22 July 2010 - Hamesha Bahar 90.7FM or “Spring Forever” is on the air in Afghanistan’s eastern regional hub of Jalalabad.

In a city which already has eight FM stations for 300,000 residents, the newly launched Hamesha Bahar sets itself apart by targeting “mostly youth and aims to promote an anti-narcotics message,” said station manager Tariq Safi.

The 23 year old received journalism training in India and is applying his skills to test run a format consisting of 18 hours of mostly music and live call-in shows.

“We plan to broadcast news after regular transmission starts in about two months,” said Safi seated next to a pile of CVs from job seekers. He is struggling to pull together resources to run the station.

The 300 MW FM radio has the power to reach the provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Khost and Paktia and can also be heard through the Khyber Agency of Pakistan, according to Safi.

While the number of radio stations in the region is on the rise, the press is increasingly concerned about its ability to work.

Three weeks ago, journalists in the region endorsed a six-point resolution voicing serious concerns about their safety and the lack of access to information.

They called on Afghan authorities, international forces and insurgent groups to respect the neutral role of media to provide timely and accurate information.

Meanwhile, at Hamesha Bahar, a winner of one of the radio station’s call-in shows arrived with his young son to collect a prize for correctly answering the question “Who was the first president of Afghanistan?

Inayatullah got a gift basket of four packets of beauty cream and six soaps sponsored by a local business for correctly answering: Sardar Daud Khan.

As he was leaving the radio station, Inayatullah parted with some advice for the station manager: “You shouldn’t just play songs liked by young people. You should also play old songs.”

Safi replied, “It’s very difficult to run a radio. I lost four kilos of weight in as many days. But I will consider your suggestions.”

By Tilak Pokharel and Shafiqullah Waak, UNAMA