Two Radio Stations for Two People—The Story of Reshet Gimmel and Galei Tzahal in the 1980s

In the 1980s, Israel’s music scene was largely steered by two major radio stations, Galei Tzahal and Reshet Gimmel. Both played a critical role in shaping musical tastes in Israel, while also serving the music industry as crucial platforms for artist exposure. Regarded as “taste communities,” they catered primarily to music enthusiasts and embodied a spectrum of cultural, political, and socio-economic facets of diverse Israeli groups. Galei Tzahal tended to be more selective, elitist, and avant-garde. Reshet Gimmel pursued a more populist agenda, aiming for mass appeal and fostering a seemingly broader sense of shared identity among listeners. Galei Tzahal wished to educate Israelis, Reshet Gimmel aimed to represent what the masses wanted to hear. This research aims to probe into the distinct tactics of these stations, understand their contributions to the cultural conversation, and examine how they helped forge a national identity through music.