Village Radio Station

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Barangay Tacunan in the 3rd Congressional district of Davao City is not a typical Philippine village. It has a community radio station which sends its broadcasts literally into the air through a public address system mounted on a tower about 20 meters high. The villagers fondly call the station "Radio Bulhot." "Bulhot" is the local (Bisaya) language for "air blow." With favorable wind condition, the broadcast reverberates through coconut palms and reaches its listeners in Barangay Tacunan and parts of Barangays Catalunan Grande, Ola, Mintal, Matina Biao, and Tugbok. The locals produce their own programs and the broadcasters and talents come from within the village. Every now and then, however, prominent broadcasters and columnists from Davao City go "on board." And one of Radio Bulhot's avid listeners is another doyen of the local media. He lives in a neighboring village reached by Bulhot. The radio station has been operating for more than a decade. Villagers are now mulling over and discussing the possibility of "transmitterizing" Bulhot's facilities. MyLotters, do you know of similar village radio stations in other countries that send broadcasts literally "on the air?" Do share information please.