For bulletins, advisories: Cebu City wants own radio station

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Government is mulling to establish an emergency broadcast center through an FM station that can be interrupted if ever there are important announcements to be made by the city.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña said the program will help the city disseminate important happenings and disaster advisories to the public.

“We’re thinking of releasing out an FM station channel (that operates) 24/7…and it will also be our emergency Cebu City’s broadcast system,” he told reporters.

The FM station, which will be commercial-free, will also have time checks that will be provided by a program, since Osmeña said he does not like the idea of hiring an anchor for the program.

“If we can computerize this, (the) better, so we will have nobody there…I don’t really like to spend for an anchor. The anchor will be on our Disaster Center with just an announcement to make,” he explained.

He admitted that the project may further affect FM radio stations since “many of them are not doing well.”

“Some radio stations might not be happy because I think, the problem (is) daghan kaayo’ng mga station abuses --daghan kaayo’ng commercials. People don’t want to listen to music anymore. You want to listen to music nga way samok? O, this is a service from the Cebu City Government,” he said.

The mayor said he likes to listen to music and hopes that people will listen to his projected FM station channel regularly once it becomes available.

“I like listening to music…just play music all day long. If you want music in your office, just turn it on. You don’t have to buy records… Business establishments don’t have to buy equipment; they just have to turn it on,” he added.

He said he will ask the city’s Bids and Awards Committee to immediately hold a public bidding with FM stations in the city for the realization of the project. — Nova E. Valizado (FREEMAN)