Hello BAOU @ 90.0 FM

Contact Person:  Ms. Digish Vyas, Station In Charge

Broadcast Languages: Gujarati, Hindi & English

Genesis: Radio Hello BAOU was founded in 2021 with the aim to serve Ahmedabad’s diverse communities, including street vendors, labour unions, neighbourhood schools, and tribal groups. The CRS is a pioneer in the field and produces programmes across different genres.  The primary goal is to promote culture and local ancient Indian texts, artwork, and as well as create awareness around health-related issues. The CRS aims to foster a sense of belonging and national pride in the community. To put it simply, The CRS acts as a unifying force for all demographic groups in the target community.

Thematic Focus: The CRS focuses primarily on promoting local art and culture, educating the community about government initiatives, and building social harmony. Regular events include sessions for career counselling, fun and art activities, women’s emancipation, community singing, and youth inspiration. The CRS also wants to give the community members a platform to share their knowledge and expertise for the benefit of the community. 

Sustainable Development Goals: The SGDs that Hello BAOU Radio focuses on are:

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

SDG 4 Quality Education

SDG 5 Gender Equality

SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 12 Responsible consumption and Production. 

Primetime Programmes: Gyan na Sathware, Mara Gam ni Vat, Vikas ni Vate, Sahity, Kala ane Sanskruti, BAOU Hour, and Killol are the primetime programmes. The primary topics covered on Gyan na Sathware are philosophical debates, inspiring stories, and conversations based on different scriptures. Through the Mara Gam Ni Vat programme, the CRS interacts with members of the community. Vikas ni Vate is a programme on career counselling and personality development for the youth. Sahity, Kala ane Sanskruti features discussions and interviews about art, dance, music, drama, heritage, and culture. BAOU Hours is primarily for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University students. Killol is a children’s programme in Hindi and Gujarati.

Innovations in format or any other way: The CRS staff visit nearby communities for narrowcasting in addition to broadcasting. After the CRS was established, it was able to improve the status of women and raise awareness about government welfare policies in the locality.  The CRS also creates talk shows featuring experts and famous people. They also share their content on different social media platforms. 

Core Team: The three key staff members are the station manager, the technical team, and the content creator. A panel of experts made up of five professors and a guest expert additionally helps the CRS in content creation by providing valuable insights.

Major Projects Undertaken: Hello BAOU has participated in numerous innovative projects in collaboration with various organisations in addition to working on its internal projects. The CRS also aspires to be a part of projects and initiatives with leading organisations, and continues its efforts in this direction. 

Sustainable Strategies: Presently, the CRS receives financial support from the university funds of BAOU. Their key sustainable strategies focus on becoming self-sufficient through partnerships with different NGOs and government agencies. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: The villages Khoraj, Khodiyar, Tragad, Jamiyatpura, Chharodi, Gota, Rahpur, Lilapur, Dantali, and Jaspur fall within the broadcast range of Hello BAOU. It is estimated that the CRS reaches nearly 45,000 active listeners.  

Major concerns in the Community: The primary studies conducted in the community have found that the community members are not sufficiently aware of government schemes. Additionally, there are misconceptions about various vaccinations.  The team has been promoting women’s empowerment among the female community members and disseminating information about the government’s various welfare programmes.