Radio Sarang @ 107.8 FM

Contact Person: Dr Melwyn Pinto

Broadcasting Language: Kannada

Genesis: Radio Sarang was established in September 2009 by St. Aloysius College (Autonomous), Mangalore, Karnataka. It is broadcast in four local languages – Kannada, Tulu, Beary, and Konkani, and addresses the needs of the diverse groups in the target community.  A majority of the community members belong to the marginalised sections in the society and they struggle on various fronts; it is important to empower the marginalised sections of the society to ensure its overall development. The CRS serves a platform for every community member to come forth and voice their concerns. 

Thematic Focus: Radio Sarang’s primary area of focus is catering to the informational, educational, and entertainment needs of the local community, In order to achieve this, the CRS designs its programmes based on current affairs, local issues, legal aid, health, environment, and culture, among other themes. 

Sustainable Development Goals: The SDGs that the Radio Sarang focuses on are:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 13: Climate Action

Primetime Programmes: The primetime programmes that are broadcast by Radio Sarang are Say No To Violence, Sutta Mutta, Hallo Wenlock, and an awareness programme on water conservation and sanitation. Say No To Violence is an awareness programme on domestic violence and exploitation of women. Sutta Mutta is a fortnightly feature series that highlights the contributions of local artists, organisations, and associations in the growth of the local communities. Hallo Wenlock is a weekly phone-in programme in which a doctor from district hospital interacts with the listeners to discuss various health issues. 

Innovations in format or any other way: The CRS adopts a combination of live and recorded programmes to engage the listeners, along with feature and docu-drama formats. Field reporting is another method used by Radio Sarang to stay connected with the community members and understand their concerns. The CRS then creates programmes that suit the specific needs of the community.  

Core Team: Radio Sarang eight full-time staff apart from the Station Director. Staff is allocated responsibilities to create content in each of the four languages in the region, and the field reporter is responsible for recording field programmes. Ten volunteers also contribute to programme production occasionally. The CRS also has two advisors who provide regular insights on the programmes produced by the station.

Major Projects Undertaken: Radio Sarang is working on the Water Conservation and Sanitation Awareness programme in association with the Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Department of the Karnataka State Government. The CRS has collaborated with SMART for an awareness campaign on violence against women, called ‘Say No To Violence’. The CRS also collaborated with DataLeads to spread awareness against fake news.

Sustainable Strategies: Radio Sarang meets almost half of its expenses through financial assistance from its parent organisation, St. Aloysius College. The rest of the expenses are met with the help of revenue generated from paid collaborations and advertisements with different government agencies and private organisations. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: At least, five lakh people live within the broadcast range of Radio Sarang. The active listener base could not be precisely determined. 

Major concerns in the Community:  : Some of the major concerns in the community are health issues, unemployment, and environment pollution. Calamities such as natural disasters including seasonal floods, thunderstorms and cyclones affect the region. Sea erosion is another major concern that affects those living near the sea. The community also suffers from water scarcity during summers.