April 1931 : Radio Tananarive Goes on Air, Madagascar’s First Radio Station

One evening in April 1931, the voice of Madagascar took to the airwaves across the Indian Ocean. A look back at the early days of Radio Tananarive, now Radio Nasionaly Malagasy.

The first crackles of Radio Tananarive

It all began on April 29, 1931, when Radio-Tananarive went on air for the first time, autiously, almost timidly. The station was still very much in a trial-and-error phase, familiar to all early radio pioneers: finding the right wavelength, improving reception, and learning to master the technology.

The station didn’t emerge out of thin air. Its transmitter had been built by the postal and telecommunications services (PTT) during 1930, and the project came to life under the leadership of Governor General Léon Cayla, a man known for his determination and initiative. The newly created broadcasting service was attached to the Information and Press Office, a typical colonial arrangement that says much about the station’s original purpose: not only to inform, but also to project French influence across the Indian Ocean.

One station, two spaces

Technically, the station was made up of two distinct sections housed within the Post and Telegraph building : the transmitter and the auditorium.

The transmitter was the system’s beating heart. Its specifications are worth noting for anyone interested in early radio technology :

• Symmetrical configuration
• Power output of 500 watts at the antenna
• Anode modulation
• Wavelength : 50 meters

The auditorium was divided into three functional areas. First, a control room housing the batteries, modulation amplifier, and monitoring receiver. Then, a room dedicated to the announcer’s microphone and a phonograph cabinet used for playing records. Finally, still under development at the time, a studio designed to host orchestras and live performances.

The building itself, described as a heavy, temple-like structure, had an imposing presence that contrasted with the modest resources available.

What was on the air ?

Within weeks, a regular schedule was established. On weekdays, broadcasts ran from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. At weekends, the station stayed on air longer, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m.

During this early phase, programming consisted mainly of recorded music, dance tunes, songs, and classical pieces, as well as Malagasy music, along with a spoken news bulletin in Malagasy. There was little sophistication, but a growing sense of consistency. According to contemporary press reports, listeners were delighted.

To get a clearer sense of what audiences heard, here is the program for Saturday, August 22, 1931 :

At 9:00 p.m., the exact time was announced by the Tananarive Observatory, followed by a “musical gala offered by a radio enthusiast”: a Johann Strauss waltz performed by a symphony orchestra, vocal pieces, Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata performed by violinist Albert Saumons and pianist W. Murdoch, an aria from Verdi’s La Traviata, The Blue Danube, and finally Malagasy songs. The evening ended with a news bulletin and dance music.

A major milestone : the first live concert

A turning point came on September 12, 1931, marking the true debut of the fully equipped studio. That evening, Radio-Tananarive broadcast its first live classical concert, featuring performers from the Philharmonic Society alongside musicians from the Governor General’s band.

According to the local press, the success was immediate and unanimous, both in terms of the quality of the program and the clarity of reception. It was a technical and artistic breakthrough. Encouraged by this success, the station announced plans to offer several chamber music concerts each month. Radio Tananarive had entered a new phase.

Challenges: funding, listeners, and the future

Yet not everything was smooth. A contemporary observer noted bluntly in the local press: “the only real weakness in this somewhat improvised organization is the lack of funding, the complete absence of a regular budget.” Without stable financial support, it was difficult to upgrade equipment, professionalize staff, or expand operations.

There was also the issue of listeners. In theory, every radio set had to be declared and subject to a tax of three francs. In practice, how many people actually complied ? No one really knew. The number of regular listeners remained uncertain.

It was in this context that the Radio-Association-Madagascar was founded, an initiative led by radio enthusiasts on the island. Governor General Cayla himself agreed to serve as honorary president. The association aimed to actively support local broadcasts and provide the station with the backing it lacked.

Broadcasting in Malagasy

Radio Tananarive quickly began broadcasting in the Malagasy language and soon introduced an orchestra performing local music.

A snapshot of programming in 1932

On Saturday, July 30:

Morning (11:00–11:45 a.m.)
News, time signal from the Observatory, Malagasy-language bulletin, and recorded music.

Evening (6:00–8:00 p.m.)
News, time signal (6:30 p.m.), followed by a concert performed by Mme Lillot and her string orchestra.

Night (9:00–11:00 p.m.)
News and time signal, followed by a recorded music concert featuring works by Blankenburg, Debussy, Vivaldi-Bach, and others, ending with popular songs and dance music.

Growth and adjustments (1934–1935)

In the following years, the schedule evolved as the station adapted to its audience.

From October 1, 1934, the morning broadcast opened with a Malagasy-language news bulletin, followed by news in French. A short segment of recorded music filled the late morning slot. Giving priority to the island’s language at the start of the broadcast was a significant decision, acknowledging a cultural and linguistic reality the station could no longer ignore.

On February 12, 1935, a new schedule was introduced:

• Morning: 11:45 a.m.–12:50 p.m.
• Evening: 6:00–6:30 p.m.
• Sundays and holidays: unchanged in the evening, with morning broadcasts from 10:30 a.m. to noon

Programming continued to expand, but the next major step would be the installation of a much more powerful transmitter outside the capital.

Madagascar in the 1930s : an island between two worlds
 In the 1930s, Madagascar was firmly under French colonial rule, following the conquest of 1896. Its economy was oriented toward the metropole (vanilla, coffee, rice) while its society remained deeply unequal, with the Malagasy population largely excluded from positions of power. 
Tananarive (now Antananarivo) was a capital in transition, perched on its hills and blending colonial architecture with royal Hova palaces. It was a city of contrasts, where French officials lived alongside a cultivated Malagasy bourgeoisie increasingly aware of its own identity. 
Radio arrived in this context and its arrival was not neutral. It was meant to broadcast “the voice of France in the Indian Ocean,” making it a political tool as much as a technological one. Yet the reality on the ground was more nuanced. 
By 1934, Radio-Tananarive was opening its news bulletins in Malagasy, implicitly acknowledging that the island could not simply serve as a relay of the metropole. At the time, Madagascar was also vast and poorly connected. Most of the territory lacked paved roads, and communication between provinces and the capital was difficult. 
In this context, radio was not a luxury, it was potentially the first real link between Tananarive and the rest of the country… for those who owned a receiver. And that was the key limitation. Radio sets were rare and expensive, and the audience remained largely urban and European. A truly popular Malagasy radio, one that would speak to the whole island, was still yet to emerge.