As World Radio Day 2024 approaches (2/13), a radio station has emerged that is serving as what TALKERS founder Michael Harrison describes as “an informational and psychological lifeline for a beleaguered population being challenged daily for its very survival.” Over the past month, Ukraine’s second-largest city located a mere 24 miles from the Russian border has taken the brunt of the enemy’s missile campaign, which has killed and wounded dozens of people, blown up buildings and unnerved everyone. It’s an almost daily torment. To vent, Kharkiv’s residents have a dedicated outlet: Radio Boiling Over, a new FM station. In a thorough report published this weekend by The New York Times (1/20) written by correspondents Andrew E. Kramer, Maria Varenikova and Tyler Hicks, the situation is fully described and deserves the attention of broadcasters around the world. Excerpt: “This is Boiling Over in the Morning,” Volodymyr Noskov, the host of the morning call-in show, said on a recent broadcast. “What are you boiling over about today?” In Kharkiv, a sprawling city of universities and factories, coping has taken many forms. Nearly two years into the war, the city is opening schools underground. Psychologists visit strike sites to calm residents. Plywood goes up immediately over blown-out windows. “Keep Calm and Carry On Studying,” reads a sign at the entrance to one university. Amid the carnage, Radio Boiling Over, which went on the air a year ago, is becoming one of the most popular local media outlets. It serves as a megaphone for the fears and frustrations that simmer within a population under near constant assault. Read the entire story here.
