Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation

The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) came into existence on January 5th 1967 when Radio Ceylon became a public corporation. Dudley Senanayake who was the Prime Minister of Ceylon in 1967 ceremonially opened the newly established Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation along with Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa and the Director-General of the SLBC, Neville Jayaweera.

Colombo Radio

The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), formerly Radio Ceylon, is the oldest radio station in South Asia, and was founded as Radio Colombo in 1925. Edward Harper who took up his post as Chief Engineer of the Ceylon Telegraph Department in 1921 was the first person who initiated experimental broadcasts in Ceylon. The first ever broadcast on an experimental basis took place in 1923 - gramophone music was played from a tiny room in the Ceylon Telegraph Office with the aid of a transmitter built by engineers of the Telegraph Department - the transmitter was built using radio equipment from a captured German submarine. Ceylon began a broadcasting service, just three years after the launching of broadcasting services in Europe.

Edward Harper who is known as the 'Father of Broadcasting in Ceylon' founded the Ceylon Wireless Club together with English and Ceylonese radio enthusiasts. Sir Hugh Clifford, the British Governor, spoke to the nation on Colombo Radio for the first time on December 16th 1925.

Radio Seac

During World War II the Allied Forces took over radio operations in Colombo and Radio Seac was born. Colombo based (British) Announcers, David Jacobs and Desmond Carrington (they joined the BBC after the war) were among those who presented the news and radio programs for the allied forces across South East Asia.

When the war was over Radio Seac was handed back to the Government of Ceylon who changed the name to Radio Ceylon.

Radio Ceylon

Radio Ceylon enjoyed the status of King of the airwaves in the 1950s and 1960s in South Asia. Millions of listeners tuned into the radio broadcasts.

Radio Ceylon and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation produced some of the finest announcers and presenters in the world among them: Livy Wijemanne, Vernon Corea, Pearl Ondaatje, Greg Roskowski, Tim Horshington, Claude Selveratnam, Jimmy Bharucha, Thevis Guruge, A.W.Dharmapala, Karunaratne Abeysekera, H.M.Gunasekera, S.P.Mylvaganam, Gnanam Rathinam,Nihal Bhareti and Vijaya Corea to name a few.

Eighty Years of Broadcasting

In 2005 the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation celebrated 80 years in the world of broadcasting. This was a historic landmark where broadcasting was concerned and it was a very important chapter in communication in Sri Lanka.

Forty Years as a Public Corporation

In 2007 the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation will celebrate 40 years as a public broadcasting corporation. Radio Ceylon became the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation in 1967.

External links

Communications in Sri Lanka | international broadcasting | Radio stations | Sri Lankan media