• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Sierra Leone: New Radio Station to Be Commissioned on 30 June

Posted on: Friday, 1 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

Text of report by radio of the UN mission in Sierra Leone on 29 June

[Presenter] A new radio station in Kenema is to be formally commissioned tomorrow. Eastern Radio, the voice of justice and development broadcasting on FM 101.9, is a Network Movement for Justice and Development [NMJD] setup station to help community people participate in their own development. Station manager Mr Ahmed Kallon says there was need to have a community radio in Kenema.

[Kallon] As we know, public radio stations are most times referred to as state radio that are being owned by governments as the government determines what should go on the air. Then we have commercial stations, which normally go in for money. Community radio station has its own difference because the people themselves own it. That one could be reflected by the types of programmes that come on air and the people's participation, as the people themselves own the station. Mr Kallon says programmes will reflect development interests of the people.

We make programmes in the interest of the people. Say for example we go down to the community people, say like farmers. They explain to us their farming activities. We go to youths and identify their problems. We tell them not to get involved in violence, and also to women in the community, and explain about development to them.

[Presenter] The radio station manager says monies from commercial activities and community participation will help to run the radio station.

Source: BBC Monitoring Africa

More News in this Category