20 Jul 2014

Training workshop on Routine Immunization (RI) for Radio professionals” - 6-7 June 2014


Radio for Routine Immunization (Are you Up-to-date?)

NEW DELHI, 6 June 2014: Over 40 Radio jockeys and National Programming Heads of private FM radio stations gathered in the capital today for a first-of-its kind brainstorming and hands-on training workshop on Routine Immunization (RI) for radio professionals. The workshop was organized by UNICEF in partnership with AROI (Association of Radio Operators of India), as part of its efforts to build awareness on Routine immunization.

The two-day workshop brought together India’s top FM players from 9 priority states to stand up for a common cause- saving childrens’ lives from vaccine preventable diseases.

AROI president Anuradha Prasad, Prof. M. Obaid Siddiqui, Director, AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Ms. Monica Chaturvedi, Senior Advisor, Strategic Communciations, ITSU, Mr Tapas Sen, Chief Programming Officer, Radio Mirchi, Ms Pallavi Rao, Group Head, Radio Mirchi and Mr Anand Raj, National Programming Head, RED FM, also took part in the initiative.

Organized as part of the World Immunization Week, the workshop focused on how radio’s unparalleled reach and dedicated listenership could be leveraged to highlight the importance of vaccination for saving children’s lives.
Speaking at the occasion, Ms Anuradha Prasad, President AROI said, “FM radio has brought in vibrancy to radio broadcasting and is extremely popular across various sections of people—students, housewives, vendors and executives. It can play a significant role in promoting important social issues while weaving them in regular programming.”

Dr Obaid Siddiqui underscored that radio has always been an effective platform to disseminate information on social causes. “People can listen to radio anytime and anywhere they want. It is also a free medium. At places where literacy rates are low, where people cannot afford a TV set, radio is the only medium that can be relied on for information dissemination,” he stressed.
Currently, the radio sector is witnessing a boom, with private radio (allowed through FM) operating in 91 cities across the country, where there is about 70 to 80 percent radio penetration. There were 245 private FM radio stations operational by March 2012, besides the public service broadcaster - All India Radio (AIR), serving 99.18 percent of the population.

UNICEF is leveraging the strengths of FM radio to ensure a sustained discourse on immunization. Ms Caroline Den Dulk, Chief of Communication, UNICEF India, said, “All children have the right to survive and thrive and vaccines protect children for a lifetime. There is need for diverse stakeholders to focus on reaching out to the most vulnerable and marginalized children. As part of our media engagement, we realise the importance of engaging with radio as it has enabled us to reach key messages to audiences across the country.”

Giving a brief on India’s Universal Immunization Program (UIP), Ms Genevieve Begokian, Chief of Health UNICEF India said the program is one of the largest public health initiatives in the world, in terms of geographical reach and number of children covered. However, on account of bottlenecks on both demand and supply side, there is still a long way to go as far as the program’s coverage was concerned.

Dr M K Agarwal, Deputy Commissioner (UIP), in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, spoke about the measures taken by the Government for increasing the immunization coverage. and enhancing the cold chain network.
Highlighting radio’s critical role in the fight against polio, Dr Sunil Bahl of the World Health Organization urged radio professionals to join forces for raising awareness on RI.

AROI’s Secretary General Uday Chawla said, “As so many child deaths can be avoided everyday through routine immunization, it is imperative for all stakeholders, especially media in India to focus on achieving 100 % immunization.”
Radio Mirchi’s RJ Naved, whose pranks on Mirchi Murga are hugely popular among listeners, said,”Apart from entertaining their audience, RJs too can act responsibility and use the platform that radio gives them to take up social causes.
Top Radio professional RJ Simran Kohli who is the creative consultant for this initiative, has contributed to making the workshop more attuned to the needs and requirements of radio as a medium. She has initiated an online forum to bring all the RJs working on the issue together on Facebook page radio4child.

Dipping their palms in colours, participating RJs took the “pledge of life”, promising to raise awareness on RI on airwaves. RJ from Rajiv Nair of Big FM, Bhubaneswar very enthusiastically said, “Improving immunization coverage across poor performing states like Odisha is very important. Through my evening show that targets the youth and those driving back from office, I hope to get the message across.”

Awards have been instituted by UNICEF-AROI for the best program innovations and communication bytes on RI.

In the coming months, this national initiative will be expanded to states through a series of nine workshops in states with lowest immunization rates, namely Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.

The workshop also came out with a set of recommendations that will be disseminated to policy makers, civil society institutions, and media research institutions.

Certificates of participation were distributed at the end of workshop.

About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do.  Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org and www.unicef.org/india
For more information, please contact:

• Caroline den Dulk, Chief of Communication, UNICEF India
Tel: +91-, Email: @unicef.org

• Geetanjali Master, Communication Specialist, UNICEF India
Tel: 91-981 810 5861, E-mail: gmaster@unicef.org

• Sonia Sarkar, Communication Officer- Media, UNICEF India
Tel: +91-981 017 0289, E-mail: ssarkar@unicef.org