100s of Community Radios Going Live

When over 300 communities from the deepest village in Nagaland to the biggest metro in India come together to share their stories, when voices from these communities across the country, – irrespective of geography, language, social hierarchy, gender or any other differences – are heard across the world, we get closer to our dream of becoming a catalyst in helping everyone amplify their voice. What better occasion than the celebration of 75th year of Independence to welcome the Community Radio Association (CRA) and over 300 of their radio stations on to Mentza!

It is a massive and progressive transition for community radio – a result of some visionary thinking by leaders of Community Radio Association and Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. To transform Community radios from a one way street to one where every member of a community can shape the conversation and its impact on the community. From ideas and imagination being limited by a small geographical area to one where the softest voice can have influence in the farthest corners of the world. And where every hierarchy is broken down by shared interests. Community radio has changed forever

Understanding Community Radios in India

Community radios are meant to reach specific audiences in a limited geography (approximately 12 km radius) that are often not well served by commercial radio – either through reach or through relevance of content. In India, NGOs, Educational Institutions and Agricultural instutions are allowed to have community radios. They use community radio to discuss issues that are relavant for their community.

Community radios are meant to reach specific audiences in a limited geography (approximately 12 km radius) that are often not well served by commercial radio – either through reach or through relevance of content. In India, NGOs, Educational Institutions and Agricultural institutions are allowed to have community radios. They use community radio to discuss issues that are relevant for their community.

Community Radio Association is a platform of functional and upcoming CR stations in India. The CRA membership is only for the functional Community Radio stations across India. As a Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (Government of India) recognized, not-for-profit organization, the Community Radio Association of India (CRA) strengthen community broadcasting by building stations capability and by creating a healthy environment for these sectors to thrive and succeed. Community Radio Stations members are actively broadcasting nationwide that play a vital role in providing a voice to communities.

How will this collaboration expand the scope of community radio?

1. Community Radios go mainstream – bring community radios to the forefront through various initiatives. Example – collaborating with The Ministry of Culture to promote CRS on the occasion of 75 years of Indian Independence.
2. Local to Global – amplify the local voices and community stories by going digital, breaking geographical barriers and engaging with members of a specific community, globally.
3. Content Creation – Mentza can ensure that 100% of the content shall be created, by the participation of the local community, for which the radio has been set up with minimum effort and existing infrastructure. The live nature of the platform also allows for programming to be immediate and relevant to each community.
4. Access to Experts: opportunity to invite and interact with expert guests who are already on Mentza. Example parenting experts, scientists, women leaders, business coaches, language trainers, fitness experts etc.
5. Promotions – using the available features like video creation, Mentza studio, social media posts, Spotify podcasts, website embed links to promote great content that is currently reaching only a limited audience.
6. Content Preservation and Distribution – all content created on Mentza is recorded and can be used (recordings, embed inks) for a variety of purposes like education, engagement and awareness on other platforms (websites, live radio, workshops)
7. All these conversations after suitable curation shall be aired on their respective community radios

This is a momentous occasion for community radios in India, and so is it for Mentza. This is one of the most significant steps for us to become a more democratized platform. And a giant leap towards our pledge to bring every Indian language and dialect on Mentza.