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GPKT Activity Update 21

Radio Bridges Connect GPKT Municipalities June 2005

On the initiative of the GPKT Media Working Group, and following the Radio Journalism Training held in May (GPKT Activity Update 17), two radio bridges were organised on 2nd and 3rd June 2005. RTV Presevo and Radio Albana, Kumanovo held a radio bridge in the Albanian language, while Radio Kamenica and Radio Gong, Trgoviste broadcast a joint programme in Serbian. Both programmes presented the respective towns and reported on youth life.

The pilot radio bridge programmes were organised with the support of EWI and Media Centre Nis (MCN). After a series of visits to the participating radio stations, aimed at exploring their capacities and prior experience with similar projects, a co-ordination meeting was held on the 1st June in Presevo where representatives of the radios agreed on the timing, topics, technicalities and scenario of the radio ‘bridge’ programmes – jointly broadcast programmes of two radio stations using a telephone connection between the studios.
 

The first GPKT Radio Bridge between RTV Presevo and Radio Albana started at 15.30 on 2nd June and lasted around 40 minutes. Despite technical difficulties in the beginning, the Albanian language programme was in general successful, introducing the audience to each town and the life of the young people living there. Building on their previous experience with radio bridges – RTV Presevo and Radio Albana expressed interest in continuing similar initiatives on a more regular basis within the framework of the GPKT project.

The second GPKT Radio Bridge, the first in the Serbian language, was held on 3rd June between 13.15 and 13.30. Responding to Radio Gong’s need for assistance in the preparation of the programme, EWI and MCN staff visited Trgoviste the night before the programme, and helped Radio Gong journalists to gain experience and prepare for the Bridge with practical work in the studio on an evening programme. Further assistance was provided with the preparation of the texts. The teams working on the Radio Bridge broadcast the programme despite some problems with electricity and poor quality phone lines in Trgoviste. Radio Kamenica, which is part of several Serbian and Albanian language radio networks in Kosovo, expressed interest in getting more closely involved with the GPKT media activities, particularly in acting as a linguistic liaison point between GPKT Serbian / Macedonian and Albanian language stations in the micro-region.

The two pilot Radio Bridges will be presented at the GPKT Media Seminar ‘News from the Other Side’, which will take place on the 18th June in Presevo.

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