Sahakar Radio Gadag @ 89.6 FM

Contact Person: Dr. Sudha V. Mankani

Broadcasting Language: Kannada

Genesis: Sahakar community radio station was established in Gadag, Karnataka, with the objective of serving the community in critical areas that contribute to their well-being.  The CRS aims to be a source of credible information as well as entertainment for the target community. The CRS believes in involving the community members in all its activities and creating programmes that cater to their specific needs. 

Thematic Focus: The primary thematic focus areas of the CRS are agriculture and its allied sectors, youth empowerment, rural development, livelihood, education, and health. The CRS strives for social empowerment of the community members by enhancing their knowledge and abilities across different aspects. 

Sustainable Development Goals: For the betterment of the community, KVK focuses its programmes on these SDGs:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institution

Primetime Programmes: The CRS has a large pool of programmes for specific allied sectors of agriculture like livestock, animal husbandry, horticulture etc. The CRS disseminates information related to the latest updates in the agricultural sectors. The CRS hosts programmes that feature agricultural experts, scientists from KVKs, and progressive farmers who address the concerns of the local farming community. It has many programmes on rural development, and human and livestock nutrition. It broadcasts programmes about different government welfare schemes related to agriculture, rural development, and health. 

Apart from this, the CRS also broadcasts children’s programmes, music, philosophical and motivational talks, and other entertainment programmes. 

Innovations in format or any other way: Focus Group Discussions are organised involving community members from different sectors, and representatives of government departments and NGOs. This helps in sharing knowledge and resolving problems through collective efforts. 

The community members suggest topics and areas to focus on while developing programmes. They provide inputs in key areas and help develop modules on topics like Integrated Farming System, Alternative Land Usage System, Agro-Industries, and Value Addition. 

The community members are of the opinion that they have been able to draw benefits from the programmes of the CRS. 

Core Team: There are thirteen members in the core team of Sahakar Radio. The CRS is also supported by inputs, and feedback from the community members. 

Major Projects Undertaken: Sahakar Radio is yet to be part of a major external project. The CRS has so far worked on its internal initiatives to address the specific needs and concerns in the community. 

Sustainable Strategies: At present, Sahakar Radio is supported by the Agricultural Science Foundation (Host Institution of ICAR-KVK, Gadag). The CRS aspires to be a self-sustaining entity in the future by being a part of funded projects with other organisations and government agencies. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: Sahakar Radio has a strong potential outreach of 11.63 lakh people within its broadcast limits. Currently, the CRS has an active listener base of nearly 19,000 listeners. 

Major concerns in the Community: The major areas of concern in the community are unemployment, lack of awareness about recent technological advancements and mechanisation in agriculture and allied fields. The community needs to be sensitised in secondary agriculture.  Malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies should be addressed through awareness programmes.