THE NATIONAL UNION OF
JOURNALISTS OF UKRAINE
With the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, not only did the Na Khvyli Korsunia [On The Wave Of Korsun] radio station not weaken its work, but it also started to work more actively, selflessly, and effectively. That was possible thanks to its team, which has rallied and work in almost the same composition for many years. Besides, it was thanks to voluntary assistants who help create educational programs.
And even such problems as those that arose at the beginning of this year – when, for objective reasons, at the time of a catastrophic decrease in own revenues, there were also delays in funding from the founder’s side – the work of the newsroom did not stop.
Soon, the city council (namely, the founder), with which the newsroom has a normal business relationship, stepped in and improved the situation – the financial situation is being evened out. Today, the director of the radio, Halyna Dobrovolska, emphasizes in our conversation: “I am very grateful to the team for not falling apart and continuing its work, no matter how difficult it may be at times.”
Currently, continuous broadcasting with unique content Na Khvyli Korsunia is provided by six employees, each of whom has clearly defined responsibilities. Five journalists provide up-to-date and high-quality content and, at the same time, edit because each employee is a generalist, making the program from scratch and providing it on a turnkey basis. Not only does the director manage the entire process, but along with others, prepares radio materials, organizes and conducts meetings in the studio, and takes care of the new studio’s equipment.
A grant from “MHP – to the community” is a brand-new laptop and three computers.
The Na Khvyli Korsunia radio station has always been able to earn additional funds. Before the coronavirus crisis and the full-scale invasion, it was a self-sufficient radio station. But now, when there are almost no commercial advertising orders for image materials, income has decreased to a minimum. Currently, additional earnings come mostly from musical greetings and single orders of ads and advertisements.
In 2022, sectoral micro-grants for content production, including from NUJU, helped a lot.
A grant from the “MHP – to the community” charity fund helped update the equipment. “In 2023, we took part in the Do Your Own contest,” Halyna said. “Our presenters and operators worked on equipment that was purchased back in 2012; they worked on an honest word, there was a constant fear that the computers could fail at any moment, and work would stop.
So, in the application, I indicated that the funds were needed to upgrade computer equipment. We were selected among the winners; the newsroom received a grant in the amount of UAH 100,000, which was spent on the purchase of a laptop and three computers. Now we work calmly, we can think more about the main thing – meaningful filling of the radio air.”
All programs broadcast on Na Khvyli Korsunia are our own radio products: news, weather, educational, cultural, and historical.
The programs of the Na Khvyli Korsunia broadcast on the frequency of 104.8 FM sound 24/7. And the most important thing is that the entire program grid is filled in on its own! This is a little confusing because it is more common to hear that local radio stations, transformed from wire broadcasting to FM broadcasting, mostly work as repeaters and have limited time for their own programs. The Na Khvyli Korsunia radio station appeared long before the Community Broadcasting project. From the beginning, this local newsroom aimed to restore the radio broadcasting of the Korsun District in the FM range instead of the depressing wired one. And the director and the team coped with the assigned task perfectly.
With the beginning of the large-scale invasion, Na Khvyli Korsunia stopped broadcasting online, and now people can listen to this radio only on the frequency of 104.8 FM. Radio waves are a physical phenomenon, so native radio sounds unhindered on receivers of the entire coverage area defined by the license. And the signal spreads in a radius of 70 kilometers, and this is the territory of not only Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi but also of neighboring communities, which, before decentralization, were part of the Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi District. The Na Khvyli Korsunia radio station is also listened to in the regions of the Kyiv Region adjacent to the Cherkasy Region. And even where other radio stations work, Korsun radio journalists find their audience.
All-Ukrainian and world news, local news, and regional news, released regularly at a specified time and sound on the air, plus or minus 20 minutes, are included in the information-rich news blocks during the day. So, people only need to listen to one radio to be aware of all the major events of the day. Local news reports on various events, comments by specialists, and speeches by experts in various fields.
Listeners also like hourly messages from weather forecast centers, which, along with information about the current weather, warn about all weather changes.
There is also a novelty in the work of the station that appeared due to the large-scale war: announcements about the air raids on the waves of the local radio that have not left Cherkasy since the first day of the invasion. And here, they dream of getting rid of this assumed duty as soon as possible so that the Victory over the wild horde, which is shelling the peaceful cities and villages of Ukraine, will get rid of it.
“I am sure we will win!”
The author and presenter of one of the educational programs broadcast on 104.8 FM invariably begins her broadcasts with these words. And this thought is woven into the numerous creative programs of the radio station for the people of Korsun.
Halyna Dobrovolska says:
“We invite many interesting guests to the studio, with whom we talk about today’s key topics. For instance, the head of the non-governmental organization Soldiers ‘ Mothers of the Korsun Region, Tetiana Peretiatko, talked about cooperation with local schools, which join in supporting both front-line fighters and wounded in hospitals. The next guest was the secretary of the Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi City Council, Vitalii Matsiuk, who told how the Korsun Community won an honorable second place in the rating of Cherkasy Region communities and how it supports the front.
We raise socially important questions. For example, specialists provide clarifications on changes in legislation related to taxation, pension provision, the status of internally displaced persons, etc.
They do not leave anyone indifferent to meetings with compatriots from Korsun who defend Ukraine at the front, and during short vacations, they come to the Radians. They talk about their comrades and remember the brightest from the front. Sometimes, it sounds like this: “The tastiest ice cream was when the children were treated to it at the toy checkpoint in the liberated village.” The listeners’ trust in such experts is special because it is from their lips that the hard truth about the war sounds, an encouraging “thank you” for volunteer support, and a confident “we hold the front reliably!”
We create a series of programs where, in the context of today’s events, we open new, often unknown pages of our history. Recently, for example, there was a program about the peculiarities of the formation of historical ties between Ukraine and Poland. We are preparing a program about the roots of hostility towards Ukraine from the eastern neighbor. We create these programs in cooperation with the director of the Historical Museum of the State Scientific and Cultural Reserve/candidate of historical sciences, Stanislav Stepenkin. Having the rank of an officer, the scientist defended Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces from the first days of the russian invasion. Now, after returning home, he prepares his widely acclaimed programs with even greater zeal.
Radians have a very long and friendly cooperation with the local pedagogical college. The weekly Student Herald, which is prepared by young correspondents, and the author’s analytical program Crossroads of Life, authored by veteran teacher Svitlana Dremliuk, are the highlights of our broadcast. The listeners love these programs and look forward to them.
Olha Voitsekhivska, Journalist of Ukraine
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