Radio MGM @ 90.8 FM

Contact Person: Mr. Sunil Shirsikar 

Broadcasting Language: Marathi and Hindi

Genesis: RADIO MGM 90.8 FM is an ardent and enthusiastic community radio station that caters to the community in and around Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad). The radio station is under the umbrella of Mahatma Gandhi Mission Trust and has a pioneering vision of making quality education accessible to everyone. Driven by the motive of community welfare, Radio MGM is a voice of the local community that defines itself as an autonomous entity and relies on the community for its survival without any commercial aims or objectives. The radio station broadcasts essential and informational programmes based on education, social issues, entertainment and cultural activities. MGM Community Radio broadcasts programmes conceived, devised, developed and managed by the community which encourages local artists and groups.

Thematic Focus: The primary focus areas of Radio MGM are education, healthcare,women empowerment, climate change, environment, and rural development. The CRS aims to promote the well-being of the community, encourage young professionals, to entertain the community, and to be the voice of the community. The CRS is a platform for local community members to interact with each other, engage in discussions, collectively social issues and concerns, contrive to find solutions to various problems, and showcase their talents. 

Sustainable Development Goals: Radio MGM aspires to achieve these SDGs:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 5: Gender Equality

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 13: Climate Action

Primetime Programmes: The primetime programmes of the CRS include Arogya Sampada, Dinvishesh, Rojgar Vartha, Mala Adhikari Vhaychay, Sakti, Kala Katta, and Vachal Tar Vachal. In addition to this, the CRS also broadcasts interviews, film reviews, promotions, and performances of folk songs by the community members. The primetime programmes are based on a variety of subjects/areas that include healthcare, career prospects and employment, agriculture, women’s problems and their empowerment, literature, and local art. 

Innovations in format or any other way: Narrowcasting is effectively used by Radio MGM to reach out to even the last of the members in the local community. It is a powerful tool that aids interaction with different social groups, understanding and addressing their needs, and developing community-oriented interventions to help them better. The CRS’ phone-in programmes and panel discussions are also popular among the listeners. 

Core Team: Radio MGM has a robust team that consists of seventeen members in several capacities. It includes people from different fields and this ensures that the CRS receives useful insights in the matters of programme development and delivery. In addition to the staff, the CRS also has a dedicated group of volunteers who are often the coordinators between the CRS and the community members. 

Major Projects Undertaken: Radio MGM has been part of projects and initiatives that are based on areas including healthcare and awareness campaigns, nutrition, factcheck and digital literacy, Yoga, career prospects, gender equality and initiatives against gender violence, sexual abuse, child labour, and child marriage.

Sustainable Strategies: Sixty percent of the annual expenses of Radio MGM are met with support from its parent organisation, Mahatma Gandhi Mission Trust. The rest of the expenses are met with the revenue generated through different funded projects and initiatives with external organisations. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: The area in which Radio MGM broadcasts its programmes has a potential outreach of at least five lakh people and the CRS has an active listener base of at least two lakh people. The CRS also clocks around 1,50,000 listeners on its web radio application. 

Major concerns in the Community: The major concerns that the community is suffering from include lack of drinking water, and need for effective rainwater harvesting techniques. Women’s health and nutrition issues should be addressed, and there is also a need for overall development of the healthcare and education sector.