Brief on Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)
On October 6, 1976, a decree-law was issued to establish a public institution with a legal personality under the name (Kuwait News Agency) and set the agency’s objectives to work on compiling news and distributing it to media institutions and individuals to provide them with objective, impartial and honest news service, and to highlight Kuwait’s just causes in the regional and international environment.
The Agency building is located in the Shuwaikh area, between the Consular Administration building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society building, opposite the Kuwait Sports Club along Jahra Street.
In 1999, the number of employees in the Kuwait News Agency was 365, and the average number of Arabic and English news bulletins was about 72,500 news for the same year.
The Iraqi occupation of Kuwait
Despite the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and the confiscation of all the agency’s devices, equipment and archives by the occupation forces, the agency was able within a short period to reorganize its structure, and depending on national cadres, it began broadcasting from the British capital, London, for the great Arab and international media presence. The order and independence of Kuwait as a sovereign state recognized by international and regional organizations and that what happened on the second of August is an armed military invasion and an aggression against the legitimacy and sovereignty of an independent state. On October 13, 1990, KUNA began broadcasting from the British capital, and was able during the period of 3 October 1990 to November 1991 from the broadcast of about 16,110 news after liberation. In November of 1991, KUNA returned to its permanent headquarters in Kuwait and began the re-establishment, which was completed by 1992 to begin on November 15, 1991, broadcasting its news service again, at a rate of 40 news items per day, increasing During 1999 to 42000 news. The number of the Agency\’s employees increased from 75 in 1978 to 365 in 1999.
Audio broadcasts in both Arabic and foreign languages
Broadcast in Arabic:
On June 10 of the same year, broadcast hours were increased to 12 hours per day. Broadcasting hours increased on October 14 of the same year to 16 hours per day. On November 15, 1978, KUNA started its external news service in Arabic for three hours a day, which grew to 12 hours a day. On February 15, 1979, the hours of external broadcasting were increased to 16 hours per day. On November 28, 1979, KUNA started providing a new service dedicated to Kuwaiti embassies and consulates abroad, with the aim of linking workers abroad with the most prominent Kuwaiti news from newspapers, the Agency\’s bulletin and other Kuwaiti sources of information. The average number of Arab news (internal and external) that was broadcast during 1978 was about 20,000 news, and it rose during the years 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987 to reach 50,000 news. In December 1994, KUNA established the Personal News Service, a telephone service that includes the latest local and international news around the clock.
Broadcasting in a foreign language:
On January 15, 1980, KONA started a 12-hour daily broadcast service in the English language in Kuwait. On February 25 of the same year, KUNA started providing its English service outside Kuwait at a rate of 10 hours per day, after which the broadcasting period was increased to 16 hours per day for external and internal broadcasts.
