Radio Caribbean International

Radio Caribbean International (RCI) is a radio station based in Castries, Saint Lucia.[1]

Radio Caribbean International
Frequency101.1 FM[2]
History
First air date
1961 (1961)[3]

History

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One of the oldest radio services in the Eastern Caribbean,[4] RCI was established in 1961 and was one of the country's two stations (along with Radio St. Lucia) during its early years.[3] It was a former division of French-based SOFIRAD [fr][5] and a part of Radio Caraïbes International in Martinique/Guadeloupe.[6] By November 1998, SOFIRAD proposed to sell the station to its staff; in February 1999, ownership was transferred to its longest-serving personnel, Peter Effraime and Pet Gibson. Eventually, eleven other employees filed a lawsuit against Effraime and Gibson for "breach of trust and misrepresentation".[5] RCI was faced with closure and a possible sale in June 2004 (after several years of losses),[4] but has remained on air as of 2022.[2]

Programming

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Aside from programs in English, RCI also broadcast French-language content from its launch[3] until 1995.[1] Creole-language programming was introduced in 1974[3] with the one-hour evening show Radio-a Sa-Sé Nou (It's Our Radio).[7]

Coverage

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In addition to its native St. Lucia, RCI serves listeners in Martinique and Dominica.[4]

References

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General

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  • St-Hilaire, Aonghas (15 September 2011). Kwéyòl in Postcolonial Saint Lucia: Globalization, Language Planning, and National Development. John Benjamins. p. 181. ISBN 978-90-272-5262-3. Retrieved 16 October 2023 – via Google Books.

Specific

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  1. ^ a b c St-Hilaire 2011, p. 236.
  2. ^ a b Morse, Kimberly J., ed. (2022). "St. Lucia". The Americas: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society. ABC-CLIO. p. 796. ISBN 978-1-440-85239-8. Retrieved 16 October 2023 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d Surlin, Stuart H.; Soderlund, Walter C., eds. (1990). "St. Lucia". Mass Media and the Caribbean. Gordon and Breach. p. 101. ISBN 2-88124-447-5. Retrieved 16 October 2023 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) (23 June 2004). "Radio Caribbean International facing closure". BBC Monitoring Americas. Retrieved 16 October 2023 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ a b Caribbean News Agency (CANA) (17 February 1999). "St Lucia: Row over RCI's ownership". BBC Monitoring Media. Retrieved 16 October 2023 – via ProQuest.
  6. ^ Drost, Harry, ed. (1991). The World's News Media: A Comprehensive Reference Guide. Longman. p. 429. ISBN 0-582-08554-3. Retrieved 19 October 2023 – via Google Books Snippets. Radio Caribbean International (RCI), radio service, English-language service of Radio Caraïbes Internationale; founded in 1962; funded by advertising; operates a single station [in Castries]...
  7. ^ St-Hilaire 2011, p. 181.
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