Radio Cooch Behar @ 89.6 FM

Contact Person:  Mr. Pran Pratim Paul (Acting Station Director)

Genesis: On May 30, 2022, Radio Cooch Behar was founded on the Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University campus with the goal of promoting community welfare and the all-round development of the community members and the area.

Thematic Focus: The major thematic focus area of Radio Cooch Behar is education while also delving into women empowerment, community development, health, hygiene and wellness, culture and entertainment, among many others. 

Sustainable Development Goals: Radio Cooch Behar focuses mainly on the following three SDGs:

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 5: Gender Equality

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth 

Primetime Programmes: Since Radio Cooch Behar is within the Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University campus, its primary audience is the students. Therefore, most of the programmes are created in an educative, infotainment model to cater to the students. Cholo Sikhi is an educational programme for children and students in primary and higher education. Suwastha is a health programme that focuses on adopting healthy lifestyle practices and mitigating lifestyle diseases, and Krishikatha is an agricultural programme for the farmers in the community. 

Innovations in format or any other way: The CRS designs educational content for a student-specific outreach model. It also hosts a variety of events like talk shows, debates, discussions etc. for the benefit of the student community. The CRS also engages with its audience across different social media platforms. Radio Cooch Behar has also been successful in encouraging SHGs among female listeners. 

Core Team: The core team at Radio Cooch Behar is in charge of making decisions regarding all official and administrative issues, and they are assisted by a committed group of student volunteers who help curate the programme content. Additionally, a group of experienced educators and instructors provide their opinions on the themes and subjects that the programmes ought to emphasise on.

Major Projects Undertaken: Radio Cooch Behar has so far focused on the smooth execution of its internal projects and is yet to collaborate with an external organisation for a major project.

Sustainable Strategies: Presently, Radio Cooch Behar is funded completely by the Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, but the CRS is devising strategies that will help it become a self-sustaining entity in the future. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: A population of around five lakh people fall within the broadcast range of Radio Cooch Behar and the active listener base is estimated to be nearly thirty thousand people.

Major concerns in the Community: There is a need to promote education and create opportunities for youth in the community; they need guidance and counselling to make the right decisions regarding their career. Better healthcare, hygiene and sanitation are also amongst the requirements of the target community. The farmers in the community also require support to harness the advantages of the latest technology to improve their yield and procure better prices for the same.