Friends CR @ 90.4 FM

Contact Person: Ms. Debanjana Devbarman

Broadcasting Language: Bengali, Kokborok, Hindi and English 

Genesis: Friends CR 90.4 FM was established in 2017 by the organisation, David Super Star Bodol. The station officially started its broadcast from 29th May 2017. Friends CR was founded with the mission to enhance the lives of the community members by effectively addressing their needs through the medium of community radio. The CRS is committed to being an integral part of the community and ensuring its holistic development. Friends CR had a humble beginning but has gradually grown into a force to be reckoned with in the region because of its immense influence and popularity among the community members. 

Thematic Focus: Friends CR develops programmes that are directly related to the concerns of the community. The major focus areas of the CRS have been reducing gender-based discrimination and violence, building and nurturing a peaceful and socially aware society, introducing means of quality education, and being a guiding force to the community members from the marginalised and weaker sections. The CRS’ programmes focus on health, education, community welfare, and social harmony. 

Sustainable Development Goals: The SDGs that the CRS focusses on are:

SDG 3: Good Health & Wellbeing

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 5: Gender Equality 

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG 16: Peace Justice and Strong Institution

Primetime Programmes: The primetime programmes are Friends Cafe, Best Friends, and Morning Friends.  Friends Café is a programme where the CRS connects with the listeners to discuss local issues, literature, science and technology, etc. 

Best Friends is a two-hour long daily show that addresses a wide range of areas which include  health and nutrition issues like mother and child care, lifestyle choices and problems etc. The programme also educates women of their rights, provisions under the law, and special government schemes for their benefit, while encouraging listeners to express their concerns and seek advice from experts like doctors, academics, psychiatrists, lawyers and police and government officials, who regularly feature on the show. Issues like human trafficking, exploitation and abuse of children, child marriages, women’s education also form topics of  discussion during the programmes. 

Morning Friends is a programme that broadcasts news from AIR, discusses the latest developments in the region, and provides guidance about career, employment opportunities, and scholarships available for the student community. 

Innovations in format or any other way: Friends CRS designs community-oriented programmes and organises immersive events for the wel-being of the community members. The events focus on building awareness about social issues and areas that need attention. The CRS also narrowcasts its programmes for the benefit of the community members in media-dark and remote areas. The CRS also promotes the bamboo industry of the region. 

Core Team: The team at Friends CR has ten members which include five core members, and a panel of experts. The CRS also appreciates community-participation in its programmes and other events related to the station. 

Major Projects Undertaken: Since its establishment, Friends CR has collaborated with many leading organisations like UNICEF, UNHCR, EU, CRA, SMART, and different ministries of the central and state governments. 

Sustainable Strategies: Nearly sixty percent of the expenses of the CRS are met by contributions from the parent organisation, David Star Super Bodol. The remaining funds are drawn through funded collaborations with different organisations. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: As many as 150 villages of Tripura fall within the broadcast range of the CRS and these villages have a population of nearly six lakh people. The CRS has an active listener base of 30,000 listeners.

Major Concerns in the Community: Bridging socio-economic gaps, promoting small-scale local entrepreneurships, promoting the bamboo industry, building better educational and healthcare infrastructure, and educating the community members about various subjects and social issues are the areas that require action.