Community Radio Sagar Giri 99.2
People from various communities live in the area – one side of which is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal, and another side is encircled by row of high peaks of Chandranath Hill, while the Dhaka-Chittagong rail line has divided it.
Community Radio Sagar Giri 99.2 was initiated for the people living in this spectacular place.The community radio, situated in Chittagong’s Sitakunda upazila has drawn attention of local residents through broadcasting news and programs on natural disasters and disaster rehearsals. Radio Sagar Giri started its journey on March 24, 2012, aiming to provide rural people with their necessary information. Parliamentary standing committee on Commerce Ministry’s chairman ABM Abul Kashem MP inaugurated of final transmission of the station. Earlier it had been on test transmission since November 24, 2011.
Radio Sagar Giri , established with the patronization of social development organization, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) is currently being aired between the hours of 12pm to 5pm. Five own staffs and 30 volunteers are currently working for the station. According to a survey, near 1.5 lakh people listen to the community radio, although there are 8 lakh people living under its network.
Remarkable programs are climatic disasters forecast, region based report on disaster rehearsal and educational programs. Although it does not air news, important items from local newspapers are read out. In addition, the radio sometimes airs spot reports on different issues. Moreover, musical programs, featuring local singers are also aired, while some local cultural programs are recorded from outdoor.
There are also several programs, aiming at raising awareness regarding agriculture, health, education and other issues. Apart from these – talk shows, plays and interviews on various subjects are also aired along with different programs on special occasions. Programs on Radio Sagar Giri are usually being broadcasted in regional language, but some common programs intended for all communities are broadcasted in standard Bengali language.
Reports also suggest that local farmers listen to radio programs for receiving advice on applying seed and fertilizer on their farmland. Farmers also make phone calls to the station to know necessary information.
A studio has already been setup, while staffs have also been trained up to run the radio. The authority has come to know through a survey that the station is gradually become popular among the residents of 8 unions under Sitakunda upazila, 2 unions under Mir Shorai upazila, and the residents of Sitakunda municipality.
Listeners also make phone calls to give their feedback about the community radio, while the station itself is trying to produce programs based on listener’s demand. It is noteworthy that residents of the community are advising their
| On Air date | 23 November 2011 |
| Broadcasting hour and time | Hour: 5 Time: 03pm-8pm |
| Type of Program/content | *Live and Livelihood *Education *Primary Health Care *Right Based Program *Indigenous Knowledge *Youth, Child and Women Issues *Job Information *Local Development Information *Knowledge Based Information *Right to Information *promotion of Local Culture and Entertainment *ICT4D *Local News and Information *Liberation and Struggle of Bangladesh *Special day Observation *Law *Beauty and Health Information on Daily lives *Song & Movies *NGO Service delivery *Local Government *English Language On air |
| Development News | Total: 65 min |
| Total listeners | 0.262 Million/ 2.62Lac |
| Type of listeners | Day Labor, Women, Student, Journalist, Cultural Activities, Small Business man, Teacher, Rickshaw Puller Adolescent etc. |
| Broadcasting Coverage Area | Distric-1, Upazila-3, Union-13 |
| Rural Broadcasters | Women:8 Men:16 Total:24 |
| Development Advertisement | Total: 30 min. |
local electronic shops to sale radio receiver, signaling the increasing popularity of this station.
However, additional skilled manpower is needed to produce more programs to meet listeners’ demands. In this regard, training is most important for the staff, while a guideline for news broadcasting is also needed to be prepared. Week long training workshop on technical matters is also necessary. There is also financial scarcity, which is barring the station from producing more and more programs. Moreover, additional studio equipment is also necessary, with the shortage of electricity remaining as one of the main obstacles.
The station is in badly need of making some field level programs, mass campaign in educational institutions and studio based programs with active participation of listeners
in order to attract listeners. A website for the radio is a demand of time, for which special training is needed. Moreover, discussion with local artists could help the station increase the standard of entertainment programs.
Station Manager
Radio Sagar Giri 99.2
YPSA Human Resourse Development Ceter
Sitakunda, Chittagong
Tel: 03028 56177
Cell: 01712 021097
E-Mail: sagargiri@gmail.com, shamim_ypsa@yahoo.com, ypsa_arif@yahoo.com