Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
such as
Eretz Nehderet
(Wonderful Land), which started in 2003, and
Matzav HaUma
(State
of the Nation), which started in 2010. Regular comedy shows include
Ktzarim
(Short Ones),
which began in 2004 and features a variety of comedians doing skits.
Radio
The largest radio network in Israel is Kol Israel (Voice of Israel), which began in 1936. Today
it operates several channels: A, culture and education; B, news; C, popular Israeli music; D,
Arabic-language network; Kol HaMusica (The Voice of Music), classical music; and Reka,
foreign languages for new immigrants. Kol Israel also supervises more than fi fty local FM
educational radio stations located primarily in universities, colleges, and high schools. These
stations are used for teaching and training purposes.
Galei Zahal (IDF Radio, owned and operated by the Israel Defense Forces) was established
in 1950 and operates two channels. The main network broadcasts primarily news, talk shows,
and music, and the second (Galgalatz) focuses on music and traffi c reports. The junior staff
are mostly young soldiers. The station is popular among young people primarily because of the
informal presentation style and modern music. For many years the station has served as the
main training school for broadcast journalists, and today former professionals at the station
occupy many leading positions in the Israeli media.
The communications revolution in broadcasting facilitated the establishment of commer-
cial regional radio stations, beginning in September 2005. Today there are twelve regional sta-
tions and two national stations designated for specifi c audiences, one in Arabic for Israeli Ar-
abs and the other for Orthodox Jews.
There are also about 150 pirate radio stations. Most are operated by religious, ethnic, and
ideological groups — Orthodox Jews, Arabs, and Jewish settlers in the West Bank, for example.
They are fi nanced by advertisements and donations from supporters. The pirate stations claim
that existing stations do not represent their groups, and they are forced to operate illegally
because the government has refused to allocate them legal frequencies. The government rarely
shuts down these pirate stations unless they interfere with vital communications systems, such
as air traffi c control.
New Media
Israel's international high-tech reputation is closely related to Israelis' fascination with the new
media. Four major and about fi fty smaller Internet service providers serve about four million
users over the age of thirteen, including two-thirds of households and three-quarters of busi-
nesses. Mobile phone companies introduced wireless Internet in 2001. A study by Strategy
Analytics found that in 2008, broadband household penetration in Israel reached 77 percent,
placing Israel in seventh place in the world, ahead of the United States, the United Kingdom,
France, and Canada.
Using social media and the Internet generally requires an ability to use English, a language
widely understood in Israel. A number of Hebrew-language news sites, notably Ynet, run
by
Yediot
, have emerged. Given the tremendous interest in Israel internationally, English-
