P. Urias Suah the News Director at Radio Kergheamahn, located in Ganta City, Nimba County, is a shining example of the power of digital readiness. Urias participated in a training conducted by Internews in Liberia in 2024, aimed at enhancing the social media presence of community radio stations and bolstering their cybersecurity measures.
Urias’s impact on the station as a result of the training has been nothing short of exemplary. He has played a pivotal role in diversifying the content on the station’s Facebook page, leading to noticeable improvements in both reach and engagement. As a testament to his efforts, Radio Kergheamahn’s Facebook page followers have surged by 51%, increasing from 1,174 to a whopping 2,407.
The station, which had only managed to post a dozen times from the start of the year until the end of March, suddenly found its voice. With Urias at the helm, the number of posts skyrocketed to an impressive 101 posts in just a few months.
But the transformation didn’t stop there. The station’s Facebook page began to buzz with activity. Over the last 90 days, the reach of their posts expanded to an astonishing 44,460 people. The engagement on their posts also saw a significant increase, with 5,086 interactions, including 1,184 reactions, 200 comments, and 70 shares.
This dramatic increase in digital activity wasn’t just about numbers. It was a testament to the positive impact of Urias’s contributions to Radio Kergheamahn’s online presence. His efforts increased the station’s reach and strengthened its connection with the community, turning Radio Kergheman into a vibrant hub of local news and discussions.
When asked about the impact of the training on his ability to create and manage content for the radio station’s digital platforms, Urias said, “The training has been so helpful. It has provided needed basic skills to produce quality content for my station. We are currently uploading our local news content, something we never used to do. We now have a reporter on the field to carry major happenings live.”
Urias added, “We recently had the opportunity to host a representative from ECOWAS. For this event, we created and shared flyers and live videos. We aim to leverage the skills gained from the training to generate income for our station. We plan to do this by offering content creation services, such as flyers, video documentaries, and live coverage, to our clients. On the security front, we’ve implemented two-factor authentication to protect our digital assets. Previously, we struggled with editing our news content because of budget constraints, which made it difficult to hire a news editor. However, thanks to the AI knowledge we’ve acquired, we’ve been able to improve the quality of our news content significantly.”
Urias’s story is a testament to the transformative power of digital readiness training. His achievements serve as an inspiration for others in the field, proving that with the right tools and training, anyone can harness the power of digital media to create a significant impact.
Joseph F. Doe is Internews in Liberia Multimedia Content Producer