The station's original 5kW transmitter was destroyed by an explosion near the station in October of last year, and its subsequent 3kw rental unit failed. They are currently operating with a rented 1kw unit, which has drastically reduced their ability to reach their audience and garner the advertising revenue they need to remain on the air.

"It's difficult to describe the significance of this 5kW 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 percent, 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 non-religious, non-governmental station for women encourages audience members to call in and talk to one another, and features commentators and guests that educate them about their rights.
The urgent needs of Radio Al-Mahaba have been a frequent topic since this spring on the daily U.S. broadcasts of the Satellite Sisters radio program, syndicated nationally by the ABC Radio Networks. Station personnel are often interviewed on the show and the station is featured prominently on the program website. This summer the Satellite Sisters launched a campaign to raise $100,000 to "Keep Radio Al-Mahaba Talking". 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 re-build of the studio infrastructure for the Iraqi Media Network (IMN)".

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

Harris Corporation's Broadcast Communications Division