The team at Our Voice FM The station manager John Nugent writes about it
Not everybody gets excited about their third birthday, but the people involved in ourvoicefm.com certainly are!
This internet radio station was set up to support individuals and groups who don’t often get the chance to have their voices heard. Truly heard!
The Brothers of Charity Services West Region and the Community of Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, have been a great support to this project over the last three years and it’s no surprise that the rewards of commitment, hard work and dedication, have now produced regular fun, serious and entertaining radio shows.
‘Ourvoicefm.com’ is giving a platform to presenters and DJs who would not normally be invited to broadcast or present on issues close to their hearts. ‘Our Voice Fm.com’ is becoming a real vehicle that’s allowing people to grow in confidence, it is encouraging and developing skillsets and giving people social standing within the community. In other words, this venture is allowing people with a disability to shine.
“After three years of broadcasting over the internet and through the ‘Mytuner’ app we are reaching out to the world. The public are tuning our way through smart phones, computers, tablets, iPad and various other smart devices. Everybody is going smart these days. We intend now to spread our wings and invite individuals from around the country who have an interest and desire to get into broadcasting to come join us.”
Production
“The Production process within radio is multifaceted and not just about presenting and DJing. We need researchers, sound-techs, advertisers, marketers, producers and social media techs. These areas are all a part of keeping a station afloat and where people can use their talents and skills to highlight the voices of those who up to now are going unheard.”
There is no arguing that a disability puts limits on our day to day lives but this doesn’t mean that we cannot contribute to enhance the community and society we live in”
‘Ourvoicefm.com’ is searching for individuals who may have felt that they are being held back by a disorder or disability or lack of support. “We would love to hear your voices and your stories. The country needs to hear the amazing talent that is on offer and via the internet the world does too”, says John.
Disability
Disability is not a nice word! Straight away it elicits negative connotations and attitudes and yet, according to our last census, 22% of our population reported experiencing at least one long lasting condition or difficulty. That’s 1.1 million people. That’s a lot of people. But on the other hand, that’s a lot of potential broadcasters, presenters and DJs who could have their voices heard and stories told. That’s a lot of listeners when you include families, friends, neighbours and work colleagues.
“There is no arguing that a disability puts limits on our day to day lives but this doesn’t mean that we cannot contribute to enhance the community and society we live in. ‘Ourvoicefm.com’ is trying to achieve this goal”, says Audrey Murphy from the production team.
The beauty of internet radio is that you don’t have to travel to a studio to broadcast and that’s a big plus for individuals with mobility issues. You can do this in your living room, kitchen, bedroom or shed. All you need is access to Wi-Fi and a hook up to ‘ourvoicefm.com’ streaming service. This makes it so easy for people to record and submit or stream live shows.
There are many service providers around the country who could assist with setting up small pop-up studios. Not to mention schools, training centres, community hubs, etc.
Interested
John and other members of the production team of ‘ourvoicefm.com’ would be more than happy to help interested parties in setting up the broadcast. Maybe also some people out there have a catalogue of recordings or podcasts that can be re-broadcast to a much wider audience if so then you can contact the team on ‘ourvoicefm@gmail.com’.
Now it’s back to the birthday bash. ‘Ourvoicefm.com’ will be three years old on June 3. Happy Birthday Guys!