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Radio Melodie FM - Haiti Observer Blog
Radio Melodie FM, Haiti Observer Blog. Read the following articles about Radio Melodie FM
The History of Radio Broadcasting in Haiti
Radios are a major part of Haitian Culture. Almost everyone, children, youth, women and men in Haiti listen to radio. Statistics show that over 97 percent of the country's population own a radio set and at least three hundred radio broadcasting stations are operational.
According to Paolo Woods, a renowned photographer, the radio "is always on" in Haiti. It is playing everywhere; in the shops and restaurants. "It is like background sound".
Every influential person in Haiti in need of audience gets space. Catholic nuns and voodoo priests get their share to broadcast religious material.
The history of radios in Haiti is a funny one. Radios arrived in the 1930s and would only tune to one and only one channel. US missionaries donated the very first receivers to the Haitians hoping that they would be faithful listeners of Radio Lumiere.
The power of Radio in the Haitian Society
Haitian radio is the chief means of media communication on the island. Few have income to buy a TV, and those who have sets are subject to unreliable electricity service. Going online to access news coverage is impossible for all but the rich. Not only is newspaper distribution minimal, but 80% of the population are illiterate. The only information source available to everyone is the radio and radio stations are plentiful in Haiti. Reception is widely accessible in virtually every village on the island. Radios cost little to own and run on batteries.
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