Radio Manasa @ 89.6 FM

Contact Person:  Dr. H.S. Kumara (Acting Station Director)

Genesis: The University of Mysore, Mysuru, established Radio Manasa 89.6FM in 2021. The CRS was founded with the goal of enhancing and directing socio-cultural and educational activities through radio programmes, with a focus on educational programmes that would benefit both students and the local community. Through its various programmes and successful intervention strategies, the CRS continues to make an impact in the daily lives of its target community. 

Thematic Focus: Radio Manasa’s intervention has primarily focused on education-based programmes that would benefit both students and the community. The CRS also works on a wide range of areas including water conservation, gender equality, career guidance and life skills, and healthcare and treatment. 

Sustainable Development Goals: Radio Manasa is working to expand its focus on SDGs but primarily focuses on the following:

SDG 3 : Good Health and Well-being

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 5: Gender Equality

Primetime Programmes:  Health is Wealth, Nadedu Banda Hadhi (special programme), Head of Department Interaction programme, student-participatory programmes, community development programmes, and educational programmes involving students and teachers are among the primetime programmes on Radio Manasa. The CRS also hosts special talk shows and phone-in sessions with well-known doctors, litterateurs, influencers, and experts from various fields.

Innovations in format or any other way: Broadcasting through Web Radio and connecting with the youth on social media platforms are the innovative techniques that Radio Manasa employs to expand its reach and influence. The CRS also leverages the University’s digital resources for the purposes. The CRS has been able to enhance student participation in different activities and improve their overall performance by helping them develop different skills.

Core Team: The staff at Radio Manasa has eight members. It includes the Programme Coordinator, three technical assistance staff and four other support staff. The governing council, programme coordination committee and panel of experts provide their inputs on different subjects. The CRS is supported by student volunteers who are actively involved in all phases of content creation and design. 

Major Projects Undertaken: Radio Manasa has established a Memorandum of Understanding and is collaborating with the All India Institute of Speech & Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru and Excel Soft Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Mysuru, to deliver content related to educational programmes.

Sustainable Strategies:  At present, Radio Manasa is fully funded by its parent organisation, the University of Mysore. The CRS has made attempts to procure grants for newly established community radio stations from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Radio Manasa plans to raise at least forty percent of its budget by creating its own revenue streams in the future. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: The University of Mysore has at least 1,25,000 students and Radio Manasa has an active listener base of more than 25,000 from this potential outreach capacity. 

Major Concerns in the Community: The primary needs within the community are to create a platform for information exchange, networking of groups for capacity-building activities, providing academic guidance and solutions to the student community by involving faculty members and subject experts, creating a platform for intellectual discussion among stakeholders, and promoting local talent and culture through various programmes.