88.5 Soufriere FM Begins Live Streaming
Soufriere, St. Lucia, June 03, 2011- On Thursday 26th May 2011, St. Lucia’s first community radio station carried its transmission beyond the borders of the island to the entire world through its live streaming at http://www.885soufriere.fm/. The website has been up for about six (6) months and contains information about the staff, programmes, advertising and events etc. This latest development on the website has elated the hundreds of Soufrierians and fans who reside all over the world and support the community radio station.
According to one fan from South Florida via the stations Facebook page, “Enjoying some good old fashion country and western on 885soufriere.fm .... Typical Sunday morning St. Lucian vibes I love those memories!!!” Another fan from New York says, “Finally I can get to listen to what’s happening in my hometown. I feel so connected to my people at home. Thank you Soufriere FM.”
The radio station serves its listeners with a wide genre of music, produces and airs many community programmes, hosts a number of talk shows and broadcasts community news between Mondays and Fridays. Some of its programmes are:
Locker Room
Hosted by Kendal Alexander alongside Vincent “the Ironman” Jn Philip and Raymond Regis, the show is aired every Monday from 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm. The focus is on local sporting events however regional and international events are also featured. Listeners are given the opportunity to voice their opinions when the telephone lines are opened.
Talking Health
This is a weekly broadcast featuring resource persons from the Health Department. The topics cover a wide range of health concerns but emphasis is placed on the illnesses which commonly affect St. Lucians. Talking Health airs every Monday at 11am.
88.5 News at 3
This is the only community newscast in St. Lucia. The news is targeted to bring out issues which are specific to the people of Soufriere and its environs. However, there is a national, regional, international and sports segment. The news is aired Monday-Friday at 3pm.
The station offers other programmes such as Talking Tourism with Glenda Allain and Ask the Chef with the world renowned chef Orlando.
The station is currently staffed by employs four volunteers from Soufriere and is seeking to increase this number soon. According to Mr. Malcolm Mathurin, Projects Officer of the Soufriere Foundation, “Open auditions are slated to take place on Wednesday June 8th at the Soufriere Foundation’s main office from 10:00 am-2:00 pm. Management is particularly interested in finding Creole announcers to introduce a Creole flavour to the programming. Interested persons with good speaking, writing and interviewing skills in English and Creole are encouraged to participate in these auditions. We are also looking for people with community development in mind.”
88.5 Soufriere FM is a project jointly funded by United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Soufriere Foundation. Presently it operates at the Sulphur Springs Park Interpretation Centre building and managed by the Soufriere Foundation’s projects department.
For more information about the radio station call 459-5726 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or visit http://www.885soufriere.fm.
