First Cordillera community radio station launched in Sagada

 First Cordillera community radio station launched in Sagada

We felt the people’s desire and interest for a radio station they truly own long before this launch. Radyo Sagada is no longer a dream but a reality.”
By RAYMUND B. VILLANUEVA
Bulatlat.com
SAGADA, Mountain Province — Radio Sagada 104.7 FM was successfully launched last Friday as the first-ever community radio station in the Cordilleras.

After five months of test broadcasts, the people of Sagada converged at the town center to end almost a decade of hard work and anticipation.

Friends and supporters from Baguio, Manila and even abroad made the long trip to this famous tourist town to celebrate with the community and participate in the event.

“With this launching, Sagada proved once more its leadership in pushing for the people’s communication rights,” Kathleen Okubo, Radyo Sagada director said.

Okubo, Baguio-based Northern Dispatch Weekly editor in chief, recalled that Sagada published the first newsweeklies in the Cordilleras with a letterpress printing machine that also gave birth to the country’s oldest existing community newspaper, the Baguio Midland Courier.

Radyo Sagada station manager Mary Carling for her part urged Sagadans and all Cordillerans to claim the community radio station as theirs.

(Photo by Ray Villa / Bulatlat.com)

“We will welcome anyone who wish to broadcast programs on Radyo Sagada, because it is owned, managed and operated by the people,” she said.

Non-commercial and pro-people
Aside from having weaker signals, community radio stations differ with other types of radio stations in more ways than one.

Their primary mandate is to give voice to citizens usually ignored by commercial or government-owned radio stations that number around 600 all over the Philippines.

Community radio stations often give people and sectoral organizations, peasants, women, indigenous peoples, workers, youth, environmentalists and other marginalized sectors free airtime.

Community radio broadcasters also generally lack formal training and education on broadcasting but there are many non-government organizations that give them free training and assistance.

While community radio stations may air commercial advertisements, proceeds are exclusively used for operations. Advertisers are also not allowed to influence editorial policies if they run counter to the pro-people advocacies of the station.

For instance, these stations almost never air pesticide and fertilizer advertisements if their peasant listeners advocate organic farming..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/17/first-cordillera-community-radio-station-launched-in-sagada/