Island radio encounters

Doing research in the Amami islands is such a delight! I have met some lovely people, all happy to share their experiences. Yesterday I was at Radio Uken, a gem of a community radio at the south of Amami Oshima. Run by the delightful Hiroko and an army of 40 local volunteers who are enthusiastically hosting locally produced shows on just about anything that concerns the community.

Apparently, the radio is left on in the fields to keep the pigs away! There is a brother and sister and mum who do the book reviews show, an old man reading his poetry, a couple of women chit-chatting on what's going in the area, a man teaching the local dialect, someone playing live music with the local instrument, a comedy show, a health program, a looking back at the community with history lenses and many more.

The whole community engages in this radio, a great example of a successful island community media. I liked the feedback form by one listener put in the Request Box, this one wanted more Beatles music!