Being a radio presenter, producer or even a DJ at a radio station was just a dream job for many people a few years ago.
Today, thanks to the Internet any user can be a radio producer even if it is not professionally at a studio. I remember 10 years ago, when I came to Cyprus I used to go to internet cafés to check my e-mail or talk to friends or surf the Internet, however today we have internet access almost everywhere. You might ask how this can be related to my subject. Well the real meaning of transmitting has changed by the invention of online Radio. That is, every single internet user can be a radio presenter, producer or even DJ and transmit the content digitally online. Nevertheless the real feeling of being in a professional radio station is still different.
Internet radio or online radio allows individuals, or in other words citizens, to have access to free medium and express themselves. In early 2012 I was called in by the Cyprus Community Media Center (CCMC) to discuss about the online community radio project MYCYRADIO. I was so excited that finally a community radio was going to be established here in Cyprus. Early this year (2013) after many meetings and discussions our dreams came true and MYCYRADIO launched at CCMC and began streaming online with free access for everyone. The studio was established with professional equipment and the presenters were trained to use the equipment. I was so excited to begin the very first Persian radio show in Cyprus. Although I had more than one year experience of working at a radio station in Cyprus, this was the first time I was going to produce a radio show in the Persian language.
If you are in this profession you might know that producing quality content for media requires time and effort. That is always crucial to find content and fill up the time on TV or Radio. That’s why many radio stations fill the gaps with music. Although I am a volunteer producer and presenter at MYCYRADIO, I put effort into producing a high quality program for Persian speakers around the world. I began with only one hour-show per week. News, music, interviews and Persian retro songs were the main contents of the show. My radio show is called “Rangarang” that means colorful. The format of my radio show is M.O.R (Middle Of the Road) which means everything for everyone.
Obviously I was putting more effort into improving the program and adding more value and content to the “Rangarang” Persian radio show. At the beginning, this show was a monologue and I was the only presenter of the show. I had to prepare everything from top to bottom to make the show happen. It was not long before I brought more people on board and made the show with two more presenters and increased the time of the program to two hours per week. Then I realized there was a need for other content such as cultural and comedy content in our radio show, so I brought two more presenters on board and made the show 3 hours. Today, after almost a year we work as a team to produce 3 hours content for “Rangarang” Radio show. All members of the team are volunteers and no one gets money for this. However, we are all happy with the outcome of the show. We have very good feedback for our show. Today our radio show contains the following programs: newspapers review, news, sports news, weather forecast, ironic comedy, science news, culture & technology, requested songs, latest films, Persian retro songs.
Today any community can apply for this free online radio and present a radio show. You can find more information about MYCYRADIO at www.mycyradio.eu
Nader Taghizadeh- Mediazone Tv & Avid Lab – Lab Assistant
