CEMCA has been associated with the community radio movement in India from its inception. Experience has revealed that while Community Radio Stations (CRS) are able to manage their production and management, there is a pressing need for technical guidance and support related to running or setting them up as well as maintaining the basic equipment. The paucity of trained personnel at the local level makes them dependent on ‘outside experts’ even for basic tasks, and getting trained professionals from metropolitan areas for troubleshooting is expensive.
CEMCA has developed learning content to help prepare a cadre of technical support personnel at the local level, thus creating new technical and vocational skill-based jobs and enhance CRS technical sustainability. In partnership with Broadcast Engineering Consultants India, Ltd (BECIL), CEMCA has developed learning materials for the Certificate of Community Radio Technology (CCRT) six-month course.
Other major projects have included:
Yoga for well- being through Community Radio
CEMCA supported the Ministry of AYUSH (MOA), Government of India, in engaging 125 CRS across the five regions of India to promote Yoga. The CRS were chosen from rural, semi-urban, and urban areas. The Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) programme developed by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), was promoted with the aim to disseminate the knowledge and practice of Yoga, among the general public, at the national level. In 2021, CYP went online. The 24-day CYP course developed by the MDNIY team included safe self-practices to improve physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of the masses. As per the survey conducted by CEMCA, 18,698 people had registered for the CYP Course.
Immune India through Community Radio
CEMCA has also supported MOA in a campaign that engaged the CRS of India to connect to the community for Immunity Campaign. CRS are short range channels which provide information to people living in a locality and influence the communities. The campaign was implemented in 25 CRS located in rural areas of the country to promote awareness about AYUSH and benefits of building immunity. Through this campaign, more than eighteen lakh community members were reached which belonged to rural, tribal, semi-urban areas in the project site. A survey of more than 13,000 people found that majority had not been aware of the AYUSH and the practices, and the key recommendation was for more such campaigns from the AYUSH Ministry.
Community Radio Video Challenge (CRVC) 2021
The Challenge aims at engaging Indian youth in CR and promoting understanding and importance of CR as an alternative media for community’s self-expression, learning and development. CEMCA has collaborated with the New Delhi office of UNESCO in organising the event since 2014, with students from various institutes and universities across India participating in this event. The theme of CRVC 2021 was “Community Radio for Healthy Communities.”
Available at: Best Practices of Community Radio and Sustainable Development Goals: A Handbook
