Vista
On-Line
March 2003 edition
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VISTA ONLINE
Vol.2, Issue 3
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Dear friends and listeners,
A lot has been happening at Radio for Peace International since our last Vista Online. In
February, RFPI hosted a training workshop in collaboration with Pauline Bartolone from
Free Speech Radio News, a US-based independent media news
program. It was attended by nine people working in social justice organizations in Nicaragua. This one
week intensive course trained the participants in news reporting for independent media and digital editing.
Several programs were produced, one of which was featured on Free Speech Radio News this week.
Radio For Peace intends to step up its work in similar projects this year, the central idea being to train as
many people here in Latin America as independent radio journalists. Many listeners have asked for more
coverage in this region and we feel that this response will improve RFPI's coverage of events in a area of
the world that often suffers from highly distorted and under-reported media representation.
Peace Journalists Needed!!!!
In a world increasingly filled with war correspondents, RFPI continues to train journalists in
the new concept of Peace Journalism. Our first 4 week course this year in
Peace Journalism and Progressive Media Through Radio was completed on February 21. The
course brings together activists who wish to have a better understanding of media and practicing
journalists who wish to learn alternative reporting skills. The summer months are starting to fill up with
students, which is good news as the proceeds from the course help sustain RFPI and add to the pool of
trained progressive radio correspondents.
"This course gave me a deeper understanding on how the media really works and my place within it" -- Jean N, IPC student Session 1, 2003.
Internet Update
RFPI's summer looks to be a very full and intense time
with large numbers of students and volunteers applying to come and work here.
More good news; after a long wait and many postponements and disappointments, we have finally got
back our high speed internet!! We have waited for more than four months to get this back up and running. The
benefits are already in evidence to our listeners who are once again hearing some of the quality
programming that we were temporarily not able to broadcast because of the long and expensive dial-up
downloading times. Free Speech Radio News is back, we have been able to add to the line-up Pacifica Radio's
Peace
Watch, an hour long show dealing with the Middle East, and more. We have also been able to continue our
work searching out more diverse independent programming from around the world. We are currently in
talks with the Voice of Human Rights Radio in Indonesia and others.
We still have a way to go before we can get RFPI's live internet-casting back, but we are working on it.
Please keep checking our progress on the web site http://www.rfpi.org/
We are also now able to rebuild our Spanish language programming schedule which will carry independent
media programming from ALER (Asociacion Latinoamericana de Educacion Radiofonica) in Ecuador,
RFPI's own in-house productions, programming from Costa Rica's University Radio and from many other
groups in Latin America. We are currently talking with a progressive news group of media activists in
Nicaragua about a regular program of Nicaraguan news
and analysis.
Financial Update
April will be a pivotal month and a difficult one for
RFPI financially. What this means in practical terms is that we have to consider reducing the air time
significantly through turning off our transmitters at different times of the day to save on the electricity
bills, we have urgent antenna repairs (after the strong winds we experience in Costa Rica at this time
of the year) that we cannot afford to fix, and a whole host of daily operating problems that we have to
struggle with. In addition, the 15.040 transmitter is in need of replacement parts which will cost around
$1,000. Thus, our second transmitter is currently off the air.
All of this is coming at a time when RFPI's voice needs to be heard more than ever as an independent
media organization calling for sanity in the world in this current war-mongering atmosphere. We heard
recently of the overwhelming support in the form of donations (quite rightly) raised by the independent
media in the US at this time of a huge emerging global peace movement and it got us thinking about how much
harder we have to struggle here at RFPI to get funding. Yet, we are the ONLY shortwave progressive
radio station broadcasting independent programming and information globally. Most of the excellent programs
you can hear on Radio For Peace International operate on budgets that far outstrip that of RFPI's whole
radio station! The realities at RFPI are that we limp from one month to the next, often without wages, our
ability to carry out essential repairs is limited, as is our ability to replace old equipment, expand and
push ahead with new projects and campaigns and hire additional staff that we so much need.
We want to appeal to you, our listeners and supporters to please come to our aid at this crucial time. We are
still here 16 years later because you want us here and you believe in what we do. You made it happen and you
are the ones who will continue to make it happen. You can make a donation securely and immediately by
clicking on the Pay Pal icon on our web site at http://www.rfpi.org
or you can send us a check or postal order to:
Radio For Peace International
PO Box 3165
Newberg, OR 97132
USA
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