No political programmes for Lethem radio

Aimed at highlighting events in the community, the recently launched Radio Lethem 95.1 FM, would not be airing political programmes.

Veteran broadcaster Rovin Deodat, who serves as project coordinator, told Stabroek News that the station is “not for politics” but is “meant for a community radio station.” He added that politicians “have other spaces for that” and reiterated that the radio “is aimed at focusing on the community and its activities and what is happening.”

Director of Public Information Imran Khan, who is attached to the Office of the Prime Minister, also told Stabroek News that from reports, “all is going smoothly and there continues to be much excitement in the region with the new broadcasts.” He emphasised that the “community radio initiative is meant to be non-political with programming controlled by the community administrators and broadcasters themselves. It is not a platform for partisan political interest of any group.”

Prime Minister (PM) Moses Nagamootoo had travelled to Region 9 on May 22 for the commissioning of the radio station, which is transmitting through the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN). The launch of the station fulfills a promise in the APNU+AFC manifesto to bring broadcasting to the hinterland

The radio station which has a range of 25 miles, and on a clear day up to 35 miles, would not only serve the people of Lethem but other nearby villages such as Nappi and St Ignatius. Residents in the Deep South Rupununi, which is about 100 miles away would not be able to access the signal.

Some of the programmes would be broadcast in the language of the indigenous people. Twenty young people from the community joined the NCN team as volunteer broadcasters and reporters and were trained by Deodat, along with NCN’s Michella Abraham.

The training was conducted through a grant by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The young people would be given a chance to tell their stories, which Deodat said, would be a positive endeavour on their part. The programmes would deal with health, education, social issues and the challenges they face in the community, for instance with the roads.

Deodat said too that the station is staying away from religion and if it was opened to religious programmes, only the well-established ones would benefit. According to him, the young volunteers are “now learning about broadcasting and we do not want programmes that would divide them but what would bring them together.”

They were grateful to Minister of Public Telecommunications Cathy Hughes who had promised to donate 15 laptops so that they can get their work done professionally.

The project got started after Deodat, who is now the coordinator, met with Nagamootoo nine months ago and discussed the concept of community-oriented radio. Another radio station is slated to be commissioned in Mabaruma within the next few weeks.

The PM said they were trying to “tweak the system so that you can have television as well.” He noted that the locations are already receiving signals for the Learning Channel, which is being transmitted to 16 locations in the country via satellite.

“We owe it as a duty to the young people that they would be able to receive wider communication and access the wider world through radio and television,” he said.

Deodat had mentioned that Abraham along with Devon Roberts and Michael Forde helped to get the project going. At the launch, he had said that the PM has a “bee in the bonnet” for the outlying regions to have “immediate information and valuable news from the centre instead of today’s news coming to the area by the following week in the plane…”

Businessman Daniel Gajie, the president of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, is also onboard as the sales manager for radio Lethem and has already brought in business, Deodat had said.

Lethem has a population of over 5,000 persons in 1050 households and has in excess of 120 businesses.

Meanwhile, Khan also mentioned the Radio Paiwomak model, which has been running successfully for the past 16 years.

Virgil Harding, manager of Radio Paiwomak, which also transmits through NCN, said over the years, the station has developed and aired local programmes such as ‘Farmers’ Corner’ where farmers are given tips on planting for commercial or kitchen garden purposes and on how to deal with pests. The radio station broadcasts from Annai to several villages in the North Rupununi.

The station also airs ‘Youth Vision,’ where interviews of young people who are pursuing courses at institutions such as the University of Guyana, the Guyana School of Agriculture, the Government Technical Institute or the Carnegie School of Home Economics, are aired so as to motivate and inspire their peers “to have similar visions.”

The station also hosts ‘The Request Show’ for birthday and other greetings to be aired and ‘Village Talk,’ where the older folks are given an opportunity to reminisce on their lives and to share stories of the village.

Radio Paiwomak’s name was drawn from the first few letters of three mountain ranges located in the area, namely the Pakaraimas, the Iwokrama and the Makarapan mountain ranges.

It broadcasts on 97.1 FM and has a frequency range of 130 km, and is accessible in outlying villages and in Suriname.

Harding said he has “had the privilege of sharing my programme sheet with the volunteers of Radio Lethem.”