e-Community broadcasting, Winner 2012
The roots of Henvalvani Community Radio, Chamba in Tehri district in Uttarakhand,were laid in September 2001 when a group of young rural youth came together in an attempt to find a distinct voice of their own. The Himalaya Trust, an NGO based inDehradun conducted radio training sessions with the group, teaching them the basicsof recordings with the goal to especially focus on highlighting the needs of their localcommunities. For the group members, making topical programs and airing the in thehill villages, was a first step towards an information revolution. Not having any steadyplatform to air their programs from,the group initially used to narrowcast its programs,with group members traveling from village to village encouraging people to come, listen,contribute and join the discussions after airing them program. After twelve years ofgroundwork, the station finally got its broadcasting license in 2012 and began broadcastingon the 3rd of March. Since its inception,Henvalvani has worked on various kinds of programs, all contextual and community centric in nature like awareness campaigns,for example, programs documenting traditional practices, environmental history and people’s movements in the valley, health issues, stories of migration to the cities and many more. The radio station greatly contributes to making unheard voices heard and to solve the everyday problems important to the communities in reach of the radiostation.
Gurgaon KiAwaazSamudayik Radio Station 107.8MHz is a civil society-run community radio station launched in October 2009, broadcasting 22 hours a day, 7 days a week,to a 10 to 15 kilomter radius around UdyogVihar in Gurgaon. The mobile technology makes the radio sessions very interactive and more participatory since listeners using their mobile phones are able to call in with their requests during the live programs and even listen to the station on their mobiles.The station broadcasts in Hindi and Haryanvi as well as many of the dialects spoken by migrant groups. In addition to a rich mix of folk music recorded from within this community, the station broadcasts daily live discussion programs that often connect the administration to the people, as well as programs on health, education, career counseling, entrepreneurship, issues surroundingmigration, legal rights, financial inclusion and more. Gurgaon KiAwaaz is a platform forthe voices of marginalized community groups in Gurgaon, such as local villagers andmigrant workers as well as women and children. Over 15 lakh people belong to the radio stations are potential listener base, and the widespread access to mobile telephony has allowed thousands of listeners to connect with the radio station.
Salute to Second Innings is a program hosted by the Community Radio Station Salaam Namaste which strongly believes in incorporating people from the community and society whose voices often remain unheard.The main vision of the Radio station,founded in 2009 is to become theVoice of theVoiceless. For example the program features grassroot people like auto-drivers in a show called “Noida KeSarthi where auto drivers host the show to educate Noida citizens about the traffic in the area. Following the same concept Salaam Namaste initiated a show with senior citizens called “Second Innings ko Salaam “.This is a weekend based show hosted by senior citizens and the most popular community RJs are Noida’s sector 61 based Dadi, KamleshMahajan, a 65 year old lady who is enthusiastic and takes vital interest in all aspects of life .She hosts the show along with different other senior citizens who can share valuable experiences and knowledge with the community. Guru Jee-PeetambarDuttSundrayal, a 86 year old retired government official who became a master in Bhartiya Yoga Sansthan in 1984. In the show he gives Yoga and meditation tips along with health knowledge to listeners of all ages and the “Yoga-daddu” has acquired a big fan following with people also call up to ask heath tips.
Community Radio Mattoli (90.4 FM) is an undertaking ofWayanad Social Service Society in Kerala. Radio Mattoli started its operation on June 1st, 2009, with the prime objective of becoming a credible source of information that has direct and immediate relevance to the community. Catering to the varied information requirements of various communities, Radio Mattoli is currently broadcasting 16 hours a day, from 6am to 10pm. The reach of Radio Mattoli covers 85% ofWayand District, having a population of 8,16,558 lakhs. The management of Mattoli vests with a committee consisting of people representing different section of society while the key objectives are to provide a platform for the marginalized community to raise their concerns, to enhance the knowledge ‘spectrum’ of the community and to cater to the information requirements of the society with the goal to bring positive change.The radio station attributes special attention to marginalized communities, for example farmers,tribes, dalits, women and children receive an opportunity to speak out and be heard.
Jayasri Radio is an internet radio station which commenced operations on the 1st of July 2009. Jayasri is aired in Maviththara and Piliyandala, Sri Lanka and broadcasted to the entire world. It was able to advance itself to the number one position amongst other web radio stations broadcasting from Sri Lanka via the internet.The major success can be attributed to the fact that Jayasri Radio broadcasted shows simultaneously on various popular web sites throughout the day or even round the clock. The program of Jayasri Radio is famous for its diverse and rich content which especially serves a segment of population who in Sri Lanka and abroad yearns for news from their country and place of birth and origin. The over 1.5 million Sri Lankan citizens working outside the country often hooked on Jayasri Radio which has developed into a platform for Sinhala entertainment as well as cultural nursery. It shows how important it is for migrants living abroad to stay connected to their place of origin on a regular basis.