Radio Kochi @ 90 FM

Contact person: Mr. Krishnakumar C.K. (Station Director)

Broadcast Languages: Malayalam, Hindi and English

Genesis: Radio Kochi 90 FM is the first Coastal FM Community Radio Station in Ernakulam and it is licensed to St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam. The daily broadcast commenced on April 2, 2021. The Hon. Governor of Kerala, Shri. Arif Mohammed Khan officially launched Radio Kochi 90 FM on July 16, 2021.

Thematic Focus: Radio Kochi 90 FM primarily focuses on 12 thematic areas. They are: coastal area management, climate change & food security, environment and sustainability, disaster management, education and learning, empowerment of women and children, health and nutrition/hygiene, sustainable energy & energy management, promotion of science and technology, promotion of arts and culture, skill development and livelihood, agriculture and farming.

Sustainable Development Goals:  Radio Kochi focuses mainly on the four SDGs.

SDG 13 Climate Action

SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 4 Quality Education

SDG 5 Gender Equality 

Primetime Programmes: Nirangal (participatory programme for autistic  children), Soukhyam (talk show with medical professionals), Balayude Lokam (radio skit for children), Aarohi (participatory Carnatic music programme), Ente Idam Ente Krishi Idam (agricultural programme), Kalaprabodhini (programme involving community members), Sangeet Ka Safar (Hindi song programme), Prakruti Janani (programme on nature and environment), Varthamanam (weekly round-up on non-political developments in the country), Tech Talk (programme discussing latest developments in technology), Peythoziyaathe (programme for budding poets in the community), Kerala Jalakam (programme on non-political developments in Kerala), Sureeli Awaz (ghazal programme), Cinema Kottaka (cinema-based programme), Ernakulam Diaries (weekly round-up on non-political developments in Ernakulam) 

Innovations in format or any other way: Solo Narrative Format, Podcasting, Voxpopuli, Narrowcasting. Radio Kochi also shares its content through various platforms like Radio Kochi Mobile App, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Nirangal (Colours) is a unique flagship programme that hosts children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, along with their parents. The programme not only showcases the talents of such children but also has been able to create awareness about Autism, and hence has garnered much appreciation. Radio Kochi also runs an internship programme for media students and helps them get hands-on experience across different areas.  So far five batches of interns have been trained successfully.

Core Team: The core team comprises six members which includes the Managing Director, Station Director, Programme Head, Coordinator, Lead Sound Engineer, and Senior Programme Producer. Four expert volunteers, six youth volunteers and junior volunteers assist the core team.

Major Projects Undertaken: The following are amongst the major projects that Radio Kochi undertook. TRF-SMART UNESCO SDG Fellowship 2022, UNICEF – CRA Project Swasthya Sankalp 2022 and SMART- BMGF COVID Campaign 2021.

Sustainable Strategies:

Participatory Approach for Programme Production: Radio Kochi banks on the capacity of its volunteers for programme ideation and content production. Community members are encouraged to ideas and create programmes based on thematic focus areas. It significantly helps minimise expenses.

CSR Fund Mobilisation: Radio Kochi solicits CSR donations from potential partners in order to secure funding for programme creation.

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: The combined listenership through transmission and online streaming is estimated to be around 2 lakhs.

Major Concerns in the Community: In Chellanam Panchayat, a field evaluation revealed that residents were less aware of the dangers of climate change and its catastrophic effects on their lives. The region’s means of subsistence are seriously threatened by rising sea levels. This necessitates ongoing education about the effects of climate change, including adaptation and mitigation measures.

Concerns about livelihood and low income are common among residents of coastal areas. They require training in additional skills that will enable them to consider sources of income besides fishing. Promoting and implementing skill development programmes will enable the coastal community’s residents to better prepare for the threats to their way of life posed by climate change.

Community radio can actively and creatively contribute to the development of a society where people are well-informed about a variety of socio-economic and health-related issues.