The government must shut down Army Radio or suspend its current affairs programming, an advisory committee set up by Defense Minister Israel Katz found in a report presented to him on Tuesday.
Katz confirmed receiving the recommendation and is expected to make an announcement shortly.
“I thank the committee members for their thorough, serious, and professional work, and for their significant investment in examining all aspects related to the operations of Army Radio,” he stated.
The advisory committee held 19 days of discussion between August and October and conducted a tour of both Army Radio and Galgalatz, Army Radio’s music station.
In its recommendation, the committee suggested the station be rebranded in a way that could preserve its unique identity as “the soldiers’ house” by maintaining its programming for IDF soldiers without engaging in current affairs content.
This would include the closure of the news department, but the station would still be permitted to broadcast any news flashes produced by KAN, Israel’s public broadcasting corporation.
The committee was established by Katz in June
After its establishment, the Defense Ministry stated that the committee would be required to submit its conclusions and recommendations within 90 days and would examine, among other things, the feasibility, advantages, and disadvantages of various operational options for Army Radio.
This would also include the possibility of transferring its management to a civilian body or merging it with an external media organization.
“At this time, when the State of Israel is engaged in an ongoing campaign on several fronts, it is necessary to reassess how well Army Radio fulfills its mission and whether it succeeds in being the voice and ears for IDF soldiers and fighters at the front and on the home front," Katz said.
“There is no doubt that a comprehensive and significant change is needed, and I intend to implement it after receiving the committee’s recommendations.”
Earlier this year, MK Nissim Vaturi from the Likud Party proposed a bill to privatize the military station through a tender process, which would be managed by the Second Authority for Television and Radio.
Additionally, at the end of March, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out against the Kan 11 Broadcasting Corporation during a cabinet meeting, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi presented Katz with a proposal to close Army Radio.
In the same meeting, Netanyahu asked, “Why do we even need a military station? The Defense Minister and Communications Minister need to examine the matter of Army Radio.”
Walla contributed to this report.