By: Fedrick Kaydiplah Kumeh correspondent Grand Kru County; #0880538651 /0776346260
IPNEWS-Grand Kru: The manager of Voice of Grand Kru, James Karway Suah has told the authoritative Independent Probe corresponding in Barclayville, Grand Kru County that the public-owned local community radio station that serves as source of information for people of that southeastern county of Liberia is till off air and down for about a year now.
According to Mr. Suah the station has been unable to resume broadcast due to the lack of Transmitter.
He said, the local county authority of Grand Kru firstly allotted 5000 USD in the county development fund for the station, mainly for the purchase of a transmitter but noted, the money is yet to be received.
He applauded Internews Liberia for being supportive in making available an electrician who earlier repaired the station’s transmitter.
“The transmitter that was repaired by the electrician is down and could not even cover the total length of county,” said, James Karway Suah.
He said since the breakdown of the station, the leadership’s focus had been to repair the transmitter that would have made resumption of broadcast possible but disclosed that most of the other equipment are now damaged.
He said, instead of spoiling money on those damaged equipment at the station to repair them, it is better if new ones are purchased.
Suah stated, the breakdown of Voice of Grand Kru has made its management to begin moving her staffs to other media institutions because they can’t withstand the delay to resume broadcast after a year being off the air for years. He said his staff needs to work to earn for their survival, who have been finding it difficult getting money (salaries) to sustain their various homes
Voice of Grand Kru 98.1FM according to Suah, has been supported by Orange GSM Company in Grand Kru for electricity supply on the station’s day to day activities and operations.
He said the station being down has also drawn the attention of citizens and residents of the county, who are saying Grand Kru County side has dropped in terms of information provisions for the citizens, and voice of Grand Kru should have been the number one radio in the county to be effective in broadcasting, But the lack of transmitter has hindered the station to do so.
Manager Suah then disclosed that the staffs of the Voice of Grand Kru along with other media partners in Barclayville city took to the streets and conducted a fundraising exercise that was able to generate 21,300 Liberian dollars.
The money according to him, was used for the reinstallation of electric cable wires at the radio station.
Meanwhile, Mr. Suah has and is still appealing to local county Authority, the Legislative Caucus of Grand Kru, Government of Liberia and stakeholders to come on board as usual and reawake the County’s only public-owned community radio station in Grand Kru.
