It all
began in the evening of 2nd May 1957, when the female voice filled the
airwaves and proudly announced "INILAH RADIO BRUNEI", at exactly 7.45 pm.
It was on
the eve of an auspicious 1st Syawal (Hari Raya Aidilfitri), where the late
Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddin Sa'adul Khairi Waddein consented to officially
launched what is now the ever-popular medium in the country.
In 1958,
the first live coverage of Radio Brunei was the inauguration of the Omar Ali
Saifuddin Mosque - the famous landmark of the country. This was made possible
with the set up of Outside Broadcast (OB) Unit during that year.
In 1962,
another station was established in Kuala Belait. Listeners in this area were
kept informed of special events held in the capital by taped news, which was
then relayed. Later on, the capital and Kuala Belait stations frequently kept
each other's listeners updated through live 'switching'.
The year
1965 proved to be a milestone for Radio Brunei. By this time, the radio had
reached nationwide coverage. By broadcasting on short wave, Radio Brunei can
also be heard by people living in the Asia-Pacific region.
1965 also
saw Radio Brunei expanded into two channels - the Malay Service and the
English. Both initially broadcast for 10 hours daily.
As Radio's
influence grew, so did its personnel. The organization grew bigger and had
moved to the present purpose-built studio centre in 1970. The building was
equipped with 5 studios, 2 continuity suites, an auditorium and all the
necessary ancillary areas.
In 1975,
Radio Brunei ceased to be part of the Department of Broadcasting and
Information. Along with television, which was introduced in the year, the two
forms of media integrated and placed under a separate governing body, known as
Radio Television Brunei (RTB). In the same year, Radio Brunei discontinued its
short wave broadcast.
During the
National Day in 1995, a new sister service was set up. This channel caters for
youngsters where popular music plays an important ingredient. The service was
initially named 'The 91.4 Fm'.
1st January 1996, the Malay service was renamed as the 'Rangkaian Nasional',
whereas the English and Chinese is known as the ' Rangkaian Pilihan'. The 91.4
Fm to this day is popularly known as the 'Rangkaian Pelangi'.
On 15th
July 1996, another service was set up. The service is known, as 'Rangkaian
Harmoni'. It existence is to provide family oriented programs. The year also
saw the Rangkaian Pilihan started advertising on the Radio.
Another
year went by, RTB saw the birth of another service during the 40th anniversary
of Radio Brunei. 'Rangkaian Nur Islam', broadcasts comprehensive Islamic
religious programs.
In 1998,
Radio Brunei embarked into the digital era. All studios were renovated where
digital studio systems were installed. This had almost completely broke years
of traditional broadcasting - the use of computers to play songs.
As the
world enters the new millennium, so did Radio Brunei in the wake of new
challenges - the emergence of the Internet Radios. Radio Brunei finally join
thousands of other stations worldwide, by streaming all its networks to the
Internet. The 'NetRadio' was introduced. Now global listeners can listen to
Radio Brunei. The streaming was officially launched on the 9th July 2001