Radio Rupiny launches new frequency
May 14, 2024
According to Peter Labeja, the station manager of Radio Rupiny, the acquisition of the new frequency followed numerous complaints from the community in Gulu City that the radio is not clear within the city.
Staff of Radio Rupiny took a group photo with Rev, Fr Eric Uma, the parish priest of Holy Rosary catholic parish who led the pray during the launch. (Photo by Jackson Kitara)
Jackson Kitara
Journalist @New Vision
___________________ Rev, Fr Eric Uma, the parish priest of Holy Rosary catholic parish who led the pray during the launch blessing the staff by sprinkling the water on them.
Vision Group's Gulu city-based Radio Rupiny FM (95.7FM) has launched another frequency to cater to the population in the city.
The station on May 10, 2024, launched the 107.2 FM frequency for the population in Gulu city.
During the launch, led by station manager Peter Labeja, the Rev. Fr. Eric Uma, the Holy Rosary Catholic parish priest led the prayer and also blessed the radio station.
The launch brings the number of Radio Rupiny frequencies to three. The others are 95.7 FM and 98.1 FM.
Background
Radio Rupiny FM hit the airwaves on September 1, 2009, in Gulu municipality now Gulu City as a community radio mainly broadcasting in Luo, airing news, features, entertainment information, and talk shows for the preservation of Luo culture
The station then later launched its second frequency 98.1fm in Lira to help boosts the Lango sub-region listenership.
According to Peter Labeja, the station manager of Radio Rupiny, the acquisition of the new frequency followed numerous complaints from the community in Gulu City that the radio is not clear within the city.
He explained that some areas within the city do not pick up the radio on the 95.7 frequency due to the low land of the city and various radio waves as the Rupiny mast is over 12km away from Gulu city in Moro Hill in Omoro district.
“By launching this frequency (107.2 FM), it makes us the biggest radio station in northern Uganda with three frequencies. We will cover Gulu city with the new frequency, the entire northern region and parts of South Sudan, DR Congo, and Bunyoro region on 95.7 FM and 98.1 in Lango and part of Teso,” he said.
Labeja said the radio started in 2009 as a community radio targeting local people from the rural community to help them heal from LRA war trauma as they were returning to their villages from internally displaced (IDP) camps.
He added that right from the inception of the radio, the station has been providing psychological support in the form of Drama plays, advice (talk shows), songs of hope, and messages of encouragement from political and message of hope religious leaders to the community returning to their villages which built hope to the community and also created relationship and love for the radio.
“We have been educating the community in the north so that they transform from the conflicts to economic development, unfortunately, we lost Rupiny Paper due to economic hardship,” Labeja said.
He added that he is glad that Vision Group introduced Wan Luo TV, which broadcasts in the Luo dialect, which he said soon will be relocated to Gulu City where the construction of the studio is complete.
Denis Ojwee, one of the long-serving staff of Vision Group (since 1991) thanked the management of Vision Group for providing another frequency; adding that it will foster listenership capacity in the urban areas which he described as a recent development.
“I am extremely happy to note and acknowledge the uprising steady growth of Radio Rupiny through its trio frequencies; 95.7 FM, 98.1 FM in Lango and 107.2 in Gulu city, thrills the northern airwaves stretching beyond Uganda-South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Ojwee said.
The Rev. Fr Eric Uma, who led the prayer during the launch lauded Vision Group for creating another frequency that caters to the population in Gulu town.
“We wish you well and to continue providing the community with news, information, and entertainment. Media work is voluntary work that requires someone with passion and professionalism like you are doing,” he said.
Uma encouraged the staff to work together with the station manager Radio Rupiny for the growth and success of the station.
David Acaye aka Anga ma Ngeyi, the chairperson business community in the Acholi region, said the new frequency is loud and clear in the city.
He added that the new frequency will help to promote business in Gulu city and the entire northern Uganda.
“We are proud to have a radio station that is centered for the local community here in the northern region. This will make us advertise our products,” he said.
Anga ma Ngeyi encouraged the management of Rupiny to continue with professionalism as they give news, information, and entertainment to the population in northern Uganda.
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