Wa Catholic Bishop appeals to radio stations

Wa, Feb 17, GNA - Most Rev. Paul Bemile, Catholic Bishop for the Wa diocese on Friday appealed to community radio stations to use their stations to empower people living in the rural areas of the country. This, he said, they could do by encouraging more outside broadcast programmes to motivate them to contribute their quota to nation building.

Bishop Bemile made this appeal during the launch of the 10th Anniversary programme of Radio Progress, a private community Radio at Wa.

He also inaugurated a new building of the station as part of their ninth anniversary celebration programme.

The Bishop said most of the radio stations in the country were too favourable to the urban few to the detriment of the rural people who were facing more challenges than those in the urban areas. He said the station was doing a very good job and urged the public to be objective on issues bordering on politics, culture and society to allow the listener to make a discerning opinion on such issues. Miss Doris Dery, Executive Producer of Radio Progress said since its inception in 1997, the station had worked with health, political, local governance, community participation and cultural activities and other important issues and appealed to organizations and agencies involved in these areas to step up their collaboration to enhance development to the people they were serving.

She announced that the station would by the end of the year acquire new equipment that would help broadcast more programmes on quality education, girl-child and local governance programmes to the people. She appealed to non- governmental organizations and other agencies to consider supporting them to realize their dream of purchasing new equipment to improve on their programming.

In an open forum, which was carried live, the public among other issues commended them for starting the first ever FM station in the region and appealed to them to train more of their staff to be able to run good and quality programmes on air.

Mr. James Dassah, a member of the Board of Directors of the station appealed to the presenters of the station to use the airwaves in promoting peace and Unity. Feb 17, 2006