For generations of listeners in Tamil Nadu, the crackle of Radio Ceylon on a medium-wave dial is a family memory. So a bright poster announcing “Sri Lanka Tamil Radio is back on Tamil soil” spread quickly on Facebook. It claimed that the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) was about to restart a Tamil radio service on 882 kHz for the people of Tamil Nadu. Here is the post that carried it.
Social Media Posts
A Facebook user posted the poster on 27 September 2026 with the caption “Sri Lanka Tamil Radio is back on Tamil soil!!!” It carried the SLBC name, “882 kHz medium wave”, “Coming soon” and a map of Tamil Nadu marked “For the people of Tamil Nadu”. When we captured it, it had 854 reactions, 344 comments and 61 shares, and Facebook had labelled it “AI content”. Several users shared it as true.
Fact-Check
No announcement from SLBC or the media
If SLBC were restarting a radio service for Tamil Nadu, the corporation and the mainstream media would have reported it. We found no such report. SLBC’s Tamil radio channels had posted nothing on their social media pages either.
SLBC’s Tamil division head called the poster completely false.
We then telephoned the head of SLBC’s Tamil division. He said the poster was completely false and that no such move was underway. He added that Colombo International Radio, SLBC’s overseas-facing service, is currently broadcast only over the internet.
An SLBC-branded notice also stamped the poster “Fake News”.
The viral fake poster uses neither SLBC’s official emblem nor a real SLBC service name.
The poster showed a lion emblem. SLBC’s official logo shows a radio tower over a map of Sri Lanka. “Sri Lanka Tamil Radio” is also not the name of any SLBC channel. SLBC’s Tamil-language services include the Tamil National Service, Thendral FM, Pirai FM and Vidula (see the list here).
The poster lists 882 kHz, which does not match SLBC’s listing.
SLBC’s CIR page lists medium wave 873 kHz, not 882 kHz. An amateur radio list of India’s medium-wave stations places 873 kHz at All India Radio (AIR) Jalandhar and 882 kHz at AIR Imphal, both more than 2,300 km from Sri Lanka.
The Tamil Nadu service was an older broadcast, not a new launch.
According to our Tamil team’s research, SLBC ended its broadcasts for Tamil Nadu listeners on 31 May 2008, during the civil war. Hindu Tamil and Oneindia Tamil reported in January 2022 that Colombo International Radio had returned to Tamil Nadu after 13 years on 873 kHz medium wave. In June 2023, a Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) report said SLBC had doubled its Tamil airtime to two hours on 873 kHz from the Puttalam transmitter, from 7 am to 9 am Sri Lanka time, partly after efforts by listeners in southern India, including Bengaluru. However, SLBC confirmed that the operations of the Puttalam 873 kHz transmitter were completely halted at the end of 2023 due to the massive electricity costs required to run a 400 kW mega-transmitter, a shortage of spare parts, and the country’s economic crisis. At present, Colombo International Radio (CIR) has transitioned to a fully online web-streaming service.
Where to listen to Colombo International Radio
SLBC’s CIR page lists a live stream and a hotline, +94 77 210 2102. CIR is also carried on listenonlineradio.com, from 7 to 9 am. More details on CIR’s Facebook page here.
SLBC is one of Asia’s oldest broadcasters.
Colombo Radio began regular broadcasts on 16 December 1925 (Sunday Observer). It became Radio Ceylon in 1949, a corporation in 1967 under the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation Act No. 37 of 1966, and SLBC in 1972.
Conclusion
The claim that SLBC’s Tamil radio is returning to Tamil Nadu airwaves on 882 kHz is false. The head of SLBC’s Tamil division told Fact Crescendo that no such move was underway, and neither SLBC nor the media had announced one.
The poster used an emblem and service name that do not belong to SLBC. Earlier medium-wave transmissions for South India were real but were ended by 2023 due to higher maintenance costs. SLBC confirms that the service now runs online only.
Title: SLBC Tamil Radio Is Not Returning to Tamil Nadu Airwaves on 882 kHz
Written By: S.G. Prabu
Result: False
