Technical skills key to community radio future

Keeping community radio stations on the air is the goal of  Australian volunteer Michael Wasmund, who arrived in in Dili this month to work with Community Radio Association of Timor-Leste.

Over the next two months Mr Wasmund will train staff at ARKTL and three community radio stations in maintenance and repair of transmitters and other equipment. The stations are Radio Atoni-Lifau, Radio Povo Viqueque, and Radio Maubisse Mauloko.

The AusAID-funded volunteer assignment is organised by Australian Business Volunteers, with assistance from the Melbourne-based Asia Pacific Journalism Centre, which ran a leadership program for Timor-Leste community radio staff in November last year.

ARKTL president Prezado Valente Ximenes said the lack of skills in technical maintenance sometimes led to stations being off-air for months at a time. APJC director John Wallace said ARKTL is playing a vital role in developing community radio in Timor-Leste.

“We are committed to helping them locate good volunteers to carry out training and to develop ARKTL’s own training capacity.”

ENDS

For more information contact:

Laura Gilmartin
P. +61393879740
M. +61430993628
E. laura@apjc.org.au