NUKU'ALOFA (Matangi Tonga / Pacific Media Watch): Tonga's first women-led community radio station, called Voice of the People (Le'o 'o e Kakai) 98FM, has been launched in Nuku'alofa for a one-week trial featuring programmes on women's and youth issues.
Using the suitcase radio technology, the station is based at the Ma'a Fafine Community Media Centre at Fasi and operated by eight women led by Bale Huni who have been trained over the past months to operate the station.
Betty Blake, president of the Ma'afafine and Family, said their first day of broadcast in Nuku'alofa was only a trial run from September 19-23 to test out that they are not interfering with the frequency of other radio stations in the capital.
She said their programmes for this week will include one-on-one interviews with women and youth, particularly young women from various communities.
Through their life stories these women would identify the issues and challenges they are facing as women in Tonga and they would then include in their programmes women who are experts in certain fields, such as CEOs in government ministries to provide sound advice on issues highlighted by community women.
Blake added that because the World Day of Peace was marked on September 21 their news would also highlight peace in their dialogue.
The station has been given a temporary licence by the Ministry of Communications to operate this week and was launched by the CEO of the Ministry of Communications, Paula Ma'u.
She said the radio would open again open only from November 25 to December 10 for 16 days of activism when they would hold programmes featuring NGOs which are lobbying against domestic violence and raising other issues.
International Women's Day
The radio would start operating on a fixed routine when it is officially launched on May 8, 2012 - the International Women's Day and will air from Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 3.00pm.
This is the second community radio station established within the Regional Women's Media and Policy Network coordinated by FEMLINKPACIFIC and the Generation Next Project.
The community media project is based at Ma'afafine mo e Fafine in partnership with FEMLINKPACIFIC and supported with funds from AUSAID and Canada Fund.
The 100-watt transmitter can be heard by listeners in a 10km radius from the centre at Fasi.
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