Far East Broadcasting Company, an international network of non-profit and non-commercial organizations initiated First Response Radio to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
On Nov. 13 the company sent a five-man team to Tacloban City in the Philippines to setup an emergency radio station to broadcast life-saving information to the survivors of the typhoon, which knocked all of Tacloban’s radio stations off the air.
With a reach of 60 kilometers, First Response Radio uses a 600 W FM TX600 transmitter from BW Broadcast and a dipole antenna, which is located on the top of the three-storey Tacloban City Hall. The station also makes use of a “suitcase studio,” containing a small mixer, mics, headphones, a laptop, CD player, portable audio recorder, and on-air light. Solar-powered and crank-up radio receivers were distributed to the affected communities.
Tacloban City government officials are using First Response Radio, which is a member of the Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities Network, to broadcast critical news and information such as where to get relief goods.
