Açık Radyo
AÇIK RADYO (Open Radio 95.0) was a Turkish independent radio station based in Istanbul, serving Istanbul and the surrounding area with news, music and talk programs. It began broadcasting on November 13, 1995, and operated as a private company with nonprofit-like goals, having 92 partners sharing ownership.
Most presenters and producers were volunteers, except for those on the morning show. By 2009, hundreds of people had contributed to more than 822 shows, with about 134 programs aired each week and around 200 presenters. The station hosted more than 14,000 guests over its years on air.
Açık Radyo collaborated with other stations in Europe on world music and the internet, including exchanges with RBB Multikulti Berlin, Radio Sweden P6, Europa Köln and Radio Bremen. It also aired world-music programs produced by three 13-year-old presenters for the nonprofit Radijojo. The station’s work was widely covered, appearing in thousands of articles and two documentaries.
The station built its online presence early: its website launched in 1997, online streaming began in May 2000, and a subscription site called Açık Site was launched in 2001. The two sites were merged in 2004. By 2009, about 50,000 people visited the site each month.
Açık Radyo played a role in notable events, such as acting as a semi-official station for the UN HABITAT Conference in 1996, and presenting a yearly year-end program. It cooperated with Radio Nederland on a program for the 50th anniversary of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto in 2005, and organized music festivals, art exhibitions and climate-related fundraisers. It also ran conferences and student programming contests to encourage young people to express themselves through media.
Polls in 2000 showed a broad and active audience, with core listeners numbering about 45,000 and many more listening less regularly. The station was repeatedly recognized as a popular outlet for music and culture in Istanbul.
In May 2024, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) ordered a five-day suspension after a guest’s remarks about the Armenian killings in the Ottoman Empire. RTÜK later withdrew the broadcasting license on July 3, 2024, and Açık Radyo made its last broadcast on October 16, 2024, while appealing the decision.
Açık Radyo received around 38 awards in Turkey between 1996 and 2007.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:40 (CET).