Original Title : Puduvai Vaani – Community Radio Station
Media Format : FM Radio based
Website : http://www.pondiuni.edu.in
Producer : Pondicherry University – Puduvai Vaani Community Radio Station
Language : Tamil, English, Hindi & French
Location : Pondicherry, INDIA
Contact : puduvaivaani@gmail.com

Community FM Puduvai Vaani 107.8MHz has been launched by Pondicherry University. It started with an aim to make awareness among the people to improve their nature of lifestyle. Puduvai Vaani is the public broadcaster to awaken, inform, enlighten educate and entertain all sections of people including the programme on women empowerment, communal harmony, health and education. It also brings out the hidden talents of the students in and around University campus. CRS also includes its service on the practical session for the students of School of Media and Communication.The FM reaches a distance of about 12 kilometres radius. Regular transmission is going on air from Jan 1, 2009. Besides the faculty and students of the University, programmes are also presented by the local community people. The language of broadcasting primarily includes Tamil and English.

The Jury noted that Puduvai Vaani, which is purely service oriented and run in a non profit manner, is the first Community Radio Station (CRS) in India started with 9 hours transmission, without repeat programmes. It was further observed that Puduvai Vaani CRS is educating & entertaining people by providing the chances to others. Also, it was appreciated that the programme are broadcast in local regional language with its cultural elements. It was further noted that the CRS introduced various feature like, conducting competitions for School, College students and Community people every year. These competitions are enhancing their knowledge, ideas other than their subject knowledge. Imparting training programmes for Women and Children from community for empowering their skills and economic status. Through the training programmes some of them are getting chances to start entrepreneurship. In this way The CRS is serving a great community development purpose the Jury noted. It was also appreciated that that CRS already received recognition in the form of an award from CEMCA for a programme in the category of “Local Culture Promotion” which was received at First National Community Radio Sammelan, organized by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi in April 2011.

Original Title : Radio Namaskar
Media Format : Radio based
Website : http://www.radionamaskar.org
Producer : Young India
Language : Odia
Location : Orissa, INDIA
Contact : radionamaskar@gmail.com

Radio Namaskar, the Community Radio of Orissa (India) is established at Konark by Young India, a civil society organisation formed by some National Youth Awardees, Indira Gandhi NSS Awardees & Ex- NSS volunteers those who are committed to the cause of social transformation and development, to make the common people informative and active participant of the community development process. The objective of this Community Radio is to ensure overcoming social problems through a community owned process and through deployment of oriented personnel and sensitizing the beneficiary mass. It is also felt that the Radio would enable the general public to have access to each other’s views and ideas directly through a network of communication and can be able to have direct and immediate access to ensure redressing of grievance as well as finalization of local based issues of state and national importance. This would be possible in coordination with mass media of the state and even in coordination with the elite of the State that includes people from different streams of society who do have command and interest in different matters of common interest. It is expected that this would ultimately augment the communication and knowledge transformation process in a well regulated but well related manner. Radio Namaskar has a total coverage in Gop, Nimapara, Astarang and Kakatpur Blocks of Puri district and also reaches in other surrounding locations.

The Jury noted that the Radio Namaskar, apparently the only community radio of Orissa as of now, has impacted the target community very effectively. It was noted that the Radio Namaskar is regularly broadcasting 8 hours programme per day. Radio Namaskar is also broadcasting several jingles on different government schemes and programmes. It was further noted that after repeated broadcasting of a particular jingle on the Radio, government has taken note of the broadcast and made necessary modifications in the relevant policy and that way the Jury appreciated that the Radio has been serving the purpose of Policy Advocacy also. The Jury also appreciated that since its inception, the Radio Namaskar could establish 72 listener groups, to involve the communities in the process of their socio-economic change and also designed specific programmes to hit at the problems and emphasize free convergence among members and communities. The Jury noted that in order to empower the disadvantaged groups like women, children, and farmers and fishing community members Radio Namaskar has community designed programmes catering to each and every vulnerable groups and its members.