PHOTO: The architectual drawing of the facility and the Station Manager
By Moses M. Tokpah, mosesmtokpah@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia- A community Radio Station based in Kakata, Margibi County, Radio Margibi has broken ground for the construction of a new home valued at a little over sixty thousand United States dollars (US$60.000.00).
Giving an overview of the project over the weekend, the Station Manager of Radio Margibi, G. Sylvester Burgess said the vision started when the management team saw it prudent to persistently and consistently engage their Chief Patron, Representative Ben A. Fofana to sponsor the purchasing of a parcel of land particularly in a strategy. He said the area where the facility will be built is ideally located part of Kakata for the prominent used for Radio Margibi, located 72 kilometers east of Monrovia.
According to him, with several efforts, management was able to negotiate with the Mcgill family through Mr. Joe R. Leator to have a piece of land purchase for the construction of a modern facility for the Station.
He said with Management quest and eagerness of having her owned media facility, the senior management team including the general staffers unanimously agreed with the acquiescent and support of the Advisory Board to commence the construction of a modern media facility at their future sight beginning March 2021.
Mr. Burgess furthered that considering the design of the existing unfinished structure on the land and taking into account modernization in the 21st century, management sees it fit with advice from the engineer to construct an up-to-date broadcast studio. It will consist of two offices, waiting hall for studio guests and a bath room over the flat-top structure to be used exclusively as broadcast and production studios.
Furthermore, the Community Radio Station Manager indicated that the five rooms down stairs are to be used as offices while one of the hall ways will be used for work shop, Training, conference, and sometimes consider for rental purposes stating that it will be well designed to suit the desire needs.
“Management sees this prudent as a mean of income generation for the radio station considering the establishment of multiple media institutions in the City of Kakata; management thought it wise to establish other alternative ways and means to generate income in order to help buttress its effort in settling other financial obligations that may arise,” he added.
Mr. Burgess said in furtherance to that, management also intends to construct additional structure that will be used as a regular academic Day Care school with an added journalism knowledge for kids that may have the opportunity to attend the institution.
The Day Care school Burgess said shall be named in honor of the late “Roberetta Fofana” as a mean of remembering her dreams and aspirations to seeing a brighter educational future for the Liberian children.
The project when completed, will be used as a permanent home for the Station.
Meanwhile, Mr. Burgess has disclosed that his media entity intends to operate a newspaper, internet based radio and television station in an effort to diversify the provision of adequate information.
He said the objectives of Radio Margibi include but not limited to strengthening the capacity of the population to access appropriate information intended to strengthen democracy and national development
To broadcast elections related information and actively participate in the political life of the Country, promote religious tolerance by providing opportunity for all religions to educate their followers through this medium being mindful of hate messaging, and adhering to the principles of conflict sensitive reporting in all broadcasting – Radio, Newspaper, Television and Internet based programming among others.
Giving a brief history of the Station, Burgess disclosed that Radio Margibi as it is called, came to being in the year 2015 when a group of young media professionals of Margibi under the banner “Concern Media Practitioners of Margibi County” (COMEPOM), with their love and passion in the journalism profession as well as having the capacity, love and willingness to contribute positively to their community through the dissemination of Credible Information, Education and to provide advocacy role for the Citizenry of Margibi and Liberia at large.”
Through Representative Ben A. Fofana, the station was established as an alternative community radio station in the County to be named in honor of the County, present day; (Radio Margibi).
The Station Manager noted that the group realized the need for the citizens of Margibi to be promptly and adequately informed of local, national and global events, and to also promote the social, religious, cultural and tribal identity, He said they are also committed promoting press freedom and the freedom of expression among other things.
The Station, according to its Manager, has as contributors/ Reporters 9 persons across the Country reporting on news related issues emanating from their respective Counties on various programs at the station with 15 qualified staffs (volunteers) as media personals that have come to provide their expertise in helping with the smooth operation of the Radio station.
He said that the station is blessed to have dedicated, committed and professional young people who have developed so much interest of working with the station for its betterment in the media landscape of the county.
Some of the supporters of the station include Rev. Emmanuel Giddings, Senator James Emmanuel Nuquay, Superintendent Jerry O. Varnie and Margibi District #1 Representative, Tibelrosa Summoh Tarponweh, among others.