Syrian Television began broadcasts on 23 July 1960, during Syria's
short-lived union with Egypt. It began with the phrase, "Here is Damascus", as delivered by
Sabah Qabbani. It was broadcast from its studios situated at the highest peak of
Mount Qasioun, with low power of no more than 10 kilowatts and only for one and a half hours reaching only Damascus. Its broadcasting hours increased over time. After the
1961 military coup which dissolved the union, Syrian TV broadcast a speech delivered by
Shukri al-Quwatli, the first post-independence president of Syria, in October 1961, which was recorded in Switzerland. Experimental color broadcasts began in 1978, with only a handful of programs being in color at the time, being broadcast for four hours. Regular color broadcasts began in 1980 using
PAL and
SECAM systems. ==References==