STAR Radio is a non-profit organisation run by Liberians in partnership with the Hirondelle Foundation. It is jointly funded by the European Commission, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. It resumed broadcasting in May 2005 after a break of more than five years. A budget for 12 months has been established of 1.3 million euro.
STAR Radio was set up with the aim of providing Liberians with impartial news and information and began broadcasting, initially on FM only, on 15 July 1997. Shortwave broadcasts were added in September 1997. The project aimed at making STAR Radio a fully independent and autonomous station by 2004 following an "emergency phase" (May 1997-December 1998) and a "consolidation phase" (January 1999 - 2003).
Trouble from the government
STAR Radio was closed down by the Liberian Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications between 7 January and 6 February 1997 due to an alleged illegal allocation of broadcast frequencies. The Liberian government withdrew the station's shortwave frequencies in October 1998, and restated its refusal to grant Star Radio a shortwave licence in February 2000.
At this time, STAR Radio was broadcasting in 14 local languages: Bassa, Dan, Gbande, Gola, Grebo, Lorma, Kissi, Kpelle, Krahn, Kru, Mandingo, Mano, Mende and Vai, as well as in English, French and Liberian-English. Bulletins were also posted daily on the Internet and sent via e-mail to some 650 recipients.
Praise from the professionals
Star Radio was named Liberia's "Outstanding Radio Station of 1999" by the Association of Liberian Professional Organisations (ALPO). The citation read, in part, “STAR Radio is one of the most relied upon sources for news and information in Liberia where it fills a large void due to high illiteracy rates and limited public access to information. The station's independent programming highlights key issues related to governance, reconciliation, development and the democratic process”.
The station also trained journalists, including those from other stations in Monrovia. In February 2000, Fondation Hirondelle launched an appeal to ensure the short-term funding of the station which was facing some temporary financial difficulties at the time.
On 15 March 2000, the Liberian government announced the closure of STAR Radio. President Taylor told a news conference, that "during my administration, STAR Radio will not come back on the air... Only the government has the right over the airwaves in this country. It is not the right of anyone to run a radio station. It is a privilege. Your right is to free speech."
At the time of the closure, STAR Radio employed some 50 staff, all but one of them Liberians, and broadcast 16 hours a day on FM (15 hours on Sundays). It aired some 55 hours a week of original programmes produced by its journalists. The remaining airtime was filled by Radio Netherlands and Talking Drum Studio programmes as well as by music. In 1999 STAR Radio reached 40 per cent of the Liberian population.
New government lifts the ban
On 3 November 2003, following the fall of Taylor’s government, Liberia's transitional government lifted the ban on STAR Radio. President of the transitional government, Gyude Bryant, said "I do hereby today lift the ban on STAR Radio. We further direct that STAR Radio is now at liberty to liaise with appropriate agencies of government to satisfy requirements in relations to its frequency and the renewal of its broadcasting rights." He added that STAR Radio had a key role to play in the "development of communication and enhancing the integrity of our media industry."
A new beginning
STAR’s programme schedule is designed to be relevant to post-war Liberia. The accent will be on news and current affairs. There will be bulletins on the hour every hour, and three one hour current affairs programs daily. But as Liberia moves towards elections in October 2005 there will be voter education programmes and an opportunity to quiz the multitude of political aspirants. There will be programmes giving medical and other expert advice on all sectors of society, and STAR radio will endeavour to reach a mass Liberian audience by broadcasting in all of the Liberian languages.
STAR Radio will employ around twenty journalists, led by a British head of project as well as trainers and Swiss technicians sent on assignment for a limited period, explains Director of the Hirondelle Foundation Jean-Pierre Husi. It is envisaged that the station will transfer entirely to local control after one year. The reactivation of STAR Radio was widely covered in the local media, with "The News" saying that the return of the independent station represents a victory for the freedom of the press, and that it will contribute to the improvement of the quality of the national media and the training of journalists.
The station also has a website at http://www.starradio.org.lr/
Talking Drum Studio [Programme producer], set up in May 1997 by Search for Common Ground, and financed by the Dutch and Swiss government, employs 36 Liberians and produces 8 hours a week of original programming to promote dialogue and reconciliation. The programmes are distributed to various stations with a total daily listenership of over 90% of the population.
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