What is Açık Radyo?

Açık Radyo (Open Radio), which went on air on November 13, 1995, is a “regional” radio station which broadcasts to the metropolitan Istanbul area and its environs on 95.0 FM and to the whole world via www.acikradyo.com.tr 

It was founded as a private company as required by the Turkish Law on Radio and TV Broadcasting, but nevertheless functions like a not-for-profit media organization.

Açık Radyo is a collective, which has 62 partners holding equal shares with the shareholders owning “share certificates” composed of marked and numbered lithographs titled “Tughras” (Royal Ottoman seals) (re)designed by the late great painter and sculptor Abidin Dino.

The inscription on the back of each “Tughra” states:

‘’This is to certify that the support you have provided for the founding of a free, independent, democratic, dignified, compassionate, and out-of-the-ordinary radio station, which will hopefully lead to the creation of similar projects in the near future.’’ 

It must be stressed primarily that Açık Radyo is not dependent on any interest group or any corporation. Needless to say, it is completely independent from the state, too. The station is devoted to the principles of pluralist democracy, the rule of law, and the protection and promotion of universal human rights and fundamental freedoms. Thus, it is a fiercely independent medium. It can be considered as one of those rare independent institutions in the Turkish media scene, which is under increasing pressure from both the state and from the concentration of ownership of financial and power centers.

The Motto

Open Radio is open to all the sounds, colours, and vibrations of the universe.

The Programmers

During its 26 years of existence Açık Radyo has called upon the talents and efforts of 1324 individuals with an age range of between 9 and 79 years, originating from all walks of life and engaged in a rich variety of professions –plus a significant number of non-professionals and a few “vagabonds” as well– who have been contributing with some 1206 programs (talk “shows”, music “shows”, etc.) over these years.

Currently, some 230 programmers and producers are contributing with more than 150 different talk shows and music programs to Açık Radyo.

Together with the “guest speakers”, it can be asserted that each month more than 200 people have been “occupying” the modest studios and corridors of Açık Radyo, thus contributing to the general “uproar”. [Nonetheless, it must unfortunately be admitted that this used to be case until about two years ago – when the times they were suddenly changed, and the Covid-19 pandemics suddenly struck – immediately obliging everybody, except maybe a few technical personnel, to lock themselves up in their homes. Since that time, all our programs are being produced online.]

Individuals from more than 23 different nationalities of the world –American, Belgian, Bosnian, Brasilian, British, Bulgarian, Canadian, Costa Rican, Dominican, French, German, Greek, Iranian, Israeli, Italian, Lebanese, Russian, Spanish, Sudanese, Turkish, Kurdish, etc– have been part – or better still– members, of Açık Radyo’s extended family of programmers.

The outstanding common characteristic of the whole bunch of Açık Radyo programmers, (producers, DJs, narrators, etc.), during 26 years of broadcasting is that they all been “working” on a totally voluntary basis. That is to say, with very few exceptions, they are the “volunteers of Açık”, working without any salary or remuneration whatsoever. Together they make Açık Radyo a genuine community radio – a rare phenomenon not only in Turkey, but globally.

Last but not least, among Açık Radyo programmers we have had one individual who regularly co-produced a weekly music show for nearly 7 years – posthumously! (His family’s permission, of course, obtained.) And, another individual prenatally contributed for 6 months for the “Baby Scent” program. (Her permission taken for granted! Amazingly, 18 years later, she has become both a regular contributor for her father’s program, “The High Seas”, and a financial supporter of Açık, with her first salary from her very first job!

The Programs

General characteristics of Açık Radyo and its programs are as follows:

Açık Radyo can be best described as a combination of News + Music + Personality.

The sound of Açık Radyo is composed of approximately 60 percent music, and 40 percent verbal. The programs can perhaps be best described as representing the richness of diversity within genres (with an intended reference to Darwin’s masterpiece, On the Origin of Species.)

The Talk “Shows”

Açık Radyo airs “talk shows” on: News and commentary, ecology, environment, public culture, philosophy, history, language, civil society, birth, women, children, youth, grassroots organizations, the city of Istanbul, Europe, the European Union, the Mediterranean, Anatolia, fundamental rights, law, peace movements, general history, mathematics, mind games, science, science-fiction, mythology, anthropology, the human brain, economy, archeology, political economy, social policy, meteorology, climatology, local administration, design, architecture, world literature, poetry, books, drama, cinema, plastic arts, urban planning, museums, communications, the internet, electronic games, television, psychology, traffic, business world, advertising, consumer society, health, cuisine, wine, bread, olive, coffee, scent, football, sports, travel, nature, photography, amateur aviation, riding, sailing, earthquake preparedness, occupational hazards & security, workers’ rights, children’s rights, animal rights, globalization, civil society, social movements, etc.

The Music

Açık Radyo has a wide range of music programs embracing a great multitude of eras and genres, i.e., World Music, Ancient Music, Blues, Jazz, Rock ’n’ Roll, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, “Oldies”, Folk, Classical Music, Soviet, Scandinavian, American, British, French, Russian Symphonies, Pre-Classical Era Music, Medieval Music, Troubadour’s Music, Opera, Operetta, Musicals, Concertoes, Turkish-Ottoman Music, Turkish Folk Music, Turkish Rock, Byzantine Music, Armenian Music, Rebetiko, Greek Popular Music, Sephardic Songs, Chansons, “Vampire” Music, Magical Music, Reggae, Dub, Surf, Rap, Punk, Hip Hop, Latin, Brazilian, Paraguayan, Cuban, Persian, Afghan, Indian music, Bollywood music, Electronic

Music (and its various subgenres), free improvisation, music from the internet, Minimal music, Experimental music, etc. …

Programs About Various Musical Instruments

Special regular programs have been aired on a great scale concerning peculiar musical instruments such as the human voice, viola da gamba, cello, piano, jaws (jew’s) harp, guitar, clarinet, didgeridoo, and others.

An Exclusive “Branch”: The Radio “Documentary”

During 26 years of broadcasting Açık Radyo has aired (and has been airing) a great number of “documentaries” and “serials” on the following “events” and people”:

100 years of Sound Recording History of Turkey (4,5 years); writer Sabahattin Ali (100th anniversary, 6 months); composer Ferit Alnar (100th anniversary, 1 month); “Amma Hikâye” (“What a Story!” - Reading of select short stories from world and Turkish literature, 3 years); Andersen’s 200th Anniversary (an almost complete reading of his tales, 26 weeks); Arendt (100th anniversary, 1.5 months);  writer Oğuz Atay (on the 30th anniversary of his death, the complete reading of his novel, Tehlikeli Oyunlar (Dangerous Games), for 12 weeks); Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice,  (200th anniversary of its publishing, 6 months); Johann Sebastian Bach (250th anniversary of his death, 4,5 years); Baroque Music (1 year); Samuel Beckett (100th anniversary, 6 months); “Istanbul and the Armenians” following the footsteps of the Turkish Armenian writer HagopBaronyan (6 months); The Beatles (“The Quartet that Gave the Century Its Sound”, 6 months/104 hours); Hector Berlioz (200th anniversary, 6 months); Jorge Luis Borges (6 months); David Bowie (6 months, and another 6 months following his demise); Bertolt Brecht (50th anniversary of his death, 6 months), Jacques Brel (25th anniversary of his death, 6 months); “Tales from the 1001 Nights” (6 months + 6 months); Bruce Springsteen (60th anniversary, 6 months); Albert Camus (50th anniversary of his death, 3 months; complete reading of Sisifos Söyleni (The Myth of Sisyphus, on Camus’100th anniversary); Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (400th anniversary of Don Quijote + complete reading of the classical work, over a year, ongoing); John Coltrane (80th anniversary, 6 months); Anton Chekhov (150th anniversary, 2 months); Charles Darwin (200th anniversary and 150th anniversary of The Origin of Species, 6 months); Simone De Beauvoir (100th anniversary, 5 programs); Claude Debussy, (100th anniversary, 6 months), Charles Dickens (200th anniversary, six months);; Antonín Dvorák (100th anniversary of his death, 6 months); Denis Diderot (300th anniversary, 1 year); Bob Dylan (60th anniversary, 1 year + “Half a Century of  Dylan’s Music”, all albums and some covers, ongoing, ); Duke Ellington (100th anniversary, 1 month); the ECM Anthology of Music (1 year); poet Tevfik Fikret (90th anniversary of his death, 2 months); Sigmund Freud (6 months); Baldassare Galuppi (300th anniversary, 3 months), George Gershwin (100th anniversary, 1 month); Philip Glass (80th anniversary, complete works, ongoing); Nikolai Vassilievich Gogol (200th anniversary, 5 months); Gödel-Escher-Bach (4 months); Grammophone Records (1 year); Woody Guthrie (90th anniversary, 1 month; 100th anniversary, 4 months, ongoing); Georg Friedrich Händel (250th anniversary of his death, 4 months), “Hayat-ı Hakikiye Hikayeleri” (Readings of “True Tales” from Açık Radyo Listeners, 6 Months), His Master’s Voice in Turkey (2 months); Billie Holiday (90th anniversary, 6 months); Michael Jackson (50th anniversary, 6 months); The Illiad (complete reading, 6 months); Franz Kafka (125th anniversary, reading of The Metamorphosis, 22 programs); Writer Bilge Karasu (4 months); The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky (complete reading, 52 weeks), Fables by La Fontaine (1 year); John Lennon (25th anniversary of his death, 6 months); Madame Bovary by Flaubert (150th anniversary of its publishing, complete reading, 3 months); Madonna (50th anniversary, 1 month); composer and virtuoso Mesut Cemil (100th anniversary, 1 week + ); composer and virtuoso Tamburi Cemil (100th anniversary of his death, 6 months), Gustav Mahler (90th anniversary of his death, 1 year); Olivier Messiaen (110th anniversary); Felix Mendelssohn (200th anniversary, 6 weeks); Ilhan Mimaroğlu (4 months following his demise); Jim Morrison (25th anniversary of his death, 1 week; 30th anniversary of his death, 2 months); Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (250th anniversary, 1 year); Music Assemblies in Turkey (52 weeks); writer, poet, activist Aziz Nesin (100th anniversary of his death, 6 months + remembering him, 6 months); Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker (50th anniversary of his death, 6 months); Pacifica Radio (60th anniversary, 2 months); Orhan Pamuk (complete reading of the novel The Museum Of Innocence for his 60th birthday, 8 months); Cesare Pavese (100th anniversary, 1 week); composer Selahattin Pınar (100th anniversary, 1 month), Edgar Allen Poe (anniversary of his 200th birth and 160th of his death, 1 month), Elvis Presley (25th anniversary of his death, 1 month + remembering, 6 months); Protest Music in History (6 months); Rembrandt (400th anniversary, 6 months); composer Cemal Reşit Rey (100th anniversary, 8 months); Jean-Jacques Rousseau (300th anniversary, 10 weeks); J.D. Salinger (90th anniversary, complete reading of Franny and Zooey, 4 months); William Saroyan (100th anniversary, complete reading of The Human Comedy, two months); Erik Satie (150th anniversary, 6 months); composer Ahmet Adnan Saygun (100th anniversary, 6 months); Domenico Scarlatti (250th anniversary, 30 weeks); Friedrich Schiller (250th anniversary, 1 month); Münir Nurettin Selçuk (100th anniversary, 1 month); Pete Seeger (90th anniversary, 1 month, repeated at after his death); William Shakespeare ("Words, words, words...", Celebration of 450th anniversary, Shakespeare Lives, everyday for 1 year, repeated partly at 400th of death); Music from the contemporaries of Shakespeare (5 years); Robert Schumann (200th anniversary, 2 months); Sappho (reading of 17 new translations of her poems in 3 languages, accompanied by original scores) Jean-Paul Sartre (100th anniversary, full reading of What is Litterature?); Soviet (Russian) Rock (1 year); Friedrich Schiller (250thanniversary, 6 months); select Short Stories from World & Turkish Literature (3 years); Robert Schumann (200th anniversary, 2 months); Dmitry Shostakovich (100th anniversary, 2 months); Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas (4 months); Igor Stravinsky (6 months); String Quartets (1 year), Turkish music virtuoso and composer Tanburi Cemil (6 months); Lev Tolstoy (full reading of War and Peace, on his 100 the birthday anniversary); Turkish Rock Music (1 year); Turkish Pop Music (a history of 50 years of Turkish pop music, every week); Oral History of the Turkish State Radio (3,5 years); composer İlhan Usmanbaş (2 months); Giuseppe Verdi (200th anniversary; 6 months); Vladimir Vysotsky (30th anniversary of his death, 2 months); Jules Verne (180th anniversary, 20 programmes + Jules Verne in Turkish, 6 months); Boris Vian (90th anniversary, 4 weeks), Richard Wagner (200th anniversary, 1 year); Kurt Weill (100th anniversary, 1 month); Yaşar Kemal (following his demise a full reading of his complete journalistic reporting, Röportaj Yazarlığında 60 Yıl/60 Years Of Reporting, , over 1 year); String Quartets (1 year); Frank Zappa (2 years); 200th anniversary of Frankenstein; Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (50th anniversary)...

Programs on Special Dates, Anniversaries, Commemorations, Documentaries

40th anniversary of the ’68 Revolution; 50th anniversary of the pogrom of September 6 and 7, 1955; 75th anniversary of the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti; the 20th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila Massacres; the 25th anniversary of the coup d’etat of 9/12, 1980; the 40th anniversary of  the coup d’etat of 3/12, 1971; the 50th anniversary of the coup d’etat of 5/27,1960; the 40th anniversary of the 6/15 -16, 1970 atrocities, the 9/11 atrocities on its first anniversary…

Also, in 2000 a 2-hour documentary on the first anniversary of the great 1999 earthquake disaster; on the 10th anniversary another 2-hour documentary on the 1999 Earthquake disaster;

And, the annual “wrap up” programs titled “Last Year in Perspective”, broadcast on the last days of every year since 1996 (21 programs broadcast to date).

Some Other Highlights

Hosting HABITAT - II:

Acting as a semi-official radio station for the UN International HABITAT (II) Conference held in Istanbul in 1996, Açık Radyo broadcast 3 hours daily bilingually for 10 consecutive days.

(Re)Producing the Russell-Einstein Manifesto:

In 2005, in cooperation with Radio Nederland, we produced a 2-hour program commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto delivered as a solid protest against the production and use of nuclear weapons.

Memories of Childhood:

Between 1999-2011 we regularly produced and broadcast exclusive programs on religious holidays. We interviewed more than 80 distinct personalities from all walks of life, excelling in art, music, literature, history, science, journalism, etc. These 2-hour long interviews, broadcast together with music selected by the guests themselves, may perhaps be described as an exercise in some sort of “oral history”, an endeavor which is admittedly rather rare in Turkey. …

Special Anniversary Broadcast – I

“Açık Radyo is 10 years old”: Celebrating our 10th broadcasting year with a special collage/documentary in 8 parts, 30 minutes each.

Special Anniversary Broadcast – II: “Açık Radyo is 15 years old”:

An exclusive 3-hour documentary titled “Timeline” covering the notable global events of the previous 15 years.

Special Broadcast – III: “Talking Açık Radyo – The First 20 Years”:

Three one-hour episodes of a documentary were broadcast on the 20th anniversary of the radio station. This was an effort in search of a different kind of documentation of our broadcasts – we tried to share with our listeners the events reflecting significant episodes from the previous years, beginning with our first day of broadcasting.

Exclusive Recordings of Special Music Events (Broadcast on our 20th Anniversary)

November 13, 2015 was Açık Radyo’s 20th anniversary. For this reason we started an ‘archeological dig’. We dipped into 17-18 year-old exclusive recordings of live concerts from the historical Istanbul Music Fests I and II, held in 1997 and ‘99. These unforgettable music festivals were produced by Acik Radyo in collaboration with the Pozitif music organization. Although both events have been a huge success, they had not been aired until that date. The historic recordings were brought out to daylight for the first time ever in 2015, to be broadcast exclusively for our 20th anniversary. After brushing the dust off, we started broadcasting. Some of the recordings were regularly aired on the early morning music show, ‘Sabahlık’ during the week. They were being broadcast for the first time on any other media. The recordings of the many live “mini-concerts” from the now-quasi legendary Fests of ’97 and ’98 were then promptly “embedded” with various other regular music programs of the radio.

Listeners as “Special Guests”:

The music recordings and interviews made by special guests for Açık Radyo’s birthdays, anniversaries, and listener - support campaigns or for other special occasions were continuously aired throughout the year of 2015.

“A Theater of The Mind”:

(Readings of literature, radio drama and exclusive recordings at Açık Radyo)

Açık Radyo, in its Manifesto of 1995, states that it would seek to establish a “theater of the mind”. Since then it has diligently strived to uphold this claim by numerous readings from world literature starting with Alexandre Dumas’ (Père) classics: The Three Musketeers was read live on air daily for several months. This was to be immediately followed by the second time: 20 Years After.

Select episodes and/or tales from yet another and much older classic, the One Thousand and One Nights were read just ‘round midnight’ in order to provide yet further “clarity of mind” to our listeners.

During this “adventure of the mind” huge novels such as War and Peace by Tolstoy were read from cover to cover for years. Sometimes they addressed a single hypothetical listener (also known as “The Fat Lady” to certain members of the Glass family). The complete reading in the wee hours of the morning of The Brothers Karamazov in its original language, went “parallel” to the daytime rush-hour rendering of the great classic in its full Turkish translation.

The Unique “Stage” of Açık Radyo

The Açık Radyo “stage” opened it’s “curtains” in November 2005 with the performances of the theatre troupe called the “Civil Theater”.

In May 2006, another troupe called “Theatre After - 6” took over the radio drama project with the title “Voices From Filifu”. 25 plays by leading writers from all around the world such as Aziz Nesin, Tennessee Williams, Alexander Pushkin, Behçet Necatigil, Yiğit Sertdemir, Cüneyt Uzunlar, Federico García Lorca, Eugène Ionesco, Anton Chekhov, Woody Allen, Dario Fo and many other notable playwrights have thus been aired.

In the same year, Açık Radyo participated in the 15th International Istanbul Theatre Festival with an exclusive production of Lorca’s The Shoemaker’s Remarkable Wife, by yet another troupe called the “Theatre Playhouse.”

The troupe Theatre After-6, whose members themselves being long-time Açık Radyo programmers as well, brought Gogol’s classic play The Government Inspector to life in Açık Radyo studios to celebrate the playwright’s 200th anniversary.

The Ban on Açık Radyo for reading a Bukowski Short-Story:

Açık Radyo has even been closed down for 15 days by the authorities, because of a rendering of legendary “hobo” writer Charles Bukowski’s world renowned short-story, The Most Beautiful Woman in Town.

Exclusive radio drama productions of modern classics:

In 2016, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and Antigone (by Jean Anouilh's modern adaptation of Sophocles’ classical tragedy) have been produced and broadcast to much acclaim by the troupe Tiyatro Tatavla exclusively for Açık Radyo.

Fairy tales – a revival:  Açık Radyo also took great pride and joy for bringing fairy tales back into our lives. Andersen’s Tales have been recited in commemoration of the writer’s 200th anniversary by the late great actress Tomris Incer in 2005. The next year, she went on to recite fairy tales from the peoples of the world – From Anatolia to the Far East, from Mexico to India, from Vietnam (back) to Andersen’s Denmark...

Cervantes, Nesin, Saroyan, Koçu, and “company”:

In 2005, in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the publication of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, readings and commentaries by scholar Jale Parla were realized and broadcast in 32 episodes.

2005 was also the 10th anniversary of the death of the celebrated Turkish writer Aziz Nesin. Accordingly, readings from Nesin’s short stories were featured and aired for months on end.

Armenian American author William Saroyan was commemorated by a complete reading of his magnum opus The Human Comedy over a period of six months. These renderings have later become parts of an exhibition by the title of “Saroyan in Istanbul.”

Cult eccentric historian-writer Reşad Ekrem Koçu also joined the party –albeit posthumously– with our regular readings from his priceless Tarihimizde Garip Vakalar (Weird Stories From Our History).

Franz Kafka was also on air at Açık Radyo on his 125th anniversary. We celebrated his birthday by a complete reading of his classic short-story, The Metamorphosis daily for months on end.

The Nobel laureate Jean-Paul Sartre –on his own centennial– could be said to be searching yet for a meaningful answer to his own burning question, What is Literature? (This monumental work has been completely read and broadcast in installments.)

2007 was the 150th anniversary of the publication of Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. Celebrated Turkish actress Tilbe Saran committed herself to daily readings of Flaubert’s opus magnum for three months, taking great care to always follow the original chapter divisions of the novel.

Turkish dissident author Sabahattin Ali would have been 100 in 2007 – had he not been cruelly murdered at the age of 41 by the agents of the “deep state” apparatus. On the occasion of the anniversary Açık Radyo featured his short stories, poems, and letters during a period of six months to celebrate the great writer’s centennial.

Tilbe Saran continued her readings with a rendition of Oğuz Atay’s novel titled Tehlikeli Oyunlar (Dangerous Games)to mark the 30th anniversary of the author’s death. (As mentioned above, this reading was followed up by a reading of  Karamazov Kardeşler (The Brothers Karamazov), while the Russian original of the classic was read by another celebrated actress, Maria Merzlyakova Akgüllü from the St. Petersburg Academy.)

J.D. Salinger’s 90th birthday was celebrated by a complete reading of Franny ve Zooey (Franny and Zooey) by Ömer Madra, who also happened to be the translator of the novella into Turkish.

Meanwhile, Açık Radyo has also participated in and collaborated with the international network which produced the “Voices from Iran” project: Consequently, eight short plays by modern Iranian playwrights have been aired at Açık Radyo in 2011 and 2012.

23 April, 2014 was the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare. From the beginning of the year Açık Radyo had already started celebrating the anniversary by broadcasting immortal lines from the Bard of Avon on life, death, power, omnipotence, love, humiliation, nobility, passion, theft, shame, flattery, politics, storms, climate, the commons, and many more…. These were read in between programs throughout the day for the year throughout. We commemorated the poet with the series titled “Words, words, words ... Shakespeare is Among Us” Our programmers and actor friends rendered some of his famous sonnets, lines and tirades. In addition, the subject of “the reverberations and reflections of Shakespeare on Ottoman-Turkish music” was examined by Bülent Aksoy in three consecutive programs. The series was based upon an article on this topic by poet, scholar and Açık Radyo programmer Cevat Çapan. (Incidentally, two of the songs which we were unable to dig up from the archives of TRT, the State Radio and TV, were performed especially for

Açık Radyo for this occasion.) ...We also interviewed Professor Terry Eagleton, the world renowned Marxist Shakespeare scholar and philologist, on the influence of the Bard on the contemporary world.

Thinking it suited the zeitgeist perfectly, we have rendered another important literary work, 1984, the classical dystopia of George Orwell’s. 1984 was read and broadcast fully in the year 2014.

On the other hand, The Myth of Sisyphus, the collection of philosophical essays by philosopher and novelist Albert Camus, was on air from the beginning of 2014 until the end of the year, with actress Saran reading it.

When the great writer and human rights, peace and nature advocate Yaşar Kemal passed, we chose to mark this sad event by a complete reading of one of his less known yet greatest masterpieces, Röportaj Yazarlığında 60 Yıl (60 Years Of Reporting and Story Telling). (Incidentally, the powerful rendering was made by professional speaker Adnan Acar, who was part of the duo that had read “The 1001 Nights” every midnight during the formative first years of Açık Radyo.

At around the same time, we started reading Ancient Greek lyric poet Sappho’s timeless poems. Greek musician and singer Vassiliki Papageorgiou, who had translated the poems from ancient Greek to modern, rendered the poems in their original version as well. The Turkish translations of the poems were rendered by our musician programmer Sumru Ağıryürüyen. The rendering of Sappho’s verses were accompanied by original tunes composed exclusively for this program by Orçun Baştürk, an Açık Radyo programmer.

2015 also happened to be the 150th anniversary of the publishing of Alice In Wonderland (Alis Harikalar Ülkesinde). Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece, ably translated into Turkish by writer Tomris Uyar, was read by actor Tolga Korkut and was broadcast for over 3 months. Highly motivated by the interest shown by the listeners, we felt we could not slow down, so we continued with the reading of Aynanın İçinden, (Through the Looking-Glass), the equally important classic by Carroll.

Last but not least, in what can be viewed as one of the greatest achievements of Açık Radyo within the broader context of “All the radio’s a stage”, we were able to realize what we called the “True Turkish Tales” project. With the instigation of one of our programmers, Güven Güzeldere, who had been inspired by a similar project realized by renowned writer Paul Auster for NPR in the US, we made a call to all our listeners worldwide, inviting them to send in their “true tales” to be selected, read and broadcast at the radio. And they did. Among the more than 400 short-stories we have, through a democratic process, chosen 127 true tales, and they were rendered and broadcast in the spring-summer season of 2016. The project, realized in collaboration with Boğaziçi University’s Nâzım Hikmet Culture and Arts Center was a great success. Shortly afterwards the short-stories were published in a 500-page book in the spring of 2017, with the title Türkiye Hikâyelerini Anlatıyor (Turkey’s Telling OwnTrue Tales).

NB: A final note on the “theatre of the mind”:

In what must be a rare occasion in the global history of broadcasting, a radio station was granted a theatre award. During the 11th Lions Theatre Awards, Açık Radyo was presented with a special award for its efforts to widen the scope of theatre audience by producing and broadcasting the program “Kuranderde Kalanlar” (“Exposed to the Undercurrent”).

The Guests

Some of the Guests We Have Hosted So Far

We have calculated that some 25,000 “guests” have been hosted at Açık Radyo over 22 years of broadcasting. Just for some “name-dropping”, here is a short list of individuals who have honored us by participating in our broadcasting endeavor:

From Noam Chomsky to Naomi Klein, James Hansen to Harvey Weiss, Bill McKibben to Chris Hedges, Richard Falk to Thomas Hammarberg, Amy Goodman to Robert Fisk, Arundhati Roy to Norman Finkelstein, Amira Hass to Mariam Saïd, Joseph Stiglitz to Yılmaz Akyüz, George Monbiot to Michael Albert, Hrant Dink to David Barsamian, Çağlar Keyder to Benjamin Barber, Matthew Lasar to Sharon Wood; Hasan Cemal to Murat Belge, Gürol Irzık to Serol Teber, Gilberto Gil to Tania Maria, Neşet Ertaş to Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca, Ara Güler to Harold Feinstein, Philippe Descola to Jacques Rancière, Muntadas to Ian Haydn Smith, Mike Stoller to Hal David, Füruzan to Adalet Ağaoğlu, Fredrick Jameson to Thomas Pogge, Vandana Shiva to Kumi Naidoo, Yaşar Kemal to Çetin Altan, Tuncel Kurtiz to Uğur Yücel, Ergun Özbudun to to Bakır Çağlar, Timothy Garton Ash to Şevket Pamuk, İbrahim Ferrer to Omara Portuondo, Gilbert Achcar to Samir Amin, Sue Mingus to Susana Baca, Ajda Pekkan to Nil Karaibrahimgil, Tarik Ali to José Bové, Uri Avnery to Daniel Amit, Burhan Doğançay to Mehmet Güleryüz, Orhan Pamuk to Vüs’at O. Bener, Mıgırdiç Margosyan to Cevat Çapan, Emine Behiye Karakitapoğlu'ndan Birsen Ulucan'a; Terry Eagleton to Slavoj Žižek, Aykut Barka to Ross Stein, Haluk Bilginer to Kenan Işık, Aykut Kocaman to Simon Kuper, Ornette Coleman to Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Arif Mardin to Ahmet Ertegün, Niyazi Sayın to Nevzat Atlığ, İnci Çayırlı to Münip Utandı, Kâzım Koyuncu to Bülent Ortaçgil, İdil Biret to Ayla Erduran, Susan Buck-Morss to Helena Norberg-Hodge, Franco “Bifo” Berardi to Michael Hardt, Amitav Gosh to Elisabeth Povinelli, John Zerzan to James Petras, Lester Brown to Maude Barlow, Wolfgang Sachs to Lisa Franzetta, Franny Armstrong to Annie Leonard, Terry Tempest Williams to Raj Patel, Joel Kovel to David Harvey, Johan Galtung to Bill Ayers, Mark Kurlansky to Thomas Blanton, Pierre Dardot to Christian Laval, Bertrand Tavernier to Fatih Akın, Thierry ‘Titi’ Robin to İnti İllimani, Charlie Haden to Toots Thielemans, from Ibrahim Maalouf to Sir Ian McKellen, Stefanos Yerasimos to John Berger, Eleni Karaindrou to Ross Daly, Semih Balcıoğlu to Piyale Madra, Martin Rowson to Aaron Sezar, Harun Tekin to Aylin Aslım, Esbjörn Svensson to “Muffy” Falay, Özdemir Erdoğan to Erol Büyükburç, Gülay Diri to Güzin Değişmez,  Dave Clark to Peaches, Larry Coryell to Mike Stern...

… From the torturer to his victim, from HIV/AIDS patients to trans individuals, from the 3 year-old horse-rider to the 93 year-old musician, from the 8 year-old environmental activist to the 80 year-old movie projectionist, from a renowned chef to a relatively less well-known horse cart driver, from the autistic youngster to the experienced genetic scientist, from TESEV to MAZLUMDER, from KADER to KAMER, from Amnesty International to Greenpeace, from Adbusters to 350.org – on the  average 3 guests a day everyday throughout all these years.

Content (Some of the Main Issues Covered)

A hydra-headed crisis: Pandemics

In the global pandemic days, the way politics dealt with our common 'health crisis' once again proved that we need the independent media more than anything else for a truly functioning democracy. 

In these extraordinary times, while the COVID-19 outbreak rapidly intensified the polarization already existing within the society in general, the health crisis has quickly morphed into a hydra-headed, i.e, socio-politico-economic crisis, thus Açık Radyo's fact-driven and science-based “foolproof” broadcasting is of vital importance.

Regarding this, we have inaugurated a daily new program called "Korona Günleri" [Corona Days] to which we’ve given a start during the very first days of the outbreak. The show is presented by one of our long-standing programmers, the world-renowned microbiologist and virologist Prof. Selim Badur. A trustee in the "Académie des Sciences", and an expert on the WHO's "Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board" Professor Badur has already been producing a weekly radio hour at Açık Radyo, “Önce Sağlık” [Health Comes First]. Now, on the “Corona Days”, with a view to separating the scientific medical facts from false information and “propaganda”, we follow, with Professor Badur, the most recent international scientific publications and thus observe how the world responds to the outbreak.

The social and aesthetical aspects of the pandemics have not been excluded either. Between May and November of 2020, the weekly show “Korona Günlerinde Aşk” [Love in the Corona Days], co-hosted by Ayşe Köse Badur & Selim Badur, has sought relentlessly the actuality of pandemics in daily life, and tried to grasp the evolving notions of touch & contact. 

Another show called “Vakayiname” [Chronicles] have started just after the outbreak and covers the effects of the virus from the perspective of scientific communities (“biologists, doctors, healthcare professionals, mathematicians, social scientists, etc.) whose opinions and evaluations are rarely consulted. Harvard University professor of Philosophy and Neurology Güven Güzeldere is the host and producer.

Last but not least, “Salgınlar Çağı” [The Age of Epidemics: Health during the Pandemics] is another regular show on Açık Radyo. Produced by two renowned Turkish public health experts, Osman Elbek & Kayıhan Pala, the program covers the general dynamics of epidemics, including non-COVID-19 epidemics, affecting the world, with their causes and their speed rates of spreading. In the same vein, it deals with the problems of healthcare workers, the interpretation of social problems caused by the pandemic from an economic, democratic and ecological perspective, and the changes of meaning of the concepts of health and disease over time.

To these it must be added the daily reading of “La Peste” [The Plague], the masterpiece by the Nobel-winning great writer/philosopher/résistant Albert Camus, depicting the horrific days of pestilence and great stories of human achievement in an Algerian town under French colonization. These readings started almost right after the announcement of the global Covid-19 pandemics. And, Açık Radyo almost simultaneously started the daily readings of the “Psikoçöküntü Günlükleri” [Diaries of the Age of  Psycho-deflation] by the great radio personality and  activist/philosopher Franco “Bifo” Berardi. In the Diary, translated and read by our long-time colleague Prof. Serhan Ada “Bifo” charts the spiralling collapse of the social order as a consequence of COVID-19.

Besides, we also believe that we have the capacity to discuss many other different (social, philosophical, ethical, aesthetical, and political) aspects of the pandemic as well, thanks to our 230 volunteer programmers producing various content matter in 153 different programs, all keeping the pulse of the day when the health crisis is rapidly turning into an economic, social and psychological crisis.

On Global Climate Change and Global Justice

Açık Radyo, since its inception, has been actively engaged in the struggle waged against global climate change and global warming. It has continuously tried to amass scientific information and evidence of devastating changes in the atmosphere, oceans, ice cover, land, and biodiversity, and then to disseminate and share this information with the general public. In short, it has always tried to focus on what it deems to really matter.

Besides giving widest possible coverage to the greatest threat ever faced by the biosphere –which is caused mainly by fossil fuel corporations and affecting foremost the poor and the weak of the world– the editors and programmers of Açık Radyo have undertaken the rather painful task of organizing of and taking part in panels, conferences, seminars, TV/radio shows held on the issue around the country.

We have produced two separate live programs powered by solar energy on the subject.

Also, we have been among the main organizers of the 2005 Istanbul Climate March, which was held on 3 December 2005, in coordination with the global movement, to protest against global climate change. The meeting, the first of its kind ever, was held with the active participation of more than a thousand individuals.

In 2006, Açık Radyo also was actively involved in the organization of the Istanbul demonstration held as a part of the second international mass rally against global warming. The day of the rally in Istanbul, 4th of November, happened to be one of the coldest days and –at least until mid December– the only snowy day of the year.  Nevertheless, there has been quite an active participation by at least 500 people.

Açık Radyo also participated in the "Stop Climate Change" march in 2007, and in the "Another Energy is Possible" rally in 2008.

In 2009, numerous programmers from Açık Radyo participated to the COP15 “Climate Summit” in Copenhagen. We followed the summit during all its 13 days and broadcast live every day. Açık Radyo also participated in the 100.000 - strong mass demonstration in Copenhagen. 17 hours of broadcasting have been accomplished during COP15 meetings.

Açık Radyo was also among the organizers of the Turkish “leg” of 10/10/10, the biggest global mass climate movement in history, an initiative of 350.org. At the end of the demonstration in Taksim, renowned thinkers and activists Noam Chomsky and Richard Falk were also present. Both of the leading dissident intellectuals made speeches for the occasion and these speeches were broadcast by Açık Radyo.

In 2011 Açık Radyo was present in COP17 in Durban, South Africa as well. The climate “summit” was covered live on a daily basis. On the last day of the conference hundreds of participants staged a sit-in in front of the Main Hall entrance before the plenary session, in protest over the lack of progress in the negotiations. They were properly “de-badged” and compelled to leave the UN conference building. The editor in chief of Açık Radyo was among them.

From 2009 onwards we went on to cover every COP (climate summit held by the UN) with live reporting, including the so-called historic Paris Summit in 2015. Our volunteer-reporters have also been present in all of the “alternative summits” held in parallel with the UN official summits, as well as taking an active part in all of the protests and rallies that took place.

In 2019, Açık Radyo became a part of the "Covering Climate Now" project, co-sponsored by The Nation and the Columbia Journalism Review. The project, with the participation of more than 200 media outlets, including The Guardian, aims to bring together media journalists and news channels, and to find more efficient ways for the media as a whole to publicize the climate crisis and the solutions brought.

In sum, the members of the Açık Radio “family” continue to be a part of the efforts to build a global mass movement to make sure that necessary steps are taken against the biggest crisis facing the planet before it’s too late.

A Homeresque Epic Broadcast Adventure: In these numerous, tens of thousands hour-long programmes that we've been making for 26 years, we embarked on a broadcasting journey that spans from Turkey to the world, from the North Pole to the South Pole, from the rainforests in the tropics fixed in a constant 100% humidity to the peaks of snow-covered -at least for the moment- mountains and from there to the bottom of the deepest seas.

A Colorful Palette: Theories, theorists, practices, practitioners, activists, combatants, economists, meteorologists, disaster recovery volunteers, politicians, lawyers, travelers, storytellers, rockers, rappers, artists, filmmakers, documentarists, nature-devotees, those that rise the sun in the solstice rites, Indians, blacks, Africans, Asians, Australians, those that lay down their lives for nature, Pacific Island natives that block and stop the giant oil platform in their tiny canoes, those that walk thousands of kilometers in Anatolia and open up a bit more in each kilometer, those that keep watch day and night in the Eastern Black Sea forests for days and even for weeks, those that go through the safety control nine times within a couple of hours to prevent the construction of a nuclear power plant, those that resist against gold mines, coal mines, nickel mines, uranium mines, plutonium ores and stone pits, those that get beat up, taken into custody and put behind bars only to protect the life of the planet, those that go on a hunger strike for an unlimited period in the presence of the authorities at the UN headquarters, those that are thrown out of the UN climate summit escorted by the UN police officers and "lose their ranks" immediately for making a fleet protest, those that are slaughtered by hired killers for protecting the environment against stone pits, those that insist on hanging on the masts while getting squirted pressurized cold water in a sea of ice, those that tell all the goings-on there on the radio, those that write, draw, melodize all these, pious long-marchers, non-believing or atheistic nature lovers, water-protecting natives, hermits, tree-dwellers, those that live the life of Tarzan, Anatolian leopards, lynxes, those that watch the birds migrate, those that pledge themselves to the protection and preservation of the planet, those that strive like a beaver, toil and moil humbly for this cause, ninety year-old woman resisters and more have found a place for themselves on this colorful programme palette...

COP 2008 Poznan: We were in a little over half of our broadcast life that another young environmental combatant came into our lives. Anna Keenan, a 24-year-old Australian activist woman, attended the Poznan climate summit in 2008 together with 4 friends, using trains and various transport modes -not a plane!- to come from Australia in 40 days and concluded her speech with the words, "One Planet, One Future!".

COP 2009 Copenhagen: Then, exactly 1 year later, we saw her on hunger strike at the Copenhagen Summit that started with high hopes and would end with great disappointment. She was one of the intergenerational combatants of the struggle for justice. She spoke into our microphone, saying, "We started our climate justice hunger strike on November 6. It was the final days of the United Nations climate talks held in Barcelona, the last talks before the start of the Copenhagen Summit. That was 32 days ago and I haven't eaten anything in over a month. It's been a very difficult month. I've had a lot of difficulty regarding self-discipline, my body and mind. But, it was incredibly satisfying at the same time. Many came and said they supported what we were doing there. People send their love and energy to us. This energy and support coming from all over the world is what really keeps us on track.

[...] We call this protest "Justice Hunger Strike" since it is entirely about justice [...] and it is an international and intergenerational act of justice. What international justice really means is that those living in wealthy countries have long been benefiting from world's resources. And this causes problems to the developing countries that have suffered the first and most. And this is what intergenerational justice means: our generation and the older generations have exhausted the resources very quickly. That alone means disaster for the generations to come. The same goes for my generation. I am 24 years old, in 2050 I'll be 65. If we do not solve this problem, we are going to experience the effects of climate change right within my lifetime."

Right to Moral Protest: Anna fully embraced that vital role of the "reporter" and protesting was a "moral right" for her: "We use our right to moral protest in the corridors of power in which the delegates of the United Nations meet. We're talking to the media. We will meet with delegates from all the important countries and tell them what we think and what should happen. We will get them to “feel” our messages.

2014: Historic Climate March and Children: New York: One of the most exciting "moments" covered by this broadcast spectrum was, without a doubt, the historic climate march held in New York City in the year 2014. Manhattan, swarming with a huge audience of 400 thousand people from all corners of the world, went on the books as a scene to remember. Another equally memorable thing was the way children and young people "dealt with" the situation. The knowledge, emotional levels, rhetorical skills, levels of creativity of these child environmental "combatants" on climate justice was striking to anyone! They were very much active, they were directly involved in the organization and they were fully aware of what they were doing... Third and fourth grade elementary school students were working as journalists for their newspapers, taking notes and asking questions such as, "what is your reason for being here?" For example, a 9 or 10-year-old said in a very simple sense: "I'm here, I'm here for the march, because if you don't stop climate change, I'm going to die when I grow up!"

"I want to live when I grow up too!"  It was one of the rings of the uninterrupted struggle line of young people. This basic and unshakeable logic proposition of the 10-year-old primary school student and activist in 2014 was repeated in the same creative manner on a banner in the hands of another 10-year-old child in one of the truantry/school ditching strikes carried out in an endless horizon line spanning from Europe, especially Belgium, to Australia: "I want to live when I grow up too!"

Identical Twin of the Climate Crisis: The Collapse of the Biological Life: Dahr Jamail, a journalist, author and activist whose writings, speeches and actions we try to reflect with great care on Açık Radyo, quoted in his unique and wisely-written book The End of Ice, published in early 2019, Dr. Thomas Lovejoy's words, who is called by many the "godfather of biological diversity”,  about the vital importance of biodiversity and what might happen on the planet if it were to be degraded from somewhere: "Everything... depends on the sensitivity of a couple of species. If they go, they will bring down the whole structure with them and no scientific modeling is going to pick that up... The ecological systems are great while they are working, but we don’t totally understand where the fuses are."

"The most basic issue of our time": Almost 40 years ago in 1980, Lovejoy wrote: "Hundreds of thousands of species will perish, and this reduction of 10 to 20 percent of the Earth’s biota will occur in about half a human life span…. This reduction of the biological diversity of the planet is the most basic issue of our time.”

Human Civilization is on the Rocks: However, Lovejoy believed that most people still undervalue biodiversity: "However, the phenomenon called biodiversity has made it possible for human civilization to come into existence by forming and maintaining the entire life base of Earth’s biosphere.  Our presence has depended on an equilibrium that is now askew and on the rocks."

Into a dangerous and chaotic future - rapidly! As we were entering the 25th broadcast anniversary of Açık Radyo, we were caught up -much to our regret- in countless studies and news that show that life on the planet was rapidly shifting into one of the most dangerous and chaotic situations the world has seen in millions of years. Many news, from climate change to the extinction of all insects, to polar bears coming down  to the streets of towns and entering people's houses in Russia, to the mass extinction of gulls in island countries, to the drowning of millions of fish in the rivers, to rises in sea levels, to images of ecological destruction, to the successive extreme hot and cold weather events, to ever-rising waves of forced immigration, to the rise of war and even nuclear war threats have been catching our eyes almost daily.

In What Age Do We Live? As a consequence of all sorts of "human" activities, especially burning fossil fuels, we are sailing towards the apocalypse in the Anthropocentric (human) age in which 150 to 200 species per day perish, never to come back. There are many thinkers who say that it would still be unfair to call it human age and calling it the "Capitalocentric" Age would be much more accurate instead. Jason W. Moore, known for his studies in history and the history of earth ecology, is one of those who developed and proposed this concept.

The End of the World, or the End of Capitalism? The Guardian columnist and activist George Monbiot also delivers a clear judgment in this context: "Ecologically, economically, politically, capitalism is as disastrously failing as communism. Like state communism, it is crippled by unaccepted fatal contradictions. However... as the famous saying goes: "'It is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism!'"

Is it possible to "undo what is done?" Dahr Jamail, a war correspondent and environmental combatant, also expresses the impossibility of removing all the heat that has been vacated for all these years into the oceans and the atmosphere, recalling Lady Macbeth's midnight delirium after the murder: "What is done is done." The situation seemed really messed up.

But - wait a minute! Maybe a chance!

Here the new generation began to manifest itself in the streets, avenues and squares of the cities of the world. They're coming in masses! They march in hundreds of thousands, "Declaring Rebellion". They are the environmental combatants of our time!..

Children, who "dedicated their lives to preventing the worldwide ecological crisis in order to preserve the dignity and honor of all life" are now and here.

Gaia, Eve, Rosa, LaDonna, Tokata, Greta, Gail, Luisa, Carola, Amy, Naomi, Shara, Jane and many others - our women: So, from our "aboriginal" mother Eve, 130 thousand years before Gaia, Mother of all, to the legendary radio personality Amy Goodman who interviewed young mothers that made a "breast-feeding protest" in Britain with their few-months-old babies under the guidance of the Extinction Rebellion, to the water protector, native resistance fighter Tokata Iron Eyes who put her body in the oil pipelines in the Standing Rock 4 years ago and who invited her peer Greta into her tribe; from natives sailing to Australia 120 thousand years ago to Carola Rackete, the heroic ship captain, who received immigrants escaping from the war with open arms, who broke the ban of the fascist minister and arrived at Italy unauthorized and got arrested and her attempt to be arrested again with the Extinction Rebels in Berlin where Rosa Luxemburg, a pioneer in the concept of general strike, was murdered and dumped into the river and from there to the young academic Gail Bradbrook who initiated and organized XR - with Roger Hallam; we tried to reflect the voices of these women in our broadcasts.

The Extinction Rebellion (XR) Movement: Dr. Bradbrook, from this great rebellion in Britain, says that they studied social movements, were immersed in researches in the social sciences and thirdly, they listened to the voice of their own hearts before initiating this movement that grew at an incredible pace. Then she told Goodman that they performed a lot of exercises on civil disobedience, used their despair, grief and fear of the coming disaster as a fuel for setting out to occupy the streets, avenues, squares and bridges.

"Change the System, Not the Climate!” Gail Bradbrook said that we need to have a mature and thorough conversation about how we need to change the system to reduce the damage and stop this indefensible crime we have committed against ourselves and our planet. She talked about how we need to build a political, legal, cultural and economic system that will stop this ridiculous, stupid and revolting harm as soon as possible. And she added: "We need to find out how to re-establish intergenerational justice, and then how to repair this damage." Eco slaughter crimes must become basic norms of international law, the Accused companies must be tried in a court such as the International Criminal Court in Rome. Secondly, she says, those convicted of the climate crisis and biological extinction must be sentenced to compensation penalty.

Collective Rebellion: Lastly, she adds, in the face of famine, hunger, "multiple breadbasket" failures and waves of immigration, everyone must come together and act as a great mass, working together (collectively) with all their might to recover this wonderful planet. Entering October 2019, the riot waves of the masses were almost everywhere and Açık Radyo was among them with its broadcasts.

From May 68 to September 2019: In May of 1968, students from all over the world took to the streets, revolting against the injustice and arrogance of the political order. Then they were joined by the workers. Now, 51 years after that, students were up and on the streets once again: this time for Climate Justice. International Labor Confederations, Social Work unions, public schools, municipalities, state assemblies, city assemblies, physician unions, scientists, theologians, retirees, old people with their canes and others...

"This is a Fire Drill": Famous Hollywood actress Jane Fonda, known for her non-stopping activism for peace, racial justice, feminism and the environment since the days of '68, got herself arrested by participating in the civil disobedience protests for the Climate Emergency declaration named "This is a Fire Drill" in front of the state house in the US capital Washington, hailed those who supported her by showing her handcuffs and summarized the matter by saying: "Inspired by the Swedish student, Greta Thunberg, the student strikers and Naomi Klein’s new book “On Fire,” I have decided to upend my life, leave my comfort zone and move to Washington, D.C. for four months to focus on climate change."

Once-in-a-Century Opportunity: Fonda invited celebrities, non-celebrities, experts, the residents of the climate-damaged towns to participate in the protests that would be made every Friday for 3 months and ended her speech saying, "This is a once-in-a-century opportunity to address the greatest threat to the future of our planet. I will be on the east lawn of the Capitol every single Friday, rain or shine, and would be honored to have you join me."

Out of the Mouths of Children and Keep on Following: Açık Radyo programmers and employees were also pursuing climate justice, of course. When?  Now! Açık Radyo was learning the news out of the mouths of children. And kept on following.

Reporting on War and Peace

When Açık Radyo first went on air, the war in Bosnia had already entered into its culminating phase. It was, nevertheless, to go on with this mode of “slow motion” for many months to come. Açık Radyo, both with its word and music, unhesitatingly took sides with the underdogs: Throughout the war we have produced a daily live program called “The Bosnian Diary”, connecting by phone to the ordinary people of Sarajevo. From day one of broadcasting Açık Radyo continued to focus on the omnipresent cases of international violence.

It was one of the first media outlets in the world to perceive the coming threat of the illegal and unethical occupation of Iraq. 17 months before the invasion, Açık Radyo began to warn its listeners on such a possibility and even made a “scoop” on the so-called Rumsfeld Plan of 2001, through reading between the lines of mainstream newspapers. Açık Radyo commentators were also among the earliest –globally– to thoroughly expose the lies concerning the Saddam regime being an international threat with the so-called weapons of mass destruction.

Long before the invasion of Iraq, a daily half-hour news program called “The Peace Band” was aired regularly and this broadcast went on well after the invasion. Açık Radyo broadcast “live” –through telephone from London and New York– the huge global mass protests of 15 February 2003.

Açık Radyo was also the only radio station in Turkey reporting live the mass protestations in Ankara on March 1, 2003, the same day when the Turkish Parliament rejected the deployment of US troops on Turkish soil for the invasion of Iraq.

Finally, on 24-27 June 2005, the historical Final Session of the World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) –and the consequent Verdict of the Jury of Conscience– have also been broadcast live on Açık Radyo for four consecutive days.

Açık Radyo has strived to follow up on the world peace movement, the world justice movements, the Seattle and Cancún World Trade Organisation (WTO) meetings, the Porto Alegre and Mumbai meetings of The World Social Forum (WSF), the Genoa and Geneva meetings of The European Social Forum (ESF), The American Nations Summit, etc, from the “inside”, i.e., from outside the “embedded” media.

Reporting on the Uprisings for Democracy, Justice, and Dignity

Açık Radyo strives to diligently follow what is happening in the world; with special emphasis on the revolutionary uprisings of the 21st century. We started very early on talking about the wave of rebellion that was sparked in Tunisia. Açık Radyo programmers followed the developments in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Syria and other North African and Middle Eastern countries with many hours of programming.

We have also covered and are still covering the uprisings of the “indignados” in Spain, the “Occupy” movements all over the world, student movements in Chile, in Quebec, Canada, indigenous peoples’ and other peoples’ environmental movements in Brazil, Canada, USA, Turkey and elsewhere – basically all over the world.

Coverage on Independent Media

In 2006 Açık Radyo aired a 38-hour program series titled “Media Talks”. The project was supported by the Dutch government. 40 distinctive speakers including writers, journalists, newspaper, magazine publishers, radio and tv directors, legal practitioners, communication specialists, philosophers, researchers were hosted in the programs. These “experts” shared their views and experiences on vital media issues such as journalism ethics, the role of advertising, restrictions on the freedom of the press and the freedom of information, the functioning (or dysfunctioning) of ombudsmanship, teaching of journalism, environmental journalism, etc.

Additionally, the firm AC Nielsen conducted an extensive research exclusively for Açık Radyo concerning the “Reliability and Credibility of Turkish Media”. The results of the poll (quantitative and qualitative aspects) have been presented extensively on the “Media Talks” program.

As Açık Radyo, we have conducted an audience survey with KONDA, one of the most important research companies in Turkey, in the last days of 2018.

51 percent of the 3850 respondents were women and 49 percent were men. 17 percent of the participants were between the ages of 18-23, 43 percent were between the ages of 33-48, and 40 percent were between the ages of 49 and over. According to survey, 7 percent of participants are primary, secondary and high school graduates, 54 percent are university graduates, 26 percent graduate, and 12 percent have PhD degrees. 

The majority of Açık Radyo listeners, described by KONDA research director Bekir Ağırdır, as "really special, that is, different from the country average and much more active in social life," describe the radio as "Open to the world and Turkey’s agenda, to innovations, ‘modern’, ‘warm’ and ‘fun”.

"The survey results show," says Ağırdır, "Açık Radyo is regarded as a ‘comrade’ – a bosom friend in the eyes of her audience, especially among her loyal audience."

On Disaster Preparedness

From day one of the great Marmara earthquake disaster of 1999 Açık Radyo started to perform as a “clearing house” for the civil society. We have quickly formed an Earthquake Communication Center (ARDIM), broadcasting on the disaster and the rescue efforts and aid for 24 hours for 60 consecutive days. We continue to produce to this day a program called “Golden Hours” on earthquake and other disaster preparedness. (NB: Rush transcripts of many of the specific individual programs have been posted on the Açık Radyo website.)

In 2000, on the first anniversary of the great 1999 Earthquake disaster, Açık Radyo produced and presented a 2-hour documentary on the event.

In 2009, on the 10th anniversary, another special series on the disaster was broadcast for a whole week.

In 2019, on the 20th anniversary, yet another special series on the disaster was broadcast for three days.

Books

During its 26 years of existence Açık Radyo has been instrumental –either directly or through the conversion of its programs into books– in the publication of 18 books on a wide range of subjects – among them the translation of the world’s first graphic novel on climate change. Below a short list in chronological order:

• Git Zaman, Gel Zaman (As Time Goes By); 2000
   
• Sineantropos: Marjinal Antropoloji Yazıları, 2004
   
• Acayip Havalar (Funny Weather), 2007
   
• Karbon Ayak İziniz (Your Carbon Footprint), 2008
   
• Önce İletişim Vardı (In The Beginning There Was Communication), 2008
   
• Açık Kitap: Açık Radyo Ansiklopedisi (Open Book: An Open Radio Encyclopedia), 2010
   
• Mutfaktan Tabaktan Sokaktan: Yeme İçme Öyküleri, 2011
   
• Testi Kırılmadan: İş Sağlığı ve Güvenliği (On Workers’ Health and Workplace Security), 2013
   
• Kokular Kitabı c.I (The Book of Scents), vol. I, 2014 [c. II, vol. II, 2016)]
   
• 100. Doğum Yılında Cemal Reşit Rey (Composer Cemal Reşit Rey, 100th Anniversary), 201
   
• Kokular Kitabı 2 - Parfümler, 2015
   
• Levent Öget ile Caz Etraflı Konuşmalar (All That Jazz), 2015
   
• Bilim Kazanı: Popüler Bilimin Esnaf Lokantası (The Cauldron of Science), 2015
   
• Biz Yaşarken…(As We Go On Living), 2015
   
• Kentin Tozu (The Dust of the City), 2015
   
• Açık Radyo Konuşuyor: İlk Yirmi Yıl, 2016
   
• Kokular Kitabı 3 - Kültürler, 2016
   
• Jane Austen ve Adab-ı Muaşeret, 2017
   
• Küresel Isınma ve İklim Krizi, 2017
   
• Bu Şehr-i İstanbul ki (This City of Istanbul), 2017
   
• Türkiye Hikâyelerini Anlatıyor ((Turkey Telling Own True Tales), 2017
   
• Kokular Kitabı 4-Lezzetler, 2019
   
• Açık Yeşil: Teorisi ve Pratiğiyle bir Ekoloji Rehberi, (Open Green: An Ecological Guide -Theory and Practice), 2019
   
• Kıyamet Tacirlerine Karşı Kıyam Et, 2019
   
• Açık Yeşil c.2 : İklim Krizi, Politika ve Aktivizm, (Open Green, tome 2: The Politics and Activism), 2020
   
• Dünya Hali (The Way of the World), 2021
   
• Perdede Notalar: 26 Makalede Yönetmen-Müzisyen Birliktelikleri, 2021
   
• Didik Didik Freud (Freud in Every Nook and Cranny), 2021
   
• Müzik Pazarı: Açık Radyo Sohbetleri, 2022
   
• Erguvani İstimbot, 2023
   
• Anadolu Türkülerinde Semboller, Örüntüler ve Kültürel Bağlamlar, 2024
   
• Gödel, Escher, Bach Üzerine, 2024

International Links and Collaborations

Açık Radyo syndicates the daily independent news hour DemocracyNow! (in English). The daily world news bulletin of Deutsche Welle (in Turkish) was broadcast for years, but since 2016 DW has ceased broadcasting its news bulletin at Açık Radyo.

Açık Radyo has carried out program exchanges and a collaborative program of research and technological development on world music and the internet with 4 European radio stations: Nova/Paris, Multikulti/Berlin, Blue Danube/Vienna, Radio 3/Warsaw. (The CARO project, February 1998 – February 2000)

An original world music show on Açık Radyo, Dünyayı Dinliyorum (I Listen to the World), has been broadcast by RBB Multikulti Berlin, VDR Funkhaus, Radio Sweden P 6, Europa Köln, and Radio Bremen for years on end and it is currently being syndicated by Multicult 2.0.

International Putumayo World Music program has been syndicated for more than 10 years by Açık Radyo.

“Music of the World”, a program at KPFA Radio from Berkeley California, has been syndicated on Açık Radyo since the 30th broadcast season (2007). In 2011 the program has been renamed by its producer as Music of the World Istanbul and in its new format it is now broadcast directly from Açık Radyo studios.

Furthermore, world music programs produced by 3 to 13 year-old programmers of Radijojo!, the first German non-commercial, non-profit radio station for children, have been aired by Açık Radyo from April 2008 until 2017.

Açık Radyo has also been cooperating with RFI on world music programs. It has pursued a two-year project (Soundshift) in partnership with the Marseille radio station Radio Grenouille. 3 radio documentaries born from that partnership were broadcast in both Istanbul and Marseille in 2010-2011.

Last but not least, in September 2011, within the framework of “KolajIstanbul” (CollageIstanbul) days organized by Gaîté Lyrique, one of the leading contemporary art centers of Paris, Açık Radyo broadcast live for three days (2 hours daily) from Istanbul to Paris, during which live interviews on contemporary art, music, and literature were held with 20 guests.

Velonotte Bicycle Tour: The grand bicycle tour ‘Velonette’ which was in Moscow, Rome, New York, London and St. Petersburg previously, was in Istanbul this time. In the tour on May 4 of 2014, in Istanbul, thousands of bikers occupied various streets between Sirkeci and Ortaköy districts. Açık Radyo was on air during this tour which lasted until about 03.30 in the morning. The cyclists Gülhan Kadim Sertdemir, Mahir Ilgaz, Esra Ertan and Ali Somay participated in the live broadcast via telephone.

This organization was a fruitful effort of collaboration by the Velonette team, The Cyclists Association, and Açık Radyo.

Music Festivals (Organized by Açık Radyo)

Açık Radyo organized (in collaboration with the Positive Organization) the Istanbul Musical Festivities I and II in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Attended by some 10.000 music and art lovers each, these events covered all kinds of music, from Classical to Folklore, from World Music to Jazz, from Arabesque to Salsa, as well as various activities for children, international panels, world premier performances, dance workshops, etc., comprising around 125 activities in total).

Exhibitions

Açık Radyo co-sponsored two photograph exhibitions; the first being “1968 Through the Lens of Magnum” in 1968; and the second, on the millennium, “Portraits of the 20th Century”. Each one of these exhibitions was visited and viewed by around 8,000 individuals.

In the year 2006, Açık Radyo organized a thematic collective exhibition by the title of “NatürMort” (“Still-ed” Life), for the purpose of drawing greater attention to the issue of global climate change. 6 art galleries and 83 artists –including some of Turkey’s leading painters, sculptors and photographers– have contributed to this exhibition and donated the revenues of the sales to Açık Radyo.

Contests

The "Open Space" Project:

In the fall of 2005 a group of students from Istanbul Bilgi University carried out a collective graduation project on Açık Radyo. The idea of a creating a youth community within Açık Radyo resulted in the creation of a contest that would enable young people to express themselves via alternative media channels. Thus Açık Radyo had the privilege of organizing the first program contest for university students. It was titled: “Change the world – if only for an hour a week”.

The next year this was followed by a second contest titled “Let’s Play!”. 64 young people from 18 universities from all over Turkey have participated with 47 projects. The winning projects were broadcast on Açık Radyo.

Conferences, Fora and Panels

Between the years 1996 – 2021 Açık Radyo editors and programmers have participated in nearly 700 conferences, gave lectures or took part in numerous panels, workshops, symposia, and fora on broadcasting, independent media, freedom of the press, peace movements, global climate change, globalization, history of music, etc., at various prominent universities of Turkey. (İstanbul University, İstanbul Technical University, Boğazici University, Bahçeşehir University, Çukurova University, Marmara University, Mimar Sinan University, Galatasaray University, Yıldız Technical University, Middle Esat Technical University, Kadir Has University, Koç University, Sabanci University, Kocaeli University, Gazi University, Edirne University, Eskişehir University, Yeditepe University…) Other than the universities various cultural centers, nurseries, primary schools and high schools, and other relevant institutions in Istanbul and other cities were visited upon invitation by these institutions.

Parties

Over the years more than 60 parties have been collectively organized by Açık Radyo programmers, listeners and personnel, each with a different theme.

Media Coverage (on Açık Radyo)

Açık Radyo and/or its programs, and its activities have been covered by over 8.000 articles, nearly 300 interviews, broadcasts, etc., during the station’s 26 years of existence, averaging one mention per day. Açık Radyo has been the subject-matter of two documentaries (one of them by the world-renowned artist and academic Antoni Muntadas: “On Translation: Açık Radyo (Myths and Stereotypes), and three separate master theses. It has been mentioned in at least 3 novels, 2 feature films and one detective novel. Furthermore, Açık Radyo programs have been quoted as “academic” sources in a number of articles in the mainstream media. Many Açık Radyo programs have also been published in printed form.

Awards

Açık Radyo has been the recipient of 58 awards since November 1995. A short list of some of them is as follows:

• 2024: Turkish Vegan Association - Turkish Vegan Association Special Award
   
• 2024: TMMOB Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects and The Chamber of City Planners, City Planning Press Award
   
• 2024: Press Freedom and Media Research Association - Press Freedom Award
   
• 2024: İstanbul Medical Chamber - Dr. Ali Özyurt Health Awards in the Press, Radio Program Award
   
• 2023: Hrant Dink Foundation - International Hrant Dink Award
   
• 2022: Imagination Center Imagination Award
   
• 2022: The Our World Foundation Climate Leaders Award, Media Category
   
• 2022: İstanbul Association of Architects in Private Practice 20th Anniversary Special Award
   
• 2021: Photographic Arts Federation of Turkey award
   
• 2021: Demirkent Education and Research Foundation "Auditory Media" award to Açık Radyo.
   
• 2020: Prince Claus Award
   
• 2020: Demirkent Education and Research Foundation "Auditory Media" award to Açık Radyo.
   
• 2018: The Art Friendly Institution Honorary Award to Açık Radyo by the 28th ARTIST / Istanbul Art Fair organized by TÜYAP Fairs 
   
• 2018: The Istanbul Medical Chamber Press Award to Gezegenin Geleceği, a daily program by Uygar Özesmi.
   
• 2017: Chamber of Turkish Landscape Architects, Communication Award to Açık Yeşil
   
• 2017: Turkish Thoracic Society, Honorary Membership to Ömer Madra, Chief Editor of Açık Radyo.
   
• 2017: Emre Madran Press Award to Yeşil Bülten
   
• 2017: Turkish Thoracic Society, Environment and Climate Issues Award
   
• 2016: The Istanbul Medical Chamber Press Award to 2 separate programs of Açık Radyo, Kentin Tozu and Su Hakkı.
   
• 2015: Crystal Apple Advertising Award for the project by Havas Worldwide İstanbul inspired by Açık Radyo's "The quote of the Day.”
   
• 2014: New Researches Enterprise Platform Association (YAPDER) Press Award
   
• TSMD (Turkish Association of Architects in Private Practice) Press Award
   
• 2013: Turkish Earthquake Foundation, Special Award to Altın Saatler, a program on disaster preparedness
   
• 2013: TMMOB Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects and The Chamber of City Planners, City Planning Press Award
   
• 2013: An Award came indirectly to Açık Radyo: EPICA Grand Prix Award for "The Music of the People" print ad developed by Havas Worldwide İstanbul for Açık Radyo.  “The print ad consists of a score sheet for a song, notated by people sitting and walking in Coney Island. The photo montage by renowned New York photographer Harold Feinstein was first published in The New York Times in 1952.
   
• 2012: Açık Radyo co-founder and programmer Ömer Madra was awarded one of the two Senior Research Fellowships of the Mercator – IPC initiative – a unique cooperation between Istanbul Policy Center at Sabanci University and Stiftung Mercator in innovative research on climate change, EU/German-Turkish Relations, and education;
   
• 2012: Culture - Science High School,  “Those Who Honor Us” Award for effort in raising consciousness against the threat of climate change, Donizetti Classical Music Award, to the programmers of “Alla Turca”, Ali Pınar and Ersin Antep;
   
• 2010: Journalists and Writers Foundation's ‘Peaceful Co-existence’ Award;
   
• 2009: Turkish Society of Journalists News Award for Global Warming;
   
• 2009: IX. Lions Theater Awards 2008-2009 for "Kuranderde Kalanlar", a program by Gülhan Kadim Sertdemir;
   
• 2008: The Izmir International Fair Award for Açık Radyo’s campaign against global warming;
   
• 2007: Public Service Award from the Istanbul Branch of The Ankara University Political Science Faculty Graduates;
   
• 2007: Turkish Association of Journalists Nezih Demirkent Special Award: "Insistent Broadcasting for the Protection of the Environment and Persistently Warning the Public Conscience on Global Warming";
   
• 2006: TUREB (Turkish Tour Guides Association): "Broadcasting for Sustainable Environment" Award;
   
• 2005: Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) Award for Best Research in Recorded World Music was won by programmer Cemal Ünlü for his book Git Zaman, Gel Zaman (Pan publishing, 2004), based on his programs at Açık Radyo;
   
• 2003: The Association of Turkish Journalists),The Best Radio Program of 2003
   
• 2002: The Association of Contemporary Journalists, The Best Radio Station of 2002
   
• 2001: Istanbul University, Faculty of Communications; The Most Successful Radio Station of 2001
   
• 2000: Marmara University, Faculty of Communications, The Most Preferred Radio Station of 2000; 4 consecutive yearly awards for programs on informatics, information technology and computer sciences;
   

Açık Radyo Online

The Açık Radyo website: The website was started in the beginning of 1997, at which period there were only around ten million internet users globally.

In the first two years of its existence the web site of Açık Radyo (www.acikradyo.com and www.acikradyo.com.tr) encompassed basic information about the programs and programmers, broadcast schedule and the general structure of the radio station.

Açık Radyo has also been broadcasting online since May 2000.

Açık Site (Open Website): Together with the Açık Radyo website a second website became operative towards the end of 2001, when there were an estimated 700 million internet users worldwide. Açık Site –as expressed by its own “manifesto”– aimed to be a tiny flash-light held to the dark side of the world.

On the website transcripts of various interviews and talk shows on Açık Radyo have been regularly posted, in addition, links from various original and translated articles concerning the state of the world written by eminent thinkers and artists of the world were posted.

Açık Radyo + Açık Site: Starting as of December 2004, the pay subscription system of Açık Site was eliminated and the two web sites were combined in one: acikradyo.com.tr

In addition to gaining access to detailed information about Açık Radyo, its programs,  and its listeners it is now possible to find a “civil library” comprising more than 40,000 articles, commentaries, special dossiers, research, reports, cartoons, and the like… The website is visited by an average of 50.000 people every month.

Açık Radyo Podcast Streaming

Currently, more than 80 programs are regularly podcasted. There are also more than 120 program’s podcasts that were broadcasted and finished or interrupted in the past broadcasting periods.

The Açık Radyo Listeners And Listener-Support Projects

The opinion poll conducted by AC Nielsen in 2000 regarding Açık Radyo shows that its “core listeners” (those who listen every day) number around 45,000; those who listen every other day: 80,000; once a week: 120,000; the number of listeners who have listened at least once during the last 3 months is around 200,000.

According to the polls conducted by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Arts (IKSV) in 2001 and 2003 among the music lovers and filmgoers of the International Festivals of Classical Music, Jazz, and the Istanbul International Film Festival, Açık Radyo was chosen the most popular radio station.

At the beginning of March 2004, a project called “Açık Radyo is seeking its listeners” was started. The purpose was to further the effort of the 92 founders and 650 volunteer programmers with the active contribution of the listeners. The main aim was to attain a level of “sustainable independence”. With the addition of these funds raised from a few thousand individual “listener-sponsors” to the regular income obtained by advertisements and sponsorships, it was hoped to attain a level of permanent financial sustainability in the long run.

During a year-long campaign the listeners were asked to sponsor one or more programs. At the end of 2004 the number of listeners who had sponsored their own radio station turned out to be 2,250 – meaning that 2,250 individuals had consciously chosen to pay from their pockets for a public service completely free of charge!

Since 2004 every year Açık Radio conducts the Listener-Support Project with a one-week-long mini “radio festival” with numerous guests, listeners and their special “shows” on air.

In April 2019, we conducted the 16th Açık Radyo Listener-Support Project.

Listener-support is the only true guarantee of the independence of the radio station.

Manifesto of Açık Radyo

We have apparently lost our ability to have fun!

Radio, TV, newspapers, and the like are all so terribly tedious and boring;

mainstream media mainly serving nothing but a magnanimous mediocracy;

being full of sound and fury, signifying nothing but a deafening cacophony.

Paradoxically, mass communication have separated and detained us all incommunicado.

Ergo the need for a new radio station.

What purpose a radio should serve?

It must serve to:

- create a “theater of the mind”;

- bring intelligent, sensitive, responsible, and polite people together;

- broadcast for the “deaf”;

- bring ordinary people around a democratic, free and independent medium;

- help us all inhale “fresh air” in every sense of the word.

We have to act with dignity.

We promise not to offer any solutions whatsoever.

(All we can do is perhaps offer a couple of temporary remedies for the reigning “uncuriosity syndrome” around the globe.)

We do not want to give you anything; we want to take as much as possible from you.

For, we are in this project together –-

A project which represents the values we all share.

June 1995 

Aims and Purposes of Açık Radyo

Açık Radyo, 94.9 Fm, is a free and independent radio station, the fruit of a collective effort by about one hundred individuals from all walks of life.

It is democratic as to its structure, working methods, and broadcasts.

It strives to promote the protection of fundamental human rights and basic freedoms universally.

It attempts to serve as a platform and a "clearing house" for all rights organizations, NGOs, and grass roots organizations – both on the national and global levels.

It lays great emphasis on cultural matters and tries to broadcast widely on multi-cultural, cross-cultural, multi-ethnic issues.

It aims to capture “the image behind the image”, i.e, to capture life as it is.

It aims to fill the airwaves with a sound that is a unique combination of music, news and personality.

It is open to all the sounds, colors and vibrations of the universe.

Açık Radyo is here and now!

Manifest of Open Site (Açık Site)

Wherefrom (do we come), whereto (do we go)? Quo vadis? Where are we headed to? And on our way, where do we stand? What is our stance?

This is a time, it would seem, to stop and think things over.

For all of us together and for everyone of us on his own.

Never before, perhaps, have we had such an urgent need to think things over, as we do now.

Everything seems to bear signs of this need.

We need to think in order to prove that the only species in the universe to be gifted with an intelligence rendering it capable of founding civilisations is not foolish enough to annihilate the planet, life on it and, it goes without saying, its very self.

Think, in order to prove that our species is not a biological “error”.

Think, in order to prove that “in this possibly terminal phase of existence, democracy and freedom are more than values to be treasured; they may well be essential to survival” (Chomsky)

It is at such a time that we have given birth to the Open Site.

A throbbing, thriving place.

The Open Site strives to cast a clear eye upon the dark face of this world where the forces of “good” and “evil” are at war with one another.

You might also see it as a pocket-size flashlight fuelled by tiny batteries.

It is a frail ray of light shed upon the abysmal darkness of chaos while decision makers with no idea about the future are headed towards a twilight zone.

This frail ray of light roams, casting its beam on almost everything that is of interest to living beings.

The “Serial of the Universe”, the never ending history of our wars, the terrifying hum of the earthquake, our warming air and water, our globalisation, our greeds, our angers, our rights, our economies and our crises, our road maps showing the way to European civilisation, our terror maps reaching into the depths of black holes, our genome maps, our diseases, our miraculous remedies, as well as the birds and the bees, the one-for-the-roads, the poor, the women, the children, the child abusers, the splendour and the misery of the media, the music of the spheres, and, last but not least:

“All the beauty of human civilization – our art, our music, our literature – lies beyond these two fundamentalist, ideological poles.” (Roy)

Our Open Site is a small flashlight, but one whose handle stretches to fit as many hands as want to hold it or hold on to it.

How many hands, how much light? This we shall see, all together.

December 2001