Harris Corporation's Broadcast Communications Division Radio Business Unit has donated its Platinum series Z5, 5 kW, solid-state, FM transmitter to the first independent Iraqi women's radio station, Radio Al-Mahaba. The new transmitter will transmit within a 60-mile to 90-mile radius of the station's Baghdad location and will reach people in approximately half of the 18 provinces.

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The station's original 5 kW transmitter was destroyed by an explosion near the station in October of last year, and its subsequent 3 kW rental unit failed.

“It's difficult to describe the significance of this 5 kW transmitter to the continued success of our radio station,” said Bushra Jamil, the spokeswoman of Radio Al-Mahaba. “It means we'll be able to reach the small towns and rural villages where women remain extremely isolated from news and education. The illiteracy rate for Iraqi women is now at approximately 75%, so this makes our radio broadcasts even more vital. After the bombing that destroyed our first transmitter, we had to reduce our staff's salaries by half. With this new transmitter, we can become financially self-sufficient through increased advertising revenues.”

The new transmitter, plus the nearly $40,000 raised to date, will help ensure that the voice of Iraqi women will continue to be heard.

“We are thrilled to have a hand in restoring transmission for this pioneering Iraqi station,” said Debra Huttenburg, vice president and general manager of the Radio Broadcast Systems business unit of Harris Corporation's Broadcast Communications Division. “Communication is vital to the people of Iraq, and Radio Al-Mahaba operates daily under the harshest conditions imaginable. We see this outreach as an extension of Harris' involvement in the region, specifically with regard to our rebuild of the studio infrastructure for the Iraqi Media Network (IMN).”

Through its Government Communications Systems Division, Harris rebuilt AM/FM and TV infrastructure for the entire country of Iraq. Radio and TV studio infrastructure and transmission equipment, along with a satellite delivery system, were essential parts of the rebuild. The IMN program included equipment, operation, training, and provisioning of programming for an integrated media network that includes two national radio channels, two national TV channels, and a national newspaper, “Al Sabah.”

For more information, visit www.harris.com.