Chairman’s Award for Open Media Access and Social Engagement Recipient: Radio Caraibes

Audio Now is proud to announce that Radio Television Caraibes is forging new ground in the call-to-listen service by providing its listeners with an On-Demand option. Ranmasse, Haiti’s most popular talk-show which airs live Saturday mornings, will now be available to callers 24 hours a day on AudioNow.

It is for this reason, among many others, that Audio Now has decided to award Patrick Moussignac of Radio Television Caraibes with the Chairman’s Award for Open Media Access and Social Engagement. Moussignac’s dedication to understanding the needs of his audience while cultivating innovative solutions to these challenges led him to exceed the criteria necessary to receive this award.

Radio Caraibes is known to the Haitian community not just as the station which hosts the ever-popular Ranmasse, but as a broadcaster who cares about its audience. The president of Radio Caraibes, Patrick Moussignac, ensures that the station is involved with the Haitian community far beyond an on-air presence. Radio Caraibes was the first media outlet to construct its own building in Haiti, yet it was severely damaged by the devastating earthquake that struck the island in 2010. Immediately after the earthquake Radio Caraibes built a makeshift studio in front of the building offering radio’s generator to people on the street to recharge their cell phone and others. Times like this not only allow Radio Caraibes to reach out to the community it represents, but affords it the opportunity to understand the messages the people want voiced.

Rehabilitating a community is a process, and one that Radio Caraibes is committed to. The effects of the Haitian earthquake were felt around the world, as are Radio Caraibes efforts. Ensuring that expats can hear the messages from the streets and citizens of their homeland, Radio Caraibes offers not only online streams, but takes advantage of AudioNow’s unique call-to-listen platform as well.

mogattereauaudionow

Moryl Gattereau, Radio Caraibes’ Director of IT and Web Development is currently located in New York City, overseeing the station’s presence in the U.S. Below is an insight as to how M. Gattereau reaches out to the Haitian-American community. While Radio Television Caraibes was the second Haitian station to join, they quickly rose to the top in terms of listeners.

1. How did Radio Television Caraibes become so successful? Radio Caraibes became popular due to the direct implication of the shows in the day to day life of the listeners. The shows are, in a sense, an extension of the plight of the Haitian people at large. It is the voice of the unheard.

2. How effective have you found your social media campaign to be in attracting U.S. listeners? We use a “round robin” system where we both Tweet and share articles from our main website to Facebook. Also, the integration of our stream player and livestream video channel have attracted many U.S. listeners as well. No matter which platform our users utilize to reach us, they are prompted to share our content. Sharing with friends automatically generates new listeners.

3. How did you determine which social media platforms would have the strongest reach in attracting new listeners? I think Facebook is the strongest in attracting new listeners, as Facebook provides a multimedia experience where you can share both audio/video and photos. We cover events and make photo reports available on Facebook. If someone attends one of our events, they’ll likely visit our Facebook page to see the photos we have posted. If they are featured in it, they tag themselves, thus altering their friends to visit our page as well. This in turn is a magnet for new listeners.

4. Connecting to your audience is crucial for the success of a radio station. What strategies does Radio Caraibes implement to ensure a close relationship between listeners and the station? Radio Tele Caraibes is the only media in Haiti catering to the needs of the masses. Haiti is still rebuilding after the January 2010 earthquake that caused destruction both to human lives and materials. Radio Caraibes’ different hosts have become not only media personalities during these trying times, but social workers as well. Our rich programming content is geared towards addressing the daily struggles of our listeners and the Haitian community. Our commitment has to the people goes beyond our on-air presence. One of the most successful projects we had was related to the environment. We initiated a program where our listeners would pick-up bags and plastic littering the streets, and turn them in for raffle tickets. At the end of the program, the streets were cleaner and a few of our lucky listeners received prizes ranging from food supplies and bikes to a car.

5. Why AudioNow? AudioNow has revolutionized the way ethnic stations reach their listeners. The term AudioNow is now part of the Haitian vocabulary to describe any service that even resembles the work AudioNow does. At first we were skeptical but when we consider the demographic of our listener base we realized it would be a good option for us. Our listener bases include fellow Haitians with liberal professions such as Cab driver in big US Metropolis, security guards, and Airport skycaps. Most of those people do not have access to a streaming service on their phone due to the exorbitant cost for data services. We found the white collar Haitians such as doctors, nurses and engineers are commuters and would connect through the dial in service as well. As for myself I use the service on a regular basis either to listen to the radio in transit or to monitor the stream. Paragraphs of AudioNow and radio Caraibes missing?

Audio Now is proud to announce that Radio Television Caraibes is forging new ground in the call-to-listen service by providing its listeners with an On-Demand option. Ranmasse, Haiti’s most popular talk-show which airs live Saturday mornings, will now be available to callers 24 hours a day on AudioNow.

It is for this reason, among many others, that Audio Now has decided to award Patrick Moussignac of Radio Television Caraibes with the Chairman’s Award for Open Media Access and Social Engagement. Moussignac’s dedication to understanding the needs of his audience while cultivating innovative solutions to these challenges led him to exceed the criteria necessary to receive this award.

Radio Caraibes is known to the Haitian community not just as the station which hosts the ever-popular Ranmasse, but as a broadcaster who cares about its audience. The president of Radio Caraibes, Patrick Moussignac, ensures that the station is involved with the Haitian community far beyond an on-air presence. Radio Caraibes was the first media outlet to construct its own building in Haiti, yet it was severely damaged by the devastating earthquake that struck the island in 2010. Immediately after the earthquake Radio Caraibes built a makeshift studio in front of the building offering radio’s generator to people on the street to recharge their cell phone and others. Times like this not only allow Radio Caraibes to reach out to the community it represents, but affords it the opportunity to understand the messages the people want voiced.

Rehabilitating a community is a process, and one that Radio Caraibes is committed to. The effects of the Haitian earthquake were felt around the world, as are Radio Caraibes efforts. Ensuring that expats can hear the messages from the streets and citizens of their homeland, Radio Caraibes offers not only online streams, but takes advantage of AudioNow’s unique call-to-listen platform as well.

mogattereauaudionow

Moryl Gattereau, Radio Caraibes’ Director of IT and Web Development is currently located in New York City, overseeing the station’s presence in the U.S. Below is an insight as to how M. Gattereau reaches out to the Haitian-American community. While Radio Television Caraibes was the second Haitian station to join, they quickly rose to the top in terms of listeners.

1. How did Radio Television Caraibes become so successful? Radio Caraibes became popular due to the direct implication of the shows in the day to day life of the listeners. The shows are, in a sense, an extension of the plight of the Haitian people at large. It is the voice of the unheard.

2. How effective have you found your social media campaign to be in attracting U.S. listeners? We use a “round robin” system where we both Tweet and share articles from our main website to Facebook. Also, the integration of our stream player and livestream video channel have attracted many U.S. listeners as well. No matter which platform our users utilize to reach us, they are prompted to share our content. Sharing with friends automatically generates new listeners.

3. How did you determine which social media platforms would have the strongest reach in attracting new listeners? I think Facebook is the strongest in attracting new listeners, as Facebook provides a multimedia experience where you can share both audio/video and photos. We cover events and make photo reports available on Facebook. If someone attends one of our events, they’ll likely visit our Facebook page to see the photos we have posted. If they are featured in it, they tag themselves, thus altering their friends to visit our page as well. This in turn is a magnet for new listeners.

4. Connecting to your audience is crucial for the success of a radio station. What strategies does Radio Caraibes implement to ensure a close relationship between listeners and the station? Radio Tele Caraibes is the only media in Haiti catering to the needs of the masses. Haiti is still rebuilding after the January 2010 earthquake that caused destruction both to human lives and materials. Radio Caraibes’ different hosts have become not only media personalities during these trying times, but social workers as well. Our rich programming content is geared towards addressing the daily struggles of our listeners and the Haitian community. Our commitment has to the people goes beyond our on-air presence. One of the most successful projects we had was related to the environment. We initiated a program where our listeners would pick-up bags and plastic littering the streets, and turn them in for raffle tickets. At the end of the program, the streets were cleaner and a few of our lucky listeners received prizes ranging from food supplies and bikes to a car.

5. Why AudioNow? AudioNow has revolutionized the way ethnic stations reach their listeners. The term AudioNow is now part of the Haitian vocabulary to describe any service that even resembles the work AudioNow does. At first we were skeptical but when we consider the demographic of our listener base we realized it would be a good option for us. Our listener bases include fellow Haitians with liberal professions such as Cab driver in big US Metropolis, security guards, and Airport skycaps. Most of those people do not have access to a streaming service on their phone due to the exorbitant cost for data services. We found the white collar Haitians such as doctors, nurses and engineers are commuters and would connect through the dial in service as well. As for myself I use the service on a regular basis either to listen to the radio in transit or to monitor the stream. Paragraphs of AudioNow and radio Caraibes missing?

Audio Now is proud to announce that Radio Television Caraibes is forging new ground in the call-to-listen service by providing its listeners with an On-Demand option. Ranmasse, Haiti’s most popular talk-show which airs live Saturday mornings, will now be available to callers 24 hours a day on AudioNow.

It is for this reason, among many others, that Audio Now has decided to award Patrick Moussignac of Radio Television Caraibes with the Chairman’s Award for Open Media Access and Social Engagement. Moussignac’s dedication to understanding the needs of his audience while cultivating innovative solutions to these challenges led him to exceed the criteria necessary to receive this award.

Radio Caraibes is known to the Haitian community not just as the station which hosts the ever-popular Ranmasse, but as a broadcaster who cares about its audience. The president of Radio Caraibes, Patrick Moussignac, ensures that the station is involved with the Haitian community far beyond an on-air presence. Radio Caraibes was the first media outlet to construct its own building in Haiti, yet it was severely damaged by the devastating earthquake that struck the island in 2010. Immediately after the earthquake Radio Caraibes built a makeshift studio in front of the building offering radio’s generator to people on the street to recharge their cell phone and others. Times like this not only allow Radio Caraibes to reach out to the community it represents, but affords it the opportunity to understand the messages the people want voiced.

Rehabilitating a community is a process, and one that Radio Caraibes is committed to. The effects of the Haitian earthquake were felt around the world, as are Radio Caraibes efforts. Ensuring that expats can hear the messages from the streets and citizens of their homeland, Radio Caraibes offers not only online streams, but takes advantage of AudioNow’s unique call-to-listen platform as well.

mogattereauaudionow

Moryl Gattereau, Radio Caraibes’ Director of IT and Web Development is currently located in New York City, overseeing the station’s presence in the U.S. Below is an insight as to how M. Gattereau reaches out to the Haitian-American community. While Radio Television Caraibes was the second Haitian station to join, they quickly rose to the top in terms of listeners.

1. How did Radio Television Caraibes become so successful? Radio Caraibes became popular due to the direct implication of the shows in the day to day life of the listeners. The shows are, in a sense, an extension of the plight of the Haitian people at large. It is the voice of the unheard.

2. How effective have you found your social media campaign to be in attracting U.S. listeners? We use a “round robin” system where we both Tweet and share articles from our main website to Facebook. Also, the integration of our stream player and livestream video channel have attracted many U.S. listeners as well. No matter which platform our users utilize to reach us, they are prompted to share our content. Sharing with friends automatically generates new listeners.

3. How did you determine which social media platforms would have the strongest reach in attracting new listeners? I think Facebook is the strongest in attracting new listeners, as Facebook provides a multimedia experience where you can share both audio/video and photos. We cover events and make photo reports available on Facebook. If someone attends one of our events, they’ll likely visit our Facebook page to see the photos we have posted. If they are featured in it, they tag themselves, thus altering their friends to visit our page as well. This in turn is a magnet for new listeners.

4. Connecting to your audience is crucial for the success of a radio station. What strategies does Radio Caraibes implement to ensure a close relationship between listeners and the station? Radio Tele Caraibes is the only media in Haiti catering to the needs of the masses. Haiti is still rebuilding after the January 2010 earthquake that caused destruction both to human lives and materials. Radio Caraibes’ different hosts have become not only media personalities during these trying times, but social workers as well. Our rich programming content is geared towards addressing the daily struggles of our listeners and the Haitian community. Our commitment has to the people goes beyond our on-air presence. One of the most successful projects we had was related to the environment. We initiated a program where our listeners would pick-up bags and plastic littering the streets, and turn them in for raffle tickets. At the end of the program, the streets were cleaner and a few of our lucky listeners received prizes ranging from food supplies and bikes to a car.

5. Why AudioNow? AudioNow has revolutionized the way ethnic stations reach their listeners. The term AudioNow is now part of the Haitian vocabulary to describe any service that even resembles the work AudioNow does. At first we were skeptical but when we consider the demographic of our listener base we realized it would be a good option for us. Our listener bases include fellow Haitians with liberal professions such as Cab driver in big US Metropolis, security guards, and Airport skycaps. Most of those people do not have access to a streaming service on their phone due to the exorbitant cost for data services. We found the white collar Haitians such as doctors, nurses and engineers are commuters and would connect through the dial in service as well. As for myself I use the service on a regular basis either to listen to the radio in transit or to monitor the stream. Paragraphs of AudioNow and radio Caraibes missing?