Community Radio Mattoli @ 90.4 FM

Contact Person: Fr. Bijo Thomas Karukappally

Broadcasting Language: Malayalam & Tribal Dialects

Genesis: Wayanad, an agrarian society in Kerala, faces socio-economic and educational challenges due to a significant information gap. As one of the 90 minority-concentrated districts in India, Wayanad is the only one in Kerala. To address these issues, Wayanad Social Service Society proposed launching a community radio service. In March 2007, the Wayanad Social Service Society submitted a licence application, which took nearly two years to process. The grant of permission agreement was signed on 1st June, 2009, and radio Mattoli began airing on the same day. The community radio serves as a versatile tool for development communication and bringing about change in the district.

Thematic Focus: Radio Mattoli focuses on various themes, such as women’s education, healthcare, agricultural education, and healthcare. Radio Mattoli, founded in 2009, is a broadcasting station that advocates for marginalised communities and sections, including marginal farmers, tribes, Dalits, agricultural workers, women, and senior citizens. Since its inception, Radio Mattoli has played a crucial role in socio-cultural and economic development in Wayanad, addressing the district’s economic and educational backwardness through information-rich programmes. The majority of the population in Wayanad are farmers, and the majority of the radio programmes are geared towards addressing their needs and concerns.

Sustainable Development Goals: Community Radio Mattoli has programmes covering almost all the SDGs, some of them are listed below:

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 10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Primetime Programmes: Primetime programmes that are broadcast on Radio Mattoli include Njattuvela and Vayalnadu, which discusses current trends and challenges in the agricultural and farming sector, climatic change hazards, market values, and weather forecasts. It also shares scientific knowledge on various agrarian crops, cultivation methods, organic farming, and success stories of farmers. Vanitha Mattol focuses on women’s insights on parenting, child care, health, hygiene, family budget, organic menus, and recipes for delicious cuisine. Thudichetham broadcasts daily programmes in tribal language, introducing the rich culture and practices of indigenous people to the general public. Arogyavedi offers health-related programmes in association with the Health Department, including NHM, mental health, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and allopathy.

Innovations in format or any other way: The CRS has implemented innovative techniques to reach the audience, such as radio documentaries, success stories, skits, dramas, live phone-in programs, interviews, panel discussions, women-oriented talk shows, and quizzes. They have initiated a radio listeners club called ‘Mattolikoottam’ in every village of Wayanad district, transforming listeners into agents of social change. These community-based listeners clubs become part of the radio by producing and monitoring programmes responsibly. The motto of Mattolikoottam is ‘Nammalonnai Nanmayulla Nadinai’ which means together towards a better community. Grama Mattoli is a special community-based activity aimed at promoting community participation in producing and broadcasting radio programmes. The staff and volunteers visit villages during holidays to collect village experiences, news, and songs. Radio sets are distributed to tribes and challenges are addressed in collaboration with various agencies. Community volunteers are trained in tribal hamlets to become programme producers and promoters of community radio services in Wayanad.

Core Team: Radio Mattoli has twenty six members in its managing committee and the core team at the CRS includes the Station Director, Assistant Director, and Technical Incharge, and fifteen staff members who essay various roles.

The CRS also has 126 volunteers from different geographical locations to monitor the impact of the programmes and report the feedback. 

Major Projects Undertaken: The organisation has undertaken several major projects, with partners including UNICEF, SMART, NABARD, and CRA, to raise awareness on routine immunisation and COVID-19 vaccination, digital literacy, and food safety. It also collaborated with the Ministry of Ayush and CEMCA on International Yoga Day. 

Other key partners  include the Energy Management Centre, National Health Mission, Directorate of State Lotteries, Farm Information Bureau, Norka Roots, Centre for Development of Imaging Technology, Labour Commissionerate, Legal Metrology Department, DAVP, PRD, Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence, Additional Skill Acquisition Programme, Information & Public Relations Department, Police Information Centre, Excise Department, Life Mission, ANERT, Industrial Training Department, Kerala State Suchitwa Mission, Women & Child Development, State Kudumbashree Mission, Disaster Management Authority, AIDS Control Society, Kerala Women Commission, Registration Department, and Animal Husbandry Department,

Sustainable Strategies: The CRS adopts various sustainable strategies to ensure its success: content sustainability through participatory communication, community meetings, volunteer panel, free broadcast, Grama Mattoli, radio programmes, content sharing and production, workshops, forums, webinars, panel discussions, and school clubs. Human resource sustainability strategies include value-based approaches, training, capacity building, workshops, forums, webinars, and panel discussions. Technical sustainability is ensured through modern equipment, infrastructure, and timely interventions, with qualified personnel using appropriate instruments and technologies.

Financial sustainability is a significant challenge for Community Radio Stations in India, as it involves managing expenses and funding. Radio Mattoli has developed various strategies for fund mobilisation, including projects/grants, advertisements, technical expert services, and donations. These models aim to ensure the smooth operation of the radio station.

Number of listeners and Potential Outreach: Radio Mattoli covers 83% of Wayanad’s population, with 6,79,340 people in its land jurisdiction. The estimated number of listeners is over  5,00,000 through mobile apps, live streaming, and podcast services.

Major concerns in the Community:  Wayanad being an agrarian community faces financial crisis due to lack of minimum support price for crops. Besides, human-wildlife conflict and increasing number of wild animal attacks are major concerns of the farmers here. Wayanad is geographically isolated from other parts of the state and connectivity is another concern that may be solved with new railway lines to this district.