Radio broadcasting
Radio broadcasting started in Bahrain in 1940 by the British as a war-measure. Regular radio broadcasting, in Arabic, first started in 1955. By 1980, the radio service broadcast up to 14 hours a day. The country's first English language radio station started in 1977, as a result of an increase in English speakers in Bahrain and the Persian Gulf region. The radio's programs were primarily religious and educational, with occasional news announcements.