A small Turkish community radio offers a rare window into environmentalism under Erdogan's regime

Ömer Madra (right), co-founder of Apaçik Radyo, in the station's studio in Istanbul, Turkey, April 6, 2026. IPEK AKDEMIR/APAÇIK RADYO Located at the end of a cul-de-sac in the Beyoglu district in central Istanbul, the Apaçik Radyo studios – meaning "very open radio" or "out in the open" – are marked only by a small sign. On the canvas displayed at the entrance, one can make out the features of Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg.

"She is one of the great loves of my life," says Ömer Madra, his eyes sparkling behind round glasses. At 81, this former academic who turned to journalism now dedicates himself to the community radio station he co-founded in 1995. "Hello to you, Universe!" That is how he has started his morning show every day for the past 30 years. It is a well-rehearsed ritual that betrays an unwavering obsession: "Reading Bill McKibben's The End of Nature about global warming in the late 1980s was a decisive moment for me," Madra recalled.

As soon as he finished reading the bestseller, he added the planet's future to his long list of political causes. And so, from the earliest days of Apaçik Radyo, the fight against climate change has naturally become one of the station's core topics. You have 79.35% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.