IMS sponsored the participation of a delegation from Azerbaijan at a conference on community radios in Europe organised by AMARC. Report from Dublin by Teymur Aliyev, editor and anchor of political talk show at Media FM, one of one the most popular radio stations in Azerbaijan

ByTeymur Aliyev, editor , Media FM 

In January, I was given the opportunity by the Azerbaijan Media Center to participate in the AMARC conference: Communicating Diversity in Europe - Preserving and supporting the  diversity of community media’s many voices in Europe.The conference was going to take place in Dublin, Ireland Republic on 25-29^th February. Of course, for someone who has worked on radio for ten years this was a great opportunity to meet and share experience with European colleagues.

First impressions from Ireland

On the snowy February morning I, along with my colleague, the guy running alternative internet radio, departed from Baku airport. When we arrived in Dublin, the sun was shining and the sky was unusually blue. The weather in Dublin was plus 14 degree and I immediately took off my winter clothes.

This was my first time in Ireland. It sounded very silly when we asked the first local person at the airport “Do you speak English?”.  We didn’t know that Irish people speak only one language – English. Even though, every inscription was written in Gaelic first and then in English. Later on, on the way from the airport to the hotel we learned from a taxi driver that only 3 per cent of population speaks Gaelic. The language is dying.

OK, they say music has no borders. Wait then. There is still one language!

The exchange of ideas with European colleagues was extremely interesting for me. The most interesting topic of discussion was about using alternative broadcasting methods. The most frequently mentioned idea was “if local authorities create obstacles for traditional broadcasting then it has to be broadcast via the Internet”. This topic was relevant and well-known to us.

I was surprised by the limitation of language on the music broadcasts on European radio stations. Colleagues from Romania and Ukraine complained about that. In Azerbaijan we do not have this problem. 

Gender issues at radio stations

When it came to gender equity issues, I found another difference between Azerbaijan and Europe. Unlike European radio stations, where, according to the conference participants, the number of male workers prevails, it’s not an issue in our country. In fact, in our country there are more women than men working on radio.

However, both in Azerbaijan and Europe most expert and decision-making positions at the radio stations are occupied by men. We had a very lively discussion around the reasons for that. 

One Radio Station for all of Europe

The idea of creating one radio, which would be broadcast in all countries across the European Union was interesting too. The conference showed that all the countries have similar problems and challenges. And our audiences apparently have the same problems and expectations of radio stations, from Azerbaijan to Ireland.

I found AMARC’s conference very useful. Firstly, I‘ve found an answer to my question:“What are the problems that Europeans are thinking about?” Secondly, I’ve enhanced my skills and knowledge through participation in different workshops as part of the conference.  And finally, I am now connected to my European colleagues. We can exchange our opinions at least through the internet. 

Professional knowledge and spirit of Dublin

I returned from Dublin with tens of business cards from European journalists, new information on community radio and alternative broadcasting and some souvenirs for my friends and family. I brought back home professional knowledge and unforgettable impressions of the fantastic city of Dublin.