Radio Vishwas @ 90.8 FM

Contact Person: Dr Hari Kulkarni, Ms. Ruchita Thakur  

Broadcasting Language: Marathi & Hindi 

Genesis:   Radio Vishwas 90.8 is a community radio station which was established in 2012 in the city of Nashik, Maharashtra. Radio Vishwas is the first community radio station of Nashik which was set up to provide a platform to the people at the grass root level to showcase their talents. The CRS has been working effectively in the field of women empowerment, women and child care, education, nutrition, early childhood development and anaemia, and has been an active contributor to the welfare of the target community. The CRS continues to transform the community through its community-oriented initiatives. 

 Thematic Focus: The primary focus area of CRS has been women and childcare, emphasising on nutrition, early childhood development and anaemia. Moreover, the CRS have worked for the education of the underprivileged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and skill building courses for the women in the slums and tribal areas of Nashik. These initiatives have propelled a wave of social well-being in the region.

Sustainable Development Goals: Radio Vishwas aspires to achieve the given SDGs:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 5: Gender Equality

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institution

Primetime Programmes: The primetime programmes that are broadcast on Radio Vishwas include Dasbodh, Shodh Vidnyanacha, Mazi Kavita, Mala Avadelela Pustak, Vishwas Sports Club, Amhi Nashikar, Baloo On Air, ArthVishwa, Aarambh, and Digital Rights are Human Rights. These programmes focus on different areas/subjects like religious discourses and philosophy, science, poetry, books, sports, finance, nutrition, early childhood development, and digital literacy. The programmes are developed and packaged in unique ways that engage, entertain and educate the listeners, and the formats include recitals, dramas, phone-in interactions, expert advice, interviews with distinguished personalities, etc. Some of the programmes that are broadcast by the CRS also serve as a platform for the local community members to showcase their talents. 

Innovations in format or any other way: Radio Vishwas is committed in the wholesome development of each and every community member. The CRS therefore goes beyond the conventional method of broadcasting and reaches out to the community members through narrowcasting. The CRS also actively involves itself in developing community-centric initiatives with the help of global organisations like UNICEF and UNHCR, and also forges collaborations with NGOs like SMART to empower the community.

Core Team: The core team at Radio Vishwas is constituted by ten members. It includes the Station Director, Coordinator, Community Reporters, Marketing Head, Accountant, and four core members. The CRS also invites community members to volunteer and contribute to different stages of programme development. 

Major Projects Undertaken: ·        Radio Vishwas, in collaboration with UNICEF and SMART, is working to disseminate Early Childhood Development in Nashik. ‘Aarambh: Early Moments Matter in Collaboration’ is addressing the issues related to pregnant and lactating mothers through radio programmes & narrowcasts. This programme is implemented in the form of radio episodes which use local art forms such as Gondhal, Bharud, Mangla Gaur, etc. Radio Vishwas chose Bharatnagar and Shivajiwadi slum areas of Nashik for narrowcasting this programme. It has been observed that the women enjoy listening to different art forms and finding it easier to understand and implement this information in real life.

Digital Rights are Human Rights: This programme has been actively executed in collaboration with SMART, German High Commission, and UNHRC. It focussed on the age group between 15-55 and awareness was created on digital safety and how to be a responsible digital citizen. 

Sustainable Strategies: Radio Vishwas is a self-sufficient organisation and the funding majorly depends on the projects from various government departments, national and international organisations. Being a CRS, it also depends on the revenue from local advertisements and DAVP. Radio Vishwas plans to  be a part of more externally funded projects to scale up its activities in the region. 

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: The CRS has an active listener base of three lakh listeners within its broadcast limits. The web radio application has been downloaded more that 10,000 times and the CRS has an estimated global outreach of five lakh listeners. 

Major concerns in the Community: Radio Vishwas observes that more work needs to be done in the slum areas and tribal areas of Nashik, focusing on health and education. Radio Vishwas is already working in the area of health, and further plans to work in the field of education for tribal children and women to promote communication skills, personality development, academic capabilities, and better education facilities.