MUMBAI: With an aim to serve its community through its programs, Community radio station (CRS) Radio Noida a few days back decided to turn their station into 24 hours stations. Out of the 24 hours, eight hours the radio station will air fresh content and 16 hours will be the repeat telecast. Currently the station is into testing phase and will officially turn into a 24 hour radio station by 20 October.

Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, Radio Noida station director (and also Community Radio Association India joint secretary) Braham Prakash said, “This move in a way was to cater the community needs through our community based programs.”

Along with becoming 24 hours station, this station has also started a new program titled ‘Udaan Zindagi Ki’ that caters to youth through content created by youth from the age group of 15-17 years. It highlights the right of education, security, nationality and so on. This show is created by the children of this group. “We provide the kids with facts that help them put their content together to produce the program. The NGO that works in Delhi's Madanpur Khadar where there have been cases of missing children have been reported in the past, has partnered with us for the show,” said Prakash. As per reports in 2012, there were about 33 children went missing from the Madanpur Khadar.

He further added, “When we have programs for kids we involve them with us so that we understand their taste. In the end, kids are the listeners of such program so taking them into confidence is really important.”

Like most Community radio station, financial support seems to be the challenge for Radio Noida as well but Prakash seems were determined to go forward with the program with any disruption. During the conversation, he suggested that DAVP (Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity) should advertise in CRS so that the stations can function interrupted.

“Getting commercials from private companies is very rare for us but we can surely ask government to air adverts in our stations which can help Community radio to sustain. We are not asking government to fund us but asking for paid adverts.

Community radio needs money to serve and adverts can be the only source to survive. ” Radio Noida has five permanent staff members and many volunteers, are the force behind the station. This CRS also plays
folk music along with film music.