Radio MACFAST @ 90.4 FM

Contact Person: Mr. Radhakrishnan Kuttoor  

Broadcasting Language: Malayalam

Genesis: Radio MACFAST-90.4, Kerala’s second campus-based community radio station and the 46th community radio station in India, is the community service arm of Mar Athanasios College For Advanced Studies Tiruvalla (MACFAST) in Pathanamthitta district. 

Launched on November 1, 2009, Radio MACFAST has always been a partner-friend of the common mass who constitute its massive listener base. The CRS believes that interventions focused at the grassroot level can lead to creation of a knowledgeable society, and help bridge the knowledge gaps in the community. Radio MACFAST is a strong and influential presence in the Travancore region of Kerala, spread across the four districts of Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki.

Thematic Focus: The major focus area of Radio MACFAST has been education. The CRS focuses on producing programmes that discuss the existing educational infrastructure and find ways to improve the present condition. The other focus areas of the CRS include environmental concerns, social issues, charity and philanthropic activities for the welfare of the poor and marginalised, and promoting skill development and economic activities in the community. 

Sustainable Development Goals: The SDGs that the CRS focusses on are:

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Primetime Programmes: The primetime programmes that are broadcast on Radio MACFAST are Greeting Cards, Mozhimuthu, Medi Talk, Nattinpuram, Song on Demand, Janahitham, and Cocktail.

These programmes include live phone-in interactions with the listeners, discussions on health, musicals, and motivational content. Janahitham is a programme that seeks the opinion of the common mass on various relevant topics, socio-political matters, and everyday events. This is a platform for the community to address different concerns that affect the society at large. 

Innovations in format or any other way: Along with its broadcast practices, Radio MACFAST has adopted an under-developed hamlet named Koombummoodu in the upper Kuttanad region as a ‘Radio Gramam’. The aim of the CRS is to provide clean drinking water to the families in the area and also cater to the educational needs of the children there. 

Core Team: The core team at Radio MACFAST has eleven members, which includes the Chairman, Station Director, Programme Production Manager, two sound engineers, two marketing staff, and five radio jockeys. The CRS is also ably supported by student volunteers. 

Major Projects Undertaken: Radio MACFAST-90.4, in partnership with Tiruvalla Municipal Corporation, launched the Clean and Green Tiruvalla project in 2010 to raise awareness about environmental cleanliness and waste management. The station has organised various programmes and public awareness campaigns, coining the slogan “Not In My Backyard” (NIMBY) but “In My Backyard” (IMBY),” promoting a healthy waste disposal culture. The project has received the State Government’s prestigious award, Nava Kerala Puraskaram, in 2020, and has prepared and broadcasted a programme called “Waste: Wealth in a Wrong Place.”

Radio MACFAST and its parent body, MACFAST, are working to raise awareness about substance abuse and its negative effects. They have prepared and aired promotional audios to warn the community about substance abuse. 

In 2020, Radio MACFAST adopted an underdeveloped hamlet, Koombanmoodu, in the Upper Kuttanad panchayat in Thiruvalla taluk, to provide drinking water to the hamlet. The local body agreed to cooperate with Radio MACFAST in adopting Koombanmoodu as a Radio Gramam in 2021-22. The radio station has also aired radio programmes highlighting the plight of the villagers and organised free Ophthalmology camps for the villagers. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, Radio MACFAST launched the “Arivum Athijeevanavum” project, which aims to boost the self-confidence of the common people during lockdown. The station distributed LED television sets to seven financially poor and differently-abled children at a special school in Kadamankulam near Mallappally on August 3, 2020, to attend online classes during the lockdown period.

In addition to this, Radio MACFAST has designed and executed many other initiatives, and also been an active participant in regional and national projects in association with renowned organisations.

Sustainable Strategies: Radio MACFAST is fully funded by its parent organisation, MACFAST. The CRS is also able to create revenue through externally paid projects.

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: Radio MACFAST is a popular presence in the Travancore region, and has a listener base of nearly ten lakh people. 

Major concerns in the Community:   The major concern in the area is the scarcity of clean drinking water, and flooding during monsoon season. The community members also lack awareness about different opportunities and schemes.