Reaching Samoa for Christ

By Vatapuia Maiava 01 March 2016, 12:00AM

Christian radio station, Laufou o le Talalelei, has completed the installation of a new tower, which should make the station accessible in most parts of Samoa.

Driven by the desire to ‘Reach Samoa for Christ,’ the station, which was only recently reopened, could not be accessed in some areas of Samoa.

But that is about to change now. 

Manasa Aloali’i, the Director for Youth For Christ (Y.F.C), said the tower up at Afiamalu is a key part of their plan.

“We wanted to try getting the signal out to the big island,” Mr. Aloali’i said. “We had the gear but the problem was that the tower was too old which made us a bit hesitant because of the tower structure.”

Another concern was not being able to get qualified riggers to do the job so they continued to pray for their plans.

“Of course we had some qualified riggers here in Samoa but unfortunately Y.F.C could not pay for them because they cost a lot,” Mr. Aloali’i said.

“With Y.F.C being a non-profitable organization and our license is non-commercial so we don’t have any funding coming in for the radio station.”

But God answers prayers.

“We prayed for someone to help us and thank God United Christian Broadcasters (U.C.B) in Australia opted to help us out,” Mr. Aloali’i said.

“They sent a radio engineer who has been in the radio industry for a long time.”

Three men came along to assist. They were Roly Runciman from Auckland, New Zealand; Steven Monro from Melbourne, Australia who created the software for the station; and Phil Dunk from Brisbane, Australia.

 “Mr. Runciman came and had a look at the tower and said the tower is strong,” Mr. Aloali’i said. “It just needs a little bit of work on some of the parts but all in all, it’s reusable.”

So after confirming the tower's strength, the Y.F.C team made up of staff and volunteers went ahead with installing their gear along with the complete renovation of the studio near the tower. 

The team also managed to get power back up to the studio. They worked through heavy rain, fog, heat and strong winds to be able to reach their goal.

 “What really helped us was that these guys were willing to understand the importance of safety. Mr. Runciman ran them through the safety aspects of being a rigger and showed them how to get up there safely to get the job done.”

With the tower up and running again, the station now has a wider reach.

“We are now able to reach Savai’i,” Mr. Aloali’i said. “We got calls from Satupa’itea and many other villages in Savai’i saying that the channel is very clear and crisp over there.”

Even the outer villages in Upolu have the pleasure of a clear signal unlike before. The improvements include better reach, better signal quality and a new sound.

“Laufou radio station has also added a new sound to our station with the help of the programmer from U.C.B Mr. Monro,” Mr. Aloali’i said.

“He created a software which now makes everything fully automated.”

This is only phase 1 for Laufou, U.C.B has offered to bring over a Live Youth Channel which will have music and messages just for the youth.

Tune in to Laufou on 103.1FM and enjoy the new clear and crisp quality.

By Vatapuia Maiava 01 March 2016, 12:00AM

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