, which was completed on May 20 of the following year, and started operations on June 23 of the same year.
On July 24, 1957, the broadcaster applied for a TV broadcasting license, which was later rejected by the prefectural government. Two years later, on April 9, 1959, they applied again for a TV broadcasting license, which was approved and obtained on December 2 of that year. Prior to their start of TV broadcast, they joined Japan News Network
The , or JNN, is a Japanese commercial television network run by TBS Television. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news bulletins to its regional affiliates, and news exchange between the stations. Its ...
. On June 1, 1960, RBC started broadcasting on TV, being the second commercial TV channel in Okinawa. In 1963, the broadcaster started to expand its broadcast coverage with the opening of its relay transmitter in Kume Island
is an island, part of the Okinawa Islands and administratively part of the town of Kumejima, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It has an area of . The island had a population of 8,713 (2010).
Kume Island is a volcanic island. Its principal economic ...
, a first in the prefecture.The following year, the first broadcast link between Japan and Okinawa was established, allowing more programs to be simulcast between the two areas.Ryukyu Broadcasting also composed "RBC Song", which was played since 1964 during sign-on and sign-off on both TV and radio until they went 24/7/365 on April 1, 2022.
Network affiliations
Radio
* Japan Radio Network (JRN)TV
* Japan News Network (JNN)Note
References
External links
Corporate website
Radio website
Television website
{{Authority control Japan News Network Television stations in Japan Mass media in Okinawa Prefecture Companies based in Okinawa Prefecture Television channels and stations established in 1960 Mass media in Naha