Media Release
Mangalore, Sep 25: Radio Sarang 107.8FM will celebrate the completion of its first year in a unique way by starting a new community-based live phone-in programme, ‘Arogya Sarang’ from Sunday September 26.
Arogya Sarang is a weekly health programme in collaboration with the Arogya Medical Centre, in Kannada. Medical experts and practitioners would be speaking on various health issues, and answering people’s questions on the community radio, every Sunday at 11.00 a.m. Those interested may field their questions either during the live programme or before it, calling the Sarang studio on 0824-2449744.
Radio SARANG 107.8FM is a St Aloysius College campus-based community radio. It was test-launched on June 24, 2009 and formally launched on September 23, 2009 by H R Bhardwaj, Governor of Karnataka in the presence of Dr Veerappa Moily, Dr V S Acharya and a host of other dignitaries and community representatives.
Community radios are envisaged as the voice of local communities to voice and discuss their issues. Radio Sarang 107.8FM has been networking with various local communities in and around the city by producing community programmes such as weekly fisher folk related Bengreda Swara, Ullal community’s voice Ullalda Usir and a host of other programmes on agriculture, health and hygiene, environment, children and women’s issues, and local culture. Ordinary people and experts move into the Sarang studio any time to produce their programmes, besides Radio Sarang going to the communities.
Community radio Sarang reaches a wide area and cross section of people like farmers, workers, commuters, home-makers, children, and students in various places as far as Mangalore, Udupi, parts of Ujire and Puttur, Naravi, Belthangady, Bantwal, Manjeshwar, and so on.
Sarang started broadcasting for two hours during its trial period (June 2009 to September), gradually increasing its output to six hours post-official launch, and then to fourteen hours a day non-stop, since June 2010.
During the past one year’s successful community broadcasting, Sarang has been transmitting in Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, and English daily, and Malayalam, Beary, and Hindi language programmes on a weekly basis, besides Punjabi once a month. Its broadcasts include yakshagaana, Madhyama Harate (media review), Makkaledege Sarang, Kaanoonu Kacheri live phone-in programme with a law college and practicing advocates on Wednesday evenings, Arogya Sparsha- a live phone-in health programme on every Friday, interviews, talks, and entertainment programmes.