Broadcasting Colonial Legacies: SLBC’s 100-Year Myth and the Challenge of Institutional Reform in Sri Lankan Radio in the Digital and Podcasting Age

ORCID: 0000-0003-3231-6248

Web of Science Researcher ID: I-7578-2016

Dr. Manoj Jinadasa (PhD in Digital Critical Media Studies, Newcastle University, UK)

Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department
Department of Mass Communication, University of Kelaniya

manojjina78@kln.ac.lk

Citation; Jinadasa, M. (2026). Broadcasting Colonial Legacies: SLBC’s 100-Year Myth and the Challenge of Institutional Reform in Sri Lankan Radio in the Digital and Podcasting Age. Blogger Manoj Jinadasa.https://manojjinadasa.blogspot.com/2026/01/broadcasting-colonial-legacies-slbcs.html

 

 

Abstract

This article critically examines the centenary narrative of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), arguing that the celebrated “100-year history” functions as a colonial myth that obscures institutional decay, hierarchical governance, and political interference. Drawing on postcolonial media theory, institutional theory, and global research on broadcasting digitization, the study traces how colonial epistemologies and administrative legacies shaped SLBC’s professional culture and constrained its adaptability in the digital era. Despite the global resilience of radio, SLBC’s structural rigidity and delayed digital integration have limited audience engagement and cultural relevance. The paper further proposes strategies for revitalization, emphasizing digital-first approaches, culturally grounded programming, participatory governance, and institutional reform. By situating SLBC within postcolonial and global media frameworks, this study highlights the complex interplay of historical legacies, organizational inertia, and contemporary media evolution, offering a roadmap for decolonized, future-oriented public broadcasting in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: postcolonial media, institutional inertia, public broadcasting, digital transformation, Sri Lanka

 

Introduction

In 2025, the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) publicly commemorated what is described as “100 years of pioneering radio broadcasting,” tracing its institutional origins to the inauguration of Colombo Radio in December 1925 under British colonial administration. Official narratives frame this centenary as evidence of cultural continuity, national service, and technological leadership in South Asia (Ministry of Mass Media, 2025). However, such celebratory accounts obscure a more complex and politically charged historical reality. As postcolonial media scholarship cautions, media institutions established under colonial rule were not neutral technological innovations but instruments embedded within imperial governance, cultural hierarchy, and administrative control (Potter and Kovacs, 2022).

Global radio historians emphasize that early broadcasting systems functioned as extensions of state power rather than autonomous cultural platforms. Potter and Kovacs (2022) argue that radio broadcasting emerged globally as a technology of governance, discipline, and cultural authority rather than merely a medium of entertainment. This insight is crucial for reassessing SLBC’s centenary claim. Colombo Radio was not founded as a Sri Lankan public medium in a cultural or political sense, but as part of a British imperial communications infrastructure that mirrored BBC-inspired norms of professionalism, linguistic hierarchy, and bureaucratic control. Therefore, the temporal claim of “100 years” derives less from an indigenous media genealogy and more from colonial modernity’s symbolic calendar.

Postcolonial theory further complicates such institutional narratives by demonstrating how colonial histories are often naturalized through commemorative practices. Said (1978) famously noted that colonial knowledge systems function by producing “structures of attitude and reference” that persist long after formal decolonization (p. 94). Applied to SLBC, the centenary discourse operates as what may be termed a colonial memory regime—one that transforms colonial origins into national heritage while erasing asymmetries of power embedded in institutional formation (Raghunath, 2020a;20220b; Kumar, 2014). This explains why the celebratory framing privileges longevity over critical reflection and institutional accountability.

Even after Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948, broadcasting reforms did not dismantle colonial organizational logics. Institutional theorists describe this phenomenon as organizational persistence driven by legitimacy rather than functionality. DiMaggio and Powell (1983) define institutional isomorphism as the process by which organizations “become more similar without necessarily becoming more efficient” (p. 150). In the case of SLBC, the transformation from Radio Ceylon to the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation in 1967, and later to SLBC in 1972, altered nomenclature and legal status but preserved centralized governance, hierarchical professional culture, and political dependency. These continuities challenge the assumption that post-independence automatically produced a decolonized public broadcaster.

Critically, the decline of SLBC in the contemporary media environment cannot be attributed to the obsolescence of radio as a medium. Contrary to popular assumptions, radio remains globally resilient. Ajisafe and Dada (2023) observe that radio has not lost its audience in the digital age; rather, it has migrated across platforms and formats. This observation is particularly relevant in Sri Lanka, where FM radio, online streaming, and hybrid audio platforms continue to attract significant audiences. Therefore, SLBC’s diminishing cultural relevance must be understood not as a crisis of auditory media consumption but as an institutional failure to adapt structurally, technologically, and culturally.

Media globalization scholars further note that private and multinational broadcasters succeed when they decouple audio production from rigid bureaucratic models. Thussu (2006) argues that contemporary media competitiveness depends on “organizational flexibility, audience responsiveness, and cross-platform integration” (p. 112). In contrast, SLBC remains constrained by inherited colonial-administrative frameworks and persistent political interference, limiting its capacity to reimagine radio within participatory and networked media ecologies.

Taken together, existing literature suggests that the “100-year history” of SLBC functions less as an empirical historical fact and more as a hegemonic narrative that masks institutional decay. The centenary myth substitutes endurance for transformation, colonial continuity for cultural authenticity, and commemoration for reform. As Shome and Hedge (2002) argue, postcolonial critique requires disrupting Western and colonial temporalities that frame media history as linear progress. Applying this intervention to SLBC reveals a public broadcaster trapped between colonial memory and contemporary irrelevance.

Focus, Aim, and Research Questions

Against this backdrop, this paper critically interrogates the myth of SLBC’s 100-year history by situating Sri Lankan radio within postcolonial media theory, institutional analysis, and global radio scholarship. The central aim is to demonstrate how colonial fantasies of origin and continuity have obscured structural stagnation, contributing to SLBC’s present institutional crisis despite sustained public interest in radio as an auditory medium.

Specifically, the study seeks to:

1. Critically examine the colonial foundations of Sri Lankan radio broadcasting and their persistence within SLBC’s institutional culture.
2. Analyze how centenary commemorations function as hegemonic memory practices that mask organizational decay.
3. Situate SLBC’s decline within global transformations of radio in the digital and platform era.
4. Identify structural and cultural factors—rather than audience decline—that explain SLBC’s marginalization in Sri Lanka’s contemporary media ecology.

By reframing SLBC’s centenary not as a celebration but as a critical moment of reckoning, this study contributes to broader debates on public media, postcolonial institutional reform, and the future of radio in digitally mediated societies.

 

Literature Review: Origins, Development, and Historical Trajectories of SLBC

The historical evolution of radio broadcasting in Sri Lanka is inseparable from colonial infrastructures, postcolonial institutional continuities, and global trajectories of media modernity. While official commemorative narratives of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) emphasize a “100-year legacy” of pioneering service and cultural preservation (Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation [SLBC], 2025), critical media scholarship complicates this claim by situating Sri Lankan radio within colonial administrative rationalities and transnational broadcasting histories. As media historians caution, institutional longevity alone cannot be equated with cultural autonomy or democratic public service (Potter and Kovacs, 2022).

Colonial Beginnings and the Formation of Broadcasting

Historical accounts consistently indicate that radio broadcasting in Sri Lanka emerged within the British colonial communications apparatus. Experimental transmissions began in 1923 under the Telegraph Department, only three years after the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) commenced regular broadcasting in the United Kingdom. Scheduled broadcasting was formally inaugurated on 16 December 1925 as Colombo Radio, using the call sign “Colombo Calling,” positioning Ceylon among the earliest broadcasting territories globally and the first in Asia (Siefert, 2016; Perera, 1962).

Edward Harper—frequently described as the “father of broadcasting in Ceylon”—played a central role in these early experiments, including the use of gramophone records and improvised transmitters, and later in founding the Ceylon Wireless Club. However, while biographical narratives often celebrate Harper’s pioneering role, global radio historiography urges caution against romanticizing early broadcasting as a purely local achievement. Potter and Kovacs (2022) argue that states played a preeminent role in the emergence of radio broadcasting infrastructures across the world. This assertion reframes Colombo Radio not as an indigenous cultural innovation but as an extension of colonial governance, where radio functioned as a technology of administration, surveillance, and cultural authority.

By the late 1940s, Colombo Radio was institutionalized as a government department and renamed Radio Ceylon in 1949. This transition marked the consolidation of broadcasting as a state-controlled institution rather than a public cultural commons. Importantly, this institutional trajectory mirrors patterns across colonial and semi-colonial contexts, where broadcasting was absorbed into bureaucratic state apparatuses before the emergence of democratic public media traditions.

Colonial Frameworks, Programming, and Institutional Growth

Radio Ceylon’s mid-twentieth-century expansion is frequently cited as evidence of its cultural success, particularly its English-language and multilingual services that reached audiences across South Asia. Yet critical scholarship highlights that early radio programming often reproduced colonial epistemologies rather than challenging them. As Said (1978) observed, colonial cultural systems operate by naturalizing hierarchies of knowledge and representation, embedding “structures of attitude and reference” that outlast political independence (p. 94).

In broadcasting, this translated into professional norms modeled on the BBC, privileging English-language programming, standardized pronunciation, and disciplined vocal styles. Radio historiographers note that conventional radio histories tend to focus on the social and cultural sides of the use of radio broadcasting, often neglecting how technology, governance, and institutional power shape cultural expression (Hilmes and Bottomley, 2024). In Sri Lanka, this meant that while Radio Ceylon incorporated vernacular music and local content, such inclusions remained regulated within inherited colonial broadcasting frameworks.

The establishment of the Commercial Service in 1950 and the expansion of shortwave broadcasting exemplify this hybrid model. These initiatives combined global broadcasting formats with localized cultural material, enabling Radio Ceylon to exert significant regional influence (Raghunath, 2020a;2020b). However, rather than signaling decolonization, such developments reflected strategic adaptation within colonial-derived institutional logics, where innovation occurred without dismantling hierarchical governance structures.

Post-Independence Institutional Continuity and Transformation

The transition to independence in 1948 did not fundamentally disrupt the organizational culture of Sri Lankan broadcasting. In 1967, Radio Ceylon was reconstituted as the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation through statutory reform (SLBC Act No. 37 of 1966), ostensibly to enhance autonomy and operational flexibility. Yet institutional theory suggests that such reforms often preserve deeper structural continuities. DiMaggio and Powell (1983) describe this phenomenon as institutional isomorphism, whereby organizations retain established forms to maintain legitimacy even when those forms hinder adaptation (p. 150).

Sri Lanka’s adoption of the name Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) following the 1972 Republican Constitution further reinforced symbolic national ownership without necessarily transforming institutional practice. Official histories emphasize continuity and service longevity, yet critical media scholars remind us that “radio history is broader than the history of broadcasting only,” requiring attention to political economy, technological change, and power relations rather than institutional timelines alone (Fleming, 2009).

Cultural and Professional Dimensions of Broadcasting

Narrative histories of SLBC frequently celebrate iconic announcers, producers, and program genres that shaped popular memory. Figures such as Thevis Guruge and Nihal Bhareti became household names, illustrating how radio fostered distinct professional identities and mediated cultural life across linguistic communities. This aligns with global sound media scholarship, which emphasizes that radio has historically functioned as both a professionalizing institution and a cultural mediator shaping collective listening practices (Couldry, 2012).

However, even as SLBC nurtured vernacular programming and local talent, its institutional memory remained anchored in hierarchical governance models inherited from colonial administration. This duality produced a hybrid institutional identity—simultaneously local in content and colonial in structure. Such hybridity, while productive in certain historical moments, has also constrained institutional flexibility in the face of contemporary media transformations.

Towards a Critical Radio History

Recent radio scholarship urges a shift away from celebratory institutional histories toward critical analyses that situate radio within dynamic media ecologies. Global historians argue that early international broadcasting frequently reproduced “relationships of dominance and hierarchy,” even as it enabled cultural circulation (Wesserman, 2005). Radio, therefore, must be understood as a contested site where power, culture, and technology intersect rather than as a neutral conduit of national identity.

For Sri Lankan media history, this necessitates moving beyond centenary narratives toward historiographies that examine how SLBC’s development has been shaped by colonial legacies, postcolonial state formation, institutional inertia, and technological disruption. Such an approach reframes radio history not as a linear progression but as a terrain of struggle between inherited structures and local agency.

Synthesis and Research Gap

The literature reveals a significant gap between institutional histories of SLBC and critical media scholarship. While existing accounts acknowledge technical milestones and cultural contributions, they often avoid sustained interrogation of colonial legacies, bureaucratic rigidity, and political interference. This article intervenes in that gap by reframing SLBC’s history as a contested institutional trajectory shaped by partial decolonization and unresolved structural reform rather than uninterrupted success.

 

Theoretical Framework

The analysis of SLBC’s centenary and institutional trajectory draws on three interrelated theoretical perspectives: postcolonial media theory, institutional theory, and media globalization studies.

1. Postcolonial Media Theory: Said (1978), Kumar (2014), and Shome and Hegde (2002) provide tools for understanding how colonial legacies persist in media institutions. Postcolonial theory emphasizes that commemorative narratives, such as the “100-year history” of SLBC, can naturalize hierarchies of knowledge, reinforce colonial temporalities, and mask structural inequities. The concept of a colonial memory regime is useful for interrogating how SLBC’s centenary transforms colonial origins into national pride while obscuring institutional decay.
2. Institutional Theory: DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) notion of institutional isomorphism explains why SLBC retains colonial-era governance structures despite post-independence reforms. The theory highlights how legitimacy pressures—rather than operational efficiency—sustain hierarchical, centralized, and bureaucratically rigid practices. This lens helps situate the SLBC as an organization that is historically resilient yet functionally constrained.
3. Media Globalization and Radio Resilience: Ajisafe and Dada (2016) and Thussu (2018) provide insights into the persistence of radio in the digital age. Their work emphasizes that audience engagement depends on flexibility, cross-platform integration, and culturally responsive programming. These frameworks are essential for contrasting SLBC’s stagnation with global trends in broadcasting innovation.

Together, these perspectives allow for a multidimensional analysis that considers historical, organizational, and technological dimensions of SLBC’s institutional trajectory.

 

Discussion

Centenary as Colonial Myth

The framing of SLBC’s 100-year history exemplifies what postcolonial scholars describe as a colonial memory regime. By celebrating longevity, the centenary narrative reinforces a linear and teleological conception of progress that masks colonial roots and ongoing institutional weaknesses. The myth operates symbolically to validate the institution without addressing the persistent bureaucratic rigidity, political interference, and cultural marginalization evident in SLBC’s operations.

Official centenary reports emphasize heritage, national service, and professional continuity (SLBC, 2025), but they rarely confront the paradox that SLBC, despite its historical prestige, has failed to secure a prominent place in the contemporary media landscape dominated by flexible, digitally enabled private broadcasters. As Shome and Hegde (2002) note, postcolonial critique requires exposing such narratives as instruments that naturalize power rather than reflect objective history.

Institutional Inertia and Professional Culture

SLBC’s bureaucratic and hierarchical culture, inherited from colonial administration, has persisted despite statutory reforms in 1967 and 1972. DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) concept of isomorphism explains how such continuity can be rationalized as legitimacy preservation. The professional ethos—emphasizing formal pronunciation, script adherence, and centralized programming—prioritized conformity over innovation, limiting audience engagement and digital adaptation.

Furthermore, political appointments and interference in management reinforce structural rigidity, reducing responsiveness to audience demands and technological trends. This dynamic has produced a paradoxical institutional identity: culturally iconic yet organizationally inflexible.

Digital Era Challenges

The decline in SLBC’s prominence cannot be attributed to the inherent obsolescence of radio. As Ajisafe and Dada (2016) demonstrate, radio remains resilient globally through digital integration, streaming, and platform migration. In Sri Lanka, FM networks and online audio platforms thrive, suggesting a latent audience for culturally grounded radio content. SLBC’s failure to capitalize on this opportunity stems from structural inertia, limited digital strategy, and risk-averse programming cultures.

Comparative Insights

Global comparisons underscore the possibilities of institutional transformation. Public broadcasters that have integrated digital-first strategies, participatory programming (Hilmes and Bottomley, 2024; Bottomley, 2020; Loviglio and Hilmes, 2013). , and decentralized governance—such as BBC Sounds or NPR Digital—demonstrate that radio can remain culturally and commercially relevant while maintaining public service mandates. SLBC’s centenary offers a moment to critically learn from such models, rather than merely celebrate historical longevity.

 

Strategies for Revitalization

To reposition SLBC as a culturally and institutionally resilient broadcaster, several strategic pathways are recommended:

1. Digital-First Transformation: Prioritize multi-platform broadcasting, integrating online streaming, podcasts, and mobile apps to reach younger audiences and diasporic communities.
2. Participatory Governance: Introduce mechanisms for audience feedback, civil society engagement, and independent oversight to reduce political interference and enhance public accountability.
3. Culturally Grounded Programming: Invest in vernacular content, local music, storytelling, and community-focused journalism to reflect Sri Lanka’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscape.
4. Professional Development and Innovation: Foster flexible professional practices, digital skill-building, and collaborative production models that encourage experimentation and adaptation.
5. Decolonizing Institutional Memory: Reframe historical narratives to critically acknowledge colonial legacies while foregrounding indigenous creativity, innovation, and public service.

These interventions aim to balance respect for SLBC’s historical legacy with pragmatic reforms necessary for sustainability in a digital media ecosystem.

 

Conclusion

The centenary of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation is not merely a celebration of 100 years of broadcasting; it is an opportunity for critical reflection. By interrogating the colonial origins of Sri Lankan radio, examining institutional inertia, and situating SLBC within global media trajectories, this study reveals the paradox of symbolic endurance amid functional decline.

SLBC’s historical significance is undeniable. Iconic announcers, multilingual programming, and decades of cultural mediation have contributed to the national auditory imagination. Yet the centenary narrative, framed as a linear success story, obscures unresolved structural issues, bureaucratic rigidity, and political interference. Without reform, SLBC risks continued marginalization in a media landscape increasingly defined by digital agility and audience-centric innovation.

Ultimately, public broadcasters in postcolonial contexts must confront the legacies of colonial memory regimes while embracing adaptive, participatory, and technologically integrated futures. For SLBC, the centenary should be less a moment of mythologized commemoration and more a catalyst for institutional transformation—a reimagined public broadcaster capable of sustaining Sri Lankan cultural life well into the twenty-first century.

 

References

Ajisafe, I. O., & Dada, D. (2016). Radio broadcasting in the digital age: Adapting to the challenges of the 21st century. International Journal of Advanced Mass Communication and Journalism, 4(2), 36–44. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376349471_Radio_broadcasting_in_the_digital_age_Adapting_to_the_challenges_of_the_21_st_century

Bottomley, A. J. (2020). Sound streams: A cultural history of radio-internet convergence. University of Michigan Press.

Couldry, N. (2012). Media, society, world: Social theory and digital media practice. Polity Press.

DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147–160. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095101

Fernández, M. (1999). Postcolonial media theory. Art Journal, 58(3), 58–73.

Fleming, C. (2009). The radio handbook. Routledge.

Hilmes, M., & Bottomley, A. J. (Eds.). (2024). The Oxford handbook of radio and podcasting. Oxford University Press.

Kumar, S. (2014). Media, communication, and postcolonial theory. In The handbook of media and mass communication theory (pp. 380–399).

Loviglio, J., & Hilmes, M. (Eds.). (2013). Radio's new wave: Global sound in the digital era. Routledge.

Ministry of Mass Media, Sri Lanka. (2025). SLBC centenary report: 1925–2025. Government of Sri Lanka. https://media.gov.lk/media-gallery/latest-news/3516-slbc-celebrates-100-years-of-pioneering-radio

Perera, P. W. S. (1962). Radio Ceylon. Gazette (Leiden, Netherlands), 8(3), 255–264.

Potter, S. J., & Kind-Kovacs, F. (2022). The wireless world: Global histories of international radio broadcasting. Oxford University Press.

Raghunath, P. (2020a). A glocal public sphere: Opening up of radio to communities in South Asia. In Community radio policies in South Asia: A deliberative policy ecology approach (pp. 145–192). Springer Singapore.

Raghunath, P. (2020b). The postcolony and its radio. In Community radio policies in South Asia: A deliberative policy ecology approach (pp. 87–143). Springer Singapore.

Said, E. W. (1978). Orientalism. Pantheon Books.

Siefert, J. (2016). Chatting Sri Lanka: Powerful communications in colonial times (Doctoral dissertation, Manchester Metropolitan University).

Shome, R., & Hegde, R. S. (2002). Postcolonial approaches to communication: Charting the terrain, engaging the intersections. Communication Theory, 12(3), 249–270. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2002.tb00277.x

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). (2025). 100 years of radio broadcasting in Sri Lanka. SLBC Press. https://www.slbc.lk/unesco-background

Thussu, D. K. (2018). International communication: Continuity and change. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Wasserman, H. (2005). Debating the media, shaping identity: Postcolonial discourse and public criticism: Communication, cultural and media studies. Communicatio: South African Journal of Communication Theory and Research, 31(1), 49–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/02500160508536291