Radio Toco 106.7 FM (TRI/95/G52/2101/002) (TRI/95/G52/2101/002)

Project Details & Results

The project addresses the use of FM community radio to promote and strengthen community advocacy in all aspects of development as it relates to the rural communities from Matura to Matelot. This is the first community radio project in Trinidad and Tobago. The general emphasis of Radio Toco will be on sustainable development in northeastern Trinidad. Specifically, broadcast material will focus on environmental awareness and advocacy against development activities in northeastern Trinidad which are perceived to have negative impacts on the rich biodiversity of the terrestrial, riverine and coastal habitats and ecosystems of northeastern Trinidad, as well as the attendant cultural and social impacts. The main GEF/SGP focal areas to be addressed by Radio Toco will be the protection of biodiversity and the prevention or reduction of pollution of international waters (rivers and coastal waters).

Additionally, the radio will be used to inform and share the results of a Tobago Community Water Watch Network Project, initiated in 1997 with GEF/SGP grant support, among the communities and stakeholders in both northeastern Trinidad and southwestern Tobago.

The grant will assist Radio Toco Project in conducting a community survey in the development of the programming content and the broadcast schedule of "Radio Toco"; the development of a marketing strategy to address the sustainability of "Radio Toco", and human resource strengthening of "Radio Toco" in the first year of operation.

Project Results
Policy influence:
a) Outputs of the project include community-building through the exchange of ideas and information among the communities in northeastern Trinidad and southwestern Tobago, and effective community awareness and advocacy on development activities in northeastern Trinidad and southwestern Tobago which are perceived to have negative environmental impacts on the rich biodiversity of the terrestrial, riverine and coastal habitats and ecosystems on which their livelihoods depend, and the related cultural and social impacts.

Project sustainability:
a) Radio Toco Project used some of the GEF/SGP grant support for the specific purpose of formulating and implementing a community survey and a marketing strategy. Toco Radio and Toco Talk programming schedules and content are tailored to meet the specific preferences of the communities, as determined from the survey.
b) A detailed business plan, balance sheet and budget was developed after the first six months of operation of Radio Toco. This fine tuned the estimates of expentiture and revenue, which will serve to better inform the marketing strategy.
c) The marketing strategy targeted sources of paid programming and advertising to subsidise the operational costs of the radio station from the second year of operation of Radio Toco.