It’s KCR calling from the hills

By Isuri Kaviratne

Transmitting the voice of the villagers from Kothmale hills, 25 km southwest of Kandy, the Kothmale Community Radio (KCR) despite many difficulties, has become the favourite radio channel of the people of the area. Despite its popularity, KCR now faces a major obstacle to airing its programmes. The Sunday Times learns, KCR frequencies are now blocked by another radio channel (Siyatha FM), as both frequencies are very close.

Gamini Kalubowila, the Deputy Director General of Regional and Community Radio told The Sunday Times that there has to be a guard band of frequencies when they are given to radios but it's not happening in Sri Lanka at the moment. "The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) is responsible for this. If this goes on, people won't be able to listen to any radio channel in the future," he said.

KCR had to change its first frequency, which was 102 because the TRC gave the same frequency to Sri FM. The next frequency KCR got after that was given to Max radio and KCR faced the same problem again of not being able to reach listeners of their village.

"We increased the watt capacity of our transmission to make sure the people in that area hear the channel. But now Max radio is facing the problem we faced before as people in that area are unable to listen to Max radio now," Kalubowila explained. Complaints made in this regard have had little response, he said, adding that KCR is planning to change its frequency again to "clear up the mess".

Despite the frequency problem, KCR has successfully reached the villagers in various innovative ways. The eTukTuk, the 1st radio station and multimedia centre on a three-wheeler in the world, is the best example. With a laptop, phone, scanner, camera and a printer, the eTukTuk could reach where other broadcasts cannot to do live transmissions.

"The eTukTuk started in 2005 as one of the projects to reach the villagers, turned out to be very successful," says KCR's Station Controller Sunil Wijeysinghe adding that the basic principle of KCR is to create a place where villagers can go for information. Even though running on a shoestring budget, Wijeysinghe said that they try their best to run programmes, which are beneficial to the public.

"Dilmah (Pvt) Ltd and UNESCO help us in reaching our targets," he added. To overcome their financial difficulties, KCR has started Kothmale FM to be broadcast in the morning and KCR in the afternoon. "In the morning, we earn to sustain and maintain by having sponsored programmes and have the public's items in the afternoon," he explained.

"The new SLBC chairman Sunil Sarath Perera too helps the UNESCO-Government Sri Lanka pilot projects and community stations," Wijeysinghe said. KCR was started in 1989 as a test transmission and then officially launched in 1991to reach out to the communities displaced due to Mahaweli project in their resettlement. It was to be a radio of the people. "Other than me all the other workers there are from the village. I'm the only person who gets a government salary," he said.

"We try to be as close to the public as possible. We have a business club where our listeners are the members and once a year we have a get-together and we give the mikes to the public to voice their needs and to conduct programmes as well. We ask for their opinions too," the Station Controller explained.

A listener should not be a listener always, he added. "We give them opportunities. A villager called Wijeyratne who had a large collection of old hits was given the chance to conduct an old hits music programme as the KCR didn't have that song collection," he said explaining the other ways KCR has tried to reach out to the public.

"We have publications, computer classes which fulfil the needs of the villagers and create a stage for them to express their ideas," he said adding that people love the station for the service it is doing to the villagers.