The IRIN radio service for Somalia has taken on a new name – Radio ERGO – as of 1 July 2011, as the service has been taken over by IMS Productions Aps, a non-profit organization with headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. A branch office of IMS Productions Aps has been opened in Nairobi, Kenya, to support and administer Radio ERGO. The radio will continue to broadcast daily humanitarian news and information in Somali.
The word Ergo has great significance in the Somali language. It carries the essential meaning of mediators or envoys in the interest of people in need, and can also refer to those who mediate in conflicts. Until Radio Ergo’s website is up and running, IRIN will continue to host the programmes online.
A recent survey said the station is listened to by 70% of the Somalis, and despite its difficult working conditions in a country without a central government for two decades, project manager Louise Tunbridge highlights how trusted the service has become: “Over the years the radio service achieved a reputation of independence. We are apolitical, and people trust us. Our service has a reputation of credibility, balance and fairness in a very difficult context.”
The one-hour daily broadcasts of Radio ERGO are heard across Somalia and the region, including the Kenyan refugee camps on shortwave [0830-0930 UTC on 13685 kHz via Dhabayya], and are rebroadcast by seven local FM stations.
(Source: IRIN, IMS Productions Aps via Media Network Weblog)
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