MUMBAI: Gurgaon based NGO, TRF (The Restoring Force) would be soon launching its community radio in Udyog Vihar, villages of Garhi Harsaru, Dhankot and adjoining areas. TRF had already been allotted frequency of 107.8 MHz by the Information and Broadcasting ministry. The NGO had applied for a radio license in the start of last year and received the Letter of Intent from I & B ministry in August 2008.
With the NGO working independently in the areas of education and vocational training, the community radio initiative aims to intervene in the inequality of access and opportunity. TRF community radio project manager Arti Jaiman says, We have multiple aims for our community radio initiative, we plan to take our programmes to a larger audience. Through the initial stages of setting up the radio station, we were successful in breaking the barriers of caste that still exists in these regions….
The community radio will hit the airwaves for four hours initially and the content would be on the lines of career counseling, health tips, English speaking etc. We’re planning on some core issues addressing this region like career counseling, livelihood, health, English speaking, original traditional music, plays and stories and interviews of personalities of interest to the community….
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We want to reduce the disparities of class and caste that exists in the villages. Through our community radio, we aim to give the community a voice and it will emerge as programming will happen….
TRF has partnered with Delhi based NGO Pratham and Pratham Books to launch Pratham’s Read India project on radio. The project will take the shape of a daily radio program recorded in Pratham’s schools. TRF aims to reach 150 schools in Gurgaon, within the 20 km radius of the community with their educational programmes.
Apart from educational programmes by Pratham, TRF will also air a segment by St Stephen’s hospital on health tips. The program will also feature vital information on health centres, upcoming free health camps, and prevention and immunization of childhood diseases.
The language of communication for broadcast would be Hindi and the community people are free to air original songs. Musicians, singers are free to come to our studio and cut a demo CD and submit us the track with complete broadcasting rights so that the music reaches the community….
The areas where the community radio would be broadcasted is a semi-urban set up. Population here is exposed to media so we have to be very rustic content will not be accepted…. The NGO plans to spend 7 lacs for setting up this community radio from its internal funds.
Delhi based Ideosync is TRF’s technical partner in setting up the community radio station, and would be involved in training and assisting for the broadcast.
