Radio Mewat @ 90.4 FM

Contact Person: Ms. Archana Kapoor (Director), Mr. Sohrab Khan

Broadcasting Language: Hindi and Mewati

Genesis: Launched on 1st September, 2010, Radio Mewat has been the voice of the most marginalised and underserved community situated in Nuh, Haryana. An initiative of SMART, Radio Mewat empowers people through information, reflects the concerns of the community and has become a platform that people of Mewat can truly call their own. Radio Mewat seeks to inform, educate, stimulate, entertain and become a voice for the community by providing opportunities to share and learn from each other’s experiences, in the aspirational district of Nuh. Radio Mewat is one the first stations in the country to be run wholly and solely by the community itself, and has been covered extensively by visual and print media both nationally and globally. 

Thematic Focus: Radio Mewat is committed to the cause of women’s empowerment, and focuses more on programmes that give a voice to women. All its programmes are developed with a gendered lens and include themes of violence against women, mental health, financial inclusion, health and hygiene, nutrition, water and sanitation, agriculture, local self-government, dignity of labour and the SDGs.  

Sustainable Development Goals: Radio Mewat focuses on quite a few sustainable goals such as:

SDG 1: No Poverty

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 5: Gender Equality

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 13: Climate Action

Primetime Programmes: Gyaan ki Baat is a live educational programme aimed at young people and individuals preparing for competitive exams, in the form of a quiz show.  Mewati Kisse is a programme that promotes local folk music, folklores , art and culture of storytelling.  Hinsa Ko No is a programme on gender-based violence. Hello Farmaish is a live show where the anchor discusses the day’s events with the listeners, and people call in to chat, share their stories and request their favourite music  

Innovations in format or any other way: Radio Mewat also narrowcasts its programmes and initiatives in the target community. This helps in establishing a strong relationship with the community and pass on crucial information about various matters. The practice also helps in reaching out to members in remote pockets and ensure that they are able to draw benefits from the initiatives. 

The station offers innovative programming, changes schedules every three months, and is operated and managed by the community, with all staff being local community members. 

Core Team: Radio Mewat has a dedicated team of twelve members, and is led by the Station Manager. The core team regularly holds meetings to gauge the impact and reach of the programmes, and analyses the scope for improvement. The team members handle unique responsibilities at the CRS and contribute to various stages of programme development from conceptualisation to delivery. 

Major Projects Undertaken: Radio Mewat has been a part of several major regional and national initiatives since its inception. It was part of the campaigns on vaccination drives, financial literacy and inclusion, health and nutrition, and gender-based violence, in associations with distinguished organisations. 

Sustainable Strategies: Radio Mewat is funded by its parent organisation, SMART.

Radio Mewat has successfully created a replicable sustainability model by focusing on deep community engagement, women’s participation, and strong relationships with key influencers and opinion makers. SMART has received grants for IEC activities through its projects. 

The station supports the capacity-building of its staff in technical knowledge and repair skills through training and exposure trips to other stations. Technical sustainability is ensured through regular maintenance and training.

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach:  Radio Mewat has an active listener base of 2,50,000 listeners, from an outreach potential of seven lakh people from over 170 villages. 

Major concerns in the Community: The status of women and several issues related to women and girls in the community, including mobility, are a matter of concern. The community needs better infrastructure and public facilities. Creating more employment opportunities will help the development of the community.