Frequency | 101.1 FM[2] |
---|---|
History | |
First air date | 1961[3] |
Radio Caribbean International (RCI) is a radio station based in Castries, Saint Lucia.[1]
One of the oldest radio services in the Eastern Caribbean,[4] RCI was established in 1961 and was one of the country's two stations (along with Radio St. Lucia) during its early years.[3] It was a former division of French-based SOFIRAD[5] and a part of Radio Caraïbes International in Martinique/Guadeloupe.[6] By November 1998, SOFIRAD proposed to sell the station to its staff; in February 1999, ownership was transferred to its longest-serving personnel, Peter Effraime and Pet Gibson. Eventually, eleven other employees filed a lawsuit against Effraime and Gibson for "breach of trust and misrepresentation".[5] RCI was faced with closure and a possible sale in June 2004 (after several years of losses),[4] but has remained on air as of 2022.[2]
Aside from programs in English, RCI also broadcast French-language content from its launch[3] until 1995.[1] Creole-language programming was introduced in 1974[3] with the one-hour evening show Radio-a Sa-Sé Nou (It's Our Radio).[7]
In addition to its native St. Lucia, RCI serves listeners in Martinique and Dominica.[4]