‘Time to bless TWR Malawi’

Trans World Radio (TWR) Malawi has challenged local listeners to own the station and ensure it continues airing its programmes by helping it with financial and technical support for its day-to-day operations.

The station has been running the Bless TWR initiative in an attempt to mobilise financial resources locally unlike in the past when most of its funding came from Europe and the United States of America.

TWR Malawi national director Victor Kaonga revealed this week that foreign aid to the faith-based radio has been declining steadily to the extent that the administration was in 2012 challenged to operate without financial support from outside the country.

Kaonga disclosed that it is costing TWR about K10 000 (about $25) to air an hour-long programme, which he said is a very huge sum of money for a station that largely relies on well-wishers.

“Though we raise some money through sponsored programming and advertising, we are not able to meet all costs towards transmission, production of programmes, personnel, subscriptions, broadcast frequency and license fee, transport, administration, follow-up, among others. It is TWR Malawi’s desire increase local support to the radio ministry as we believe it is people in Malawi that are the first beneficiaries of the radio ministry,” said Kaonga.

He said participation in the initiative is on-going through prayers, listening to the station, advertising and providing various forms of resources.

“Radio is expensive business, but with listener-centred programming that we do, we can keep their favourite programmes on air.

“TWR believes it has been a blessing to many who can sustain it to let it keep blessing many others.TWR is localised and needs support of people that benefit from it,” he said.

Kaonga said the initiative has received tremendous support from people of all walks of life.

He said since the launch of the initiative, various people have been giving money and other items such as maize and clothes, which will be sold and the money used on running on the affairs of the station.

“A team of listeners in rural Lilongwe have invited us to go there with a truck to collect bags of maize. Much more is coming. Something equally highlighting is a gift of a Toyota Land Cruiser that a couple in Lilongwe has made to TWR.

“This comes timely to help our technical team maintain the transmitters across the country,” said Kaonga.