Somali Community Members who met with Pam

Zuhur Ahmed: host of “Somali Community Link” on KFAI, member of the 2010 Board of Directors and 2010 Program Committee

Samatar (Sam) Mohamed: former co-host of “Somali Voices” on KFAI, longtime volunteer

Open forum comments about the station

Zuhur:

  • Great station
  • Diversity
  • Room for everyone
  • Almost “too” diverse in some areas: a lot of time devoted to music, would like to see more diversity in public affairs
  • Would like to see more shuffling of priorities to focus on communities we directly serve, to prioritize who is our main target audience
  • Hear 2 things from the Somali community regarding KFAI: 1. Two hours is not enough with each show on only 1 x week; 2. would like shows like ours 2 x week, or to be longer.
  • Most popular thing I hear from the mainstream community: the mainstream community wants shows done by and for Somalis, but in English, so they can know more about the community—maybe a public affairs show about the Somali community, in English.

Sam:

  • There’s an invisible wall between KFAI and the Somali community
  • KFAI needs to go out into the Somali community. Example: talked with a cab driver who’s been in MN for 10 years and did not know KFAI. Even many of the larger, wider community do not know about KFAI.
  • Promote the programmers who give time to the station to do these shows—pictures in newspapers, magazines, etc.
  • Be creative with the new generation—find them in high schools, etc.—they are very talented.
  • Have Somali members on your Board of Directors
  • Be more open to the community
  • Give Somali programming more hours, and why is it all on Sunday?
  • Go out and tell people what KFAI is, and what K_F_A_I means.

What could KFAI offer to hosts/volunteers in the future (that would be of value)?

Zuhur:

  • Aid and help in training. Example: struggled with ProTools in last couple weeks, we don’t have any producers to help us.
  • Facilitating production support for hosts.
  • More frequent trainings.
  • More equipment available to check out for remote recordings.

Sam:

  • Improve relationship with Somali community (KFAI could go out to community, meet with them; have a Somali Community Day at KFAI)
  • Agree with Zuhur about training
  • Newer, smaller traveling recording equipment

Zuhur:

  • Would like to see programmers respecting staff. They are here working hard, didn’t like hearing disrespectful comments about them.
  • Outreach to U of M interns, could help programmers with production. Have volunteers help volunteers.

Eritrean Community Members who met with Pam

Essey Asbu: host of “Eritrean Community Radio” on KFAI

Neghuse ______: Returning volunteer to KFAI, had been involved with “Eritrean Community Radio” long time ago

Eden Teklegiorgis: host of “Eritrean Community Radio” on KFAI

Million Abdela: Member of the Eritrean community, answers phones during pledge drive

Yosief Zemo: Member of the Eritrean community, answers phones during pledge drive

Open forum comments about the station

Essey:

  • KFAI is a voice in our (the Eritrean) community
  • Would like training on new technology
  • So much I would like to do with the show, hard to do in one hour—have been holding off plans over the last 10 years due to time constraint, and could do a better service for our community
  • Wish we could get paid!
  • Our community is one of the few voiceless people in the world in terms of money and political clout—we think of KFAI as one of the places where we get to have a voice.

Neghuse:

  • The EritreanCommunity Center of Minnesota has what we call an “information service” branch. It’s radio, TV, and newspaper. KFAI is the public communication service—it’s the fastest way to communicate for us, about social affairs, co-existence.
  • Would like to ask radio station if there is any flexibility to extend more services to more people.

Eden:

  • Would be good to have more training in other aspects of the station (marketing, for example).
  • Would like more time for the show—packing history, news, our city and our community—all in one hour—and our culture and western culture. We try to minimize our speech and make it fit the program.
  • Would like to train more hosts (Million and Yosief, for example)

Yosief:

  • More authority/decision-making power for our (Eritrean) programmers
  • Help them to be more free to prepare when sensitive issues come up, would like them to have authority to make decisions
  • More geographic coverage—many folks outside of signal reach
  • More research help on issues when needing certain information from professionals or for health information, for example
  • KFAI should see ourStrategic Plan, maybe incorporate some ideas (copy provided)

Million:

  • KFAI should be proud: it shows the true Minnesota. No other such service—KFAI is a landmark, and this should be made known to the highest.
  • Volunteers for Eritrean Community Radio should not have interference from management if people do not like Essey, or Eden, or Neghuse—they should not be asked to then interview the person complaining. They should be supported in their efforts to unite the community, not impose decision-making on them.
  • More time.

What could KFAI offer to hosts/volunteers in the future (that would be of value)?

Eden:

  • Free parking
  • More refresher training opportunity
  • Know what’s going on at the station in general and technology updates
  • Protection for programmers in decisions

Million:

  • Trust in what the programmers bring to the air
  • Open house on Eritrean holidays and/or have KFAI go out to them on the holiday
  • Training

Neghuse:

  • Timing—extend the time of the show
  • Trust of our service

Essey:

  • Training
  • Ability to broaden our horizon in relation to Eritrean community—would be able to do that with another hour—give more service to the community

Yosief:

  • Equipment to be able to check out
  • Training
  • Guide on how to broadcast news from other sources with permission, and be able to say “I’m from KFAI radio…”
  • Some kind of pool of professional resources we know we can use and won’t charge us to be on air

Eden:

  • Announcements—we are happy to do, but they take up more time in our hour

Essey:

  • Training on technology—would like to prerecord cards on MP3 and play them, and know what the flash drive player does

Yosief:

  • People do not know how to access the archive if they live outside the signal range—some kind of easy way to tell them, or a workshop

Million:

  • Info-sharing from other programs, if they interview someone and it’s worthwhile to our community, to make that available

Ethiopian Community Member Who Met With Pam

Ahmed Wassie: host of “Voices of Ethiopia,” former member of the Board of Directors

Open Forum Comments About the Station

  • This year I should have borrowed KFAI banner for Ethiopian New Year in July, we shared a table and let them know about KFAI
  • I promise to do 1-3 events each year to promote KFAI
  • Losing the half-hour is hurting
  • Lost breathing room, makes it tough
  • I know other shows only have one hour
  • Would love to see getting more hours
  • We should do everything to promote KFAI—see it in the City Pages, etc.—we should be everywhere
  • Ethiopian community does a health program 1/mo., invite American doctor, tell how to find health insurance, good dental, done in cooperation with MN Health Dept.—see them (MN Health Dept.) advertising with other places, but KFAI does this for years!
  • Will give emails, addresses for events KFAI does that the community should know about
  • Should be the job of every programmer to find businesses or people to underwrite
  • Staff can only do so much

What could KFAI offer to hosts/volunteers in the future (that would be of value)?

  • KFAI could see how to involve 1 or 2 more Ethiopian volunteers to work with my show, maybe student groups? I am also working on that. My goal is to include the community more.
  • More equipment, if it’s needed—allowing KFAI’s office to grow
  • Would like to see all programmers get involved with the station a little bit outside of their shows—even if it’s just once a year—helping to do something outside of the show—so they can see what the station goes through

Oromo Community Member Who Met With Pam

Duula Ahmed: Host of “Oromo Community Radio”

Open Forum Comments About the Station

  • New time was harder for fundraising because it seemed like just another hour of “Voice of Oromiyaa,” but I have a new plan: I am going to recruit 2 or 3 correspondents to go into different things: entertainment/sports, etc.

(Lots of conversation about how Duula was almost going to leave the show due to feeling he was “redundant” with the shows back-to-back on the same day, but members of the community were calling him a quitter and he is not a quitter. Pam mentioned how other shows wish they had two hours to cover more in the community…)

What could KFAI offer to hosts/volunteers in the future (that would be of value)?

  • Long-distance code!
  • Recording equipments
  • CDs
  • Printer ink
  • KFAI already is doing its part by giving the voiceless a voice. There is no Oromo radio in the countries where Oromos live—all radio run by the governments. KFAI is giving the two hours—we can’t ask more than that. To get it free—we don’t even have to buy an hour. In all 50 states, this is the station that gives two hours to Oromo community. The older generation is so moved they don’t know how to say thanks—the older generation in Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, everywhere.