Bhubaneswar: A new community radio station, Local Radio 88.8 FM, was inaugurated this afternoon at the Press Club of Odisha, Bhubaneswar. Established by the non-profit organization Young India, this marks the group’s second venture in community radio, following the launch of Odisha’s first such station, Radio Namaskar, in Konark on February 12, 2010.
During the inaugural event, dignitaries underscored the station’s purpose: to serve as a voice for the people of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and to foster community participation and social change.
The launch featured two key sessions. In the first session, moderated by B.N. Durga of Piramal Foundation, a panel of experts discussed the significant social impact of community radio in Odisha. Panelists included senior journalist Satyaprakash Nayak, editor Sudhir Pattnaik, UNICEF specialist Lalita Pattnaik, ActionAid’s Debabrata Patra, and Rabindranath Bahinipati from Konark Sahitya Sansad.
N.A. Shah Ansari, founder of Young India and Radio Namaskar, shared the vision for Local Radio 88.8 FM, emphasizing its mission to serve the Twin Cities. The event also saw the release of a report on the NIPUN Odisha campaign, prepared by Radio Namaskar, with key findings presented by researcher Andaz Aaron.
The second session, chaired by Gandhian S.A. Safique, officially launched the station’s broadcast. Senior journalists Sandeep Sahu and Sampad Mahapatra, former Vice-Chancellor Prof. D.N. Jena, and Additional Director General of PIB, Akhil Kumar Mishra, were present to wish the station success.
To celebrate the collaborative spirit of community radio, appreciation certificates were awarded to several peer stations, including Radio Outreach, Radio Juhar, Radio Sampark, Radio Mahak, Radio Garden, Radio Swaraj, and Radio Namaskar.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks from social worker Kumud Satapathy. The launch program was coordinated by the team at Local Radio, including Rozalin Pradhan, S. Kajal, M. Niyaz, Bishwaranjan Bishwasri, Nihar Ranjan Beura, and Gyan Ranjan Biswal.