Radio Kotagiri
Radio Kotagiri 90.4 MHz has long served as a platform for diverse community voices: women, children, migrants, tea estate workers, agriculturalists, health professionals, educators, and other citizen groups. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the station was at the forefront disseminating information and public awareness, working closely with government bodies, institutions, and individuals. The station also actively contributes to multiple Sustainable Development Goals, in collaboration with programmes across the Keystone Foundation, including Biodiversity Conservation and Community Wellbeing.
Much of the listenership comes from nearby villages, home to indigenous peoples and local communities. Broadcasting from a hill town, the station's signal reaches well beyond its targeted areas. Programme content spans a wide range of community experiences: social lives and livelihoods, awareness campaigns, songs, and storytelling in local languages from across the biosphere reserve. Selected recordings have also been narrow-cast at the village level.of the listenership is from the nearby villages that comprises indigenous people and local communities. Since it is broadcasted from a hill town, its range covers far more than the targeted areas. The broadcast contents cover a huge range of community experiences, social lives and livelihoods, awareness programmes, songs and storytelling in local languages from different parts of the biosphere reserve. Some of the recorded contents have been narrow-casted at the village level.
Over the years, Radio Kotagiri has received programming support from institutions including the Department of Science and Technology, Cultural Survival, Ideosync, the Community Radio Association, UNICEF, and UNESCO. This support has strengthened the skills of the radio team, which has also collaborated with schools and colleges in the Nilgiris, training undergraduate students in radio programming.
Community media is a powerful tool for addressing the inaccessibility of information and creating space for self-representation. It democratises the flow of knowledge by placing community agency at the heart of what is created, shared, and heard.
Today, the Community Radio Station (CRS) operates with a fully equipped studio and full-time staff, yet manages to broadcast throughout the week, including three live call-in programmes each day, thanks to a committed network of volunteers, contributors, and stakeholders. Radio Kotagiri has also provided technical support to indigenous community media initiatives in regions with limited technological infrastructure, as part of a broader effort to decentralise Information and Communication Technologies.
Beyond its licensed radio operations, the CRS supports the setup and development of Wi-Fi mesh radios, helping marginalised communities share knowledge in their local languages. The work is rooted in broadening community perspectives, analysing social issues, and building awareness. To this end, the CRS offers programming on biodiversity conservation, human-wildlife interactions, climate change and resilience, organic agriculture, traditional livelihoods, socio-cultural histories, and community rights to forest resources. The station has also organised street art, street theatre, rallies, campaigns, school engagements, and other outreach activities — bringing its mission beyond the airwaves and into the community.