Radio 101.2 FM (Belarus)
Date: 1996
Region: Europe
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Radio
Artist: Radio 101.2 FM
Confronting Bodies: President Aleksandr Lukashenka's government
Dates of Action: September, 1996
Location: Minsk, Belarus
Description of Artwork: Radio 101.2 FM consisted of reporters who were fired from state radio news programs for criticizing politicians.
The Incident: Radio 101.2 was closed by Lukashenka's officials after one year of broadcasting in Minsk. The station acquired 48% of Minsk's radio listeners. During the November 1996 election campaigns, Lukashenka arranged so that radio coverage "contained nothing that could be considered supportive of the opposition." In August 1996, 101.2 FM was the only private broadcast media station in Belarus. In September 1996 the Ministry of Communication informed the station that it must abandon its frequency for the state-controlled Radio Style.
Results of Incident: Lukashenka gave Radio Style state financial support and 101.2 FM's frequency. Some of 101.2 FM's reporters began broadcasting from Poland, into Belarus.
Source: Censorship, A World Encyclopedia, ed. D. Jones