Community radio impacting lives in Georgia

People gather in the town centre of Ninotsminda in GeorgiaÂ’s Javakheti region, to listen to the countryÂ’s first community radio station. Programmes are broadcast through a loudspeaker strategically placed at the city centre crossroad, a popular meeting place for locals. Community Radio in Ninotsminda (Radio NOR) broadcasts two hours of music with regular news bulletins every day. A magazine style programme with local and national news, reports, interviews and phone-ins, is broadcast twice a week. Resident involvement The station is run by local residents, mainly ethnic Armenians, who form the majority in this mountainous region. Residents come to the station to sing songs, read poetry, and learn how to produce their own programmes. There are also opportunities to learn new skills from computer literacy to radio presentation. 'If this radio had existed when I was young, I would have been famous by nowÂ’. So says Karine ArutyunyanÂ’s grandfather whose voice could only be heard at a local church prior to the launch of the station, but now the loudspeaker carries the sound of the Armenian folk songs they sing together. Connecting communities The station is part of the TrustÂ’s making waves project, which promotes the rights of Armenian and Azeri minorities living in the enclaves of Javakheti and Kvemo-Kartli. Head of the station, Ararat Tttyan said: 'Even though few people are yet able to listen to us, the importance of this radio station cannot be underestimated. It does have impact on peopleÂ’s lives.' 'They come to us, wanting to voice their opinions and share their problems. They feel that we are part of this community.' The station hopes to expand its audience and has applied for a broadcasting licence. For a small town nestling in the mountains of south-west Georgia, the launch of the station was a significant development. The town is frequently cut off from the rest of the country by severe weather and suffers from high unemployment rates and poor access to basic amenities. Previously, the only source of information in Armenian was a local TV station, which broadcasts local news and translates evening news bulletins from national TV stations. Making waves Staff received nearly eight months of training and preparation lead by consultants from the BBC World Service Trust, IREX Europe and Georgian Association Studio Re. A similar station has been set up by the project in the Azeri populated area of Kvemo-Kartli, in south east Georgia which will also go 'on air' soon through a loudspeaker. This project is funded by the European Union under its European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights Programme. It is co-funded by the Global Conflict Prevention Pool through British Embassy in Georgia, the Open Society Georgia Foundation and the Eurasia Foundation in Georgia. Source: BBC World Service Trust

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