Radio 94 & NTR Postojna

Proposer: Vitra, Centre for Sustainable Development, Cerknica

The importance of public media in establishing lifelong learning is being increasingly recognised by various development and education institutions, since their message - without the cooperation of the media - would not reach those target groups for which they are especially intended. We have in mind here those not actively learning, the unemployed, undereducated, persons with negative learning experiences, and those in more remote environments far from learning centres. And it is precisely for these people that most can be done with high-quality information and provision of general educational content over the radio waves or TV screens. And they are very aware of this at Vitra in Cerknica, since at the editorial office of Radio 94 & NTR they found not only understanding people but also excellent promoters of programmes for balanced, environment- and people-friendly development of the countryside. The radio station's broadcasts are intended for people in the regions of Notranjska and Kvarner, but the signal carries beyond these boundaries, right up to the outskirts of Ljubljana. Although this is a private medium with a market-orientated content, the station's management is aware that it must keep pace with the broad life needs of its audience, and especially with their need to develop. Many of their broadcasts are therefore aimed at informing, educating and raising awareness among the public. The links between the radio station and the area around it are also borne out by the awards it has received: from the Friends of Youth Federation, from the Slovenian Red Cross, the Ministry of Defence, the Municipality of Postojna, the Postojna Volunteer Fire Department and more. Radio 94 &NTR demonstrates its commitment to the culture of learning both through the method of training its staff (they operate as a learning organisation, training for all jobs at the workplace under guidance from experts; at work they have acquired the necessary skills for handling sensitive radio apparatus, they have learned public speaking, rhetoric, diction, hosting talk shows, concise reporting and more) and in preparing the content (they offer regular educational and informational broadcasts, as well as special thematic shows which they prepare in cooperation with Vitra Cerknica, with societies, schools, libraries, government offices and with development, counselling and professional services). And ever since 1999, Radio 94 has also joined in the Lifelong Learning Week programme, providing free air time for information from non-profit and voluntary providers of festival events.