Baháʼí radio

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Since 1977, the international community of the Baháʼí Faith has established several radio stations worldwide, particularly in the Americas. Programmes may include local news, music, topics related to socio-economic and community development, educational programmes focusing on indigenous language and culture, and Baháʼí introductory and deepening material.[1]

History

Since the 1960s there has been interest in mass media to promote and support development projects. This was followed by a view that the service of the community was through the participation of the community and spread of information. A series of UNESCO conferences lead to advancing the issues until in 1978 a conference was held in Ecuador.[2] At that conference researchers summarized developments along these lines and noted challenges such projects faced and a few ways such projects failed while also noting that village radio stations seemed to be a nice fit because of the necessary quality of communication in a society. The Baháʼí Radio project in Ecuador served as a means to study the process of the two trends by setting up a community radio station of the community for the community - and may have been the first such project in all Latin America aimed at serving the campesinos as its primary purpose with development oriented programming.[2] It mixed national music forms with public service features (lost and found, messages to individuals, official communications, but looking to develop more.) The project was studied through faculty from Northwestern University from 1980 to 1982, and briefly in 1983, and reviewed Baháʼí Radio projects in Peru and Bolivia as well and resulted in a PhD by Kurt John Hein in 1985 following which he took up service at WLGI Radio Baháʼí.

Ecuador

Baháʼí Radio in Ecuador evolved as a way to serve the thousands of converts in the late 1960s and 1970s.

short-wave radio station to serve all of Ecuador. The government lost the first submission for a license and the second was rejected. In 1976 revised the request by asking for a low-power AM
radio station which was finally granted in 1977 – noting that the government imposed a requirement that the station had to be ready for testing in 90 days from the beginning of construction - the final date to be up and broadcasting turned out to be October 27. Land was bought, a generator put in place, construction of buildings and equipment was gathered or fabricated on the spot. With voluntary services the antenna was raised at a cost of about $900. HCRN-1, Radio Baháʼí del Ecuador, 1420 kHz, did their first test transmission on October 12 with 20 watts of power. Full-time programming (6 hrs/day) began December 12. There were challenges of coordination and staffing to overcome. Outside trainers or professional staff were able to come in 1977, 1978, and 1980. A Commission was developed typically including a body composed of an indigenous person, a "white" person, technical experts, senior Baháʼís and a veteran of the station, with a balance of majority of local people while also one member to be literate and capable of dealing with the administration of the commission.

It wasn't until 1981 that a suitable director was able to take up service by combining the qualities of being a Baháʼí, an experienced radio professional, and an Ecuadoran and able to volunteer.

David Ruhe, then a member of the Universal House of Justice visited in 1980 and acted as liaison between the radio station and the Audio-Visual Department at the Baháʼí administrative offices. In 1980 almost the entire staff traveled to Peru to make extensive presentations to the international Baháʼí media conference in Puno
where the second Baháʼí Radio station would be set up. In 1981 Marcelo Quinteros was appointed as the executive director of Radio Baháʼí Ecuador after essentially rising in place while serving at the station for the prior six years. Quinteros originally became involved with the station as a younger brother of a broadcaster who had quit service at Radio Turismo after the way the Baháʼís had been broken from their lease and in addition to Quinteros six other indigenous had systematically begun to serve at the station as full-time staff as well as larger numbers of part-time staff amounting to some 200 persons including indigenous youth in the first four years of the operation of the station. Indigenous staff were able to conduct workshops for other indigenous staff, in Spanish and Quichua, for the first time in 1981. Staff for projects in Bolivia, Chile and Peru participated in successive training and Ecuadoran staff traveled to Peru and Bolivia to assist in those projects. The Commission wrote to the Chilean Baháʼís about the development of their radio station that:

The most important and indispensable thing is to maintain a happy, loving, spirited team-family. Try to have as high a percentage as possible of your staff native. At least 75%. It is far better to let a native do something wrong than not to give him the opportunity by having a foreigner do it.

By 1983 training of staff at Radio Baháʼí Ecuador was almost entirely in the hands of indigenous staff.

Cayambe
regional offices for locals to drop off news and requests for airing on the station.

The basic programming pattern was 80% local or national music favored by the indigenous population and 20% talking.

socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women,[3] promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern,[4] and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics.[3] The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice dated 20 October 1983 was released.[5] Baháʼís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Baháʼí teachings
, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. World-wide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Baháʼí socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. In Ecuador the talking programing began to cover news, helping society in a number of ways, and religious programming.

News programming deliberately covered only local news unless the government required coverage of particular events.[2] Coverage avoided presenting political advertising. In 1978-9 25 reports of lost children resulted in 24 recovered children. The remaining child had been murdered and the station hosted services for the child. A wide range of organizations brought news releases to the station - associations of artisans, cooperatives, firefighters, primary and secondary schools, etc. Lost animals and livestock would be delivered to the station and wait for their owners to come. Outbreaks of diseased would be responded to with informational programming. Programming informing the citizens of the availability of assistance in getting national ID cards for illiterate overwhelmed the local office - this campaign of creating documentation was noted as one of the most successful in Ecuador.

An attempt was made to bridge the informational releases from the government and the experience of the campesinos - latrines had been dug but the campesinos felt they were too valuable to hold excrement.[2] Through a grant from the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency staff were hired and programming developed to bring feedback from the campesinos to government ministries especially in agriculture. Using a mobile van they interviewed farmers and ministry representatives responding. Imported materials in Spanish were translated into Quichua overcoming problems of language, accent, vocabulary, and format (monologues vs dialogs.) Broader programming was developed in Quichua devoted to cultural program including folklore, festivals, crafts, child-care, nutrition, first aid, hygiene, etc.

Religious programming coverage of

Local Spiritual Assemblies. And there were devotional and proclamation programing including historical overviews of the Baháʼí Faith
.

Extended coverage of public affairs was undertaken of various kinds.[2] At one point Otavalo was officially raised in status to a city - various organizations developed special programing for the event. Various schools produced shows, as well as the local Anthropological Institute. The formal session of the municipal council was recorded and aired. There were other events covered as well: basketball championships, new programs started at a local training school. An annual music festival started with the founding of the radio station. The first annual celebration attracted some 600 people in 1977. By 1979 2000 people attended. In 1980 the festival was extended to three days to include elimination rounds in contests between musicians. In 1981 there were six rounds elimination rounds and the rounds were then decimated to the area villages rather than at the station itself and included visiting groups from Peru, Bolivia and Chile. A children's festival was also initiated. In 1979 75 children performed in front of 1000 people. In 1982, 4000 people attended.

Panama

Similar to the development in Ecuador, the Guaymi Cultural Center in Panama, for example, operates a radio station, holds annual music and dance festivals, an annual children's festival, regional women's conferences, regular consultations where Guaymi and other indigenous people can consult about their future, and other meetings. It provides training for teachers of the rural secondary curriculum and for adult literacy instructors, assists eleven village schools, and supports local Baháʼí communities in the area by disseminating information on health care, farming, and other development topics.[6]

Bolivia

Radio Baháʼí Bolivia is a service project of the National Spiritual Assembly.[7]

Stations

There are also various internet radio programs run by Baháʼís.

See also

References

  1. ISBN 1-85168-184-1
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-85398-272-4
    .
  3. ^ a b Momen, Moojan. "History of the Baha'i Faith in Iran". draft "A Short Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith". Bahai-library.com. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  4. ^ Kingdon, Geeta Gandhi (1997). "Education of women and socio-economic development". Baháʼí Studies Review. 7 (1).
  5. doi:10.1016/0048-721X(89)90077-8
    .
  6. ^ Hansen, Holly (1993). "Overview of Baháʼí Social and Economic Development". The Baháʼí World. 1992–93. Baháʼí International Community: 229–245. Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  7. ^ "RADIO BAHÁʼÍ BOLIVIA". Comite Nacional de Servicio y Pionerismo, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Bolivia. 2005. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  8. ^ National Baháʼí Community of Ecuador. "The Baháʼí Radio of Ecuador". Retrieved 2010-06-18.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Baháʼí International Community (October–December 1994). "In Panama, some Guaymis blaze a new path". One Country. 1994 (October–December). Archived from the original on 2014-08-02. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  10. ^ Baháʼí International Community (2002-11-29). "New Baha'i radio station is officially launched in the Philippines". Baháʼí World News Service.
  11. ^ Radio-Locator.
  12. ^ "FREQUENCE 19". Licence Libre CeCILL. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  13. ^ "Bahairadio". BIRS. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
  14. ^ "Radio YekJahan". Archived from the original on 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
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