Dear Prof. Pavarala, dear colleagues, Congratulations!!! What wonderful news to emerge only two days after our celebration of the first WORLD RADIO DAY ever – on Feb. 13. I understand that the decision to have this chair already was agreed upon last year – the year where it was also decided to celebrate an annual World Radio Day. Having been part of one of the groups making a lot of noise around this first WRD, journalists from the Nordic Countries (where I am based) and in London (where we celebrated the day) all asked: but why focus on radio now? Why now? And while I have many good reasons and could share strong answers – like all of you receiving this could and can – it is wonderful to also see this new, additional push forward in our common field, focusing on empowerment of communities through the power of collective action! I plan to organise a workshop in Durban in July at the IAMCR meeting to discuss how we can make the best use of the new WORLD RADIO DAY. I would think many of you would be interested to join in there! – and again: congratulations to you, Prof. Pavarala and your University, and great that UNESCO now takes this step! Warmest for now, - birgitte ///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\ EMPOWERHOUSE Birgitte Jallov Krogegaard Gudhjemvej 62 DK-3760 Gudhjem Denmark Tel: +45.56 49 83 48 Cell: +45.61 54 67 61 Fax: +45.56 49 83 28 Skype: birgittejallov E-mail: [log in to unmask] Web: www.empowerhouse.dk Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. From: Salvatore Scifo <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: Salvatore Scifo <[log in to unmask]> Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:57:46 +0100 To: OURMEDIA <[log in to unmask]> Subject: UNESCO Chair on Community Media set up at U. of Hyderabad ---Apologies for cross-posting--- Prof. Vinod Pavarala, Dean, Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication, University of Hyderabad has been chosen to be the first ever UNESCO Chair on Community Media. An agreement to this effect has been signed by the Director-General, UNESCO and the Vice-Chancellor, University of Hyderabad. The Chair being set up at the University for an initial period of four years will serve as a knowledge and resource centre for the study and promotion of community media, including such things as community radio, participatory video, and other citizen-driven initiatives with media and communication technologies. The prestigious Chair, which is the first of its kind anywhere in the world, comes in recognition of Prof. Pavarala’s work in the last decade on community radio. His research and writings, including the book, Other Voices: the struggle for community radio in India, has contributed to the opening up of airwaves in India. He has also been the founder-President of the Community Radio Forum of India, a collective of civil society organizations, activists, and other advocates of community radio in the country. The Chair would operate as a liaison among the communities, media activists, academia and policymakers while, simultaneously undertaking research and documentation of best practices in the country and capacity sharing with the community members. UNESCO now has the Chair information at this link: http://www.unesco.org/en/university-twinning-and-networking/access-by-region/asia-and-the-pacific/india/unesco-chair-on-community-media-955/