Defense Minister Israel Katz submitted his decision to close Army Radio on Wednesday, instructing that broadcasts end by March 1, 2026; he’s hardly the first person to have this idea.
The question of “should Army Radio continue broadcasting” is one that’s been asked for years, dating back to 1977, when then defense minister Ezer Weizman pushed to close the station on the grounds that “it’s a redundant station no one listens to it.”
Accurate as that may be, even today, if you believe this is just about one station, you haven’t been paying attention.
At the time of writing this piece, the home page for Army Radio’s website featured two headlines out of five possible options criticizing the current government.
The fact of the matter is, our current administration has made its policies clear: If you speak out against us, you will be shut down.
In recent years, both of Israel’s public broadcasters, Army Radio and KAN News, have been under the microscope as Netanyahu and his team push to defund and silence anyone who dares not sing their praises.
Netanyahu administration's intolerance for criticism shown in Army Radio cancellation
Too many people are looking at this situation too closely, to the point where you can’t see the forest for the trees. Yes, there is an argument to be made that army resources should be redirected to our combat soldiers and reservists on the front lines (there are still hostages in Gaza!), but look a few steps ahead.
This decision wasn’t made after several rounds of voting among our elected officials, with experts and analysts weighing in on every pro and con. No, Army Radio’s downfall came from one man who asked a group of yes-men to back him up.
The idea of closing or privatizing Army Radio has come up regularly over the years. But the timing here is critical. The current push comes not from thoughtful policy debate but from a government that has shown, time and again, intolerance for criticism.
When media outlets become targets for asking tough questions or holding power accountable, we’re not having a conversation about military efficiency – we’re witnessing the first steps toward the erosion of democratic norms.
Now, I believe there is an argument to be made for the separation of the institution from the government, but wasn’t that what Army Radio was meant to be? When along the lines did “the soldier’s home” become a significant political body that dads across the country listen to and scoff at?
In 2001, Army Radio was ranked first in public trust among media outlets in Israel. What happened?
Army Radio was established in 1950 and played an essential role in forging Israeli culture in the early years of the state.
Its flagship programs, such as the popular “Kola Shel Ima” (“a mother’s voice”) on Friday mornings, when parents sent Shabbat greetings to their children serving in the army and soldiers spoke on-air to their parents, were staples of Israeli life and served an essential role at a time when most families did not even own a telephone.
It is the media’s job to serve as a counterweight to government, but how can we do our jobs – and ideally, do them well – while fearing that one wrong word may get us shut down?
Army Radio has broadcast to the Israeli public for 75 years, serving as both a news outlet and a cultural presence for the military. A military-run station isn’t as foreign as you may think, though Israel is unique in that Army Radio is staffed by both soldiers and civilians, many of whom serve there as part of their national service.
For so many years, our country considered journalism a legitimate way to serve the country, so what message is this closure conveying to the public?