Lae: The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Social Communications Commission (CBC PNGSI SOCOM) held a SOCOM Formation Workshop for Catholic Radio Personnel from September 18 - 20, 2024.
(Participants of the workshop with the CBC PNGSI SOCOM team after the closing ceremony)
The three-day workshop was rooted around the idea of putting into full use the Radio Medium as a way for ‘Evangelizing’ and also help to put into perspective how important radio broadcasting is when it comes to evangelizing, given the fact that not everyone has access to internet nor a television set.
The workshop/ formation saw participants from the few Catholic Radio Stations within Papua New Guinea, such as Trinity FM (Mt. Hagen), The Voice of Peter Torot (Rabaul,), Lae’s own Catholic FM, Radio Maria PNG (Vanimo) and three other Media Personnel from the Diocese of Kimbe, Alotau-Sidea and the Archdiocese of Port Moresby.
The first day of the workshop had participants being brought into ‘Broadcasting Structures’, ‘Radio’, and ‘Radio Script Writing’. The sessions were centered around how a radio station should be organized, to why a radio station is important, and why a radio-script is of relevance and how to write one. Concluding the day and its sessions was the activity in which participants put into effect what they know with what they have learnt to actually write a radio-script of their own.
Moving up a knot, the second day sessions were about the ‘Journalistic Practices’ and ‘Studio Set-Up’. The sessions had everyone interacting and sharing their personal experiences working in the radio, techniques, and ideas on key elements of radio broadcasting like how to do programming, jingles, and editing.
Adding more practical to the theories that were presented during the sessions, the participants were given an ‘On-Set’ taste of studio tour around the Catholic FM Studio. With even an unplanned jingle recording from the group along with an on-air interview that gave the extra flavor and it was all thanks to the managing body of the radio station, Fr. Brian Nonde and the team.
The workshop ended on Friday with the CBCPNGSI SOCOM Secretary, Sr. Daisy Anne Lisania Augustine MSC addressing the participants telling them that it is always important to remember that one must try to be an honest evangelizer/ communicator and that is the first and foremost quality of a good broadcaster/ journalist.
“You must be a good communicator…a good communicator like Christ, and that means you’ll have to please God only, and not man. And sometimes you become unpopular in your community”.
Adding final highlight to her talks, the Secretary pointed out that, being communicators it is our sole duty to “link memories, link facts, and most importantly, linking people”. She also urged the participants to go forth and “be witnesses to the gospel, and build bridges to overcome conflicts, corruption, and injustice in all communities”.
In the closing program along with presentations of the certificates to the participants, Fr. Jose Roque Arreza RCJ as the appointed participant to give a speech on their behalf told everyone that, despite being a short stay, it was fruitful.
“I can now bring HOME, back to my home Sidea”. “Few of the things which I have come to learn apart from radio broadcasting sessions. H which stands for humility; the second one being O for openness; third being M for Meraki, Greek term that means to doing something with passion and love; and the fourth one being E, is of course, Evangelization”.
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