August 13, 1999

by Pvt. William Shelton

        UROSEVAC, Kosovo (Army News Service, Aug.13, 1999) --
Performing patrols and vehicle checks are important parts of the
KFOR mission, but Task Force Falcon is also affecting the
Kosovars by airing music and information.
Albanians and Serbians alike can now tune in local radio
stations and hear news, weather, music and messages that promote
peace on the KFOR Hour.
The goal of the show is to foster a harmonious existence between
the Serbians and Albanians, a spokesman said. It also gives the
locals information they can use to better their quality of life,
said Capt. Steve Stover, commander, 20th Public Affairs
Detachment from Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Members of the 20th PAD produce the show in Urosevac, Kosovo.
Soldiers from the 40th PAD (from Fort Campbell, Ky.,) produce
the show in Gnjilane, Kosovo.
The KFOR Hour is aired on 92.7 FM Monday through Friday at Radio
Urosevac, 1 to 2 p.m., and 95.5 FM Radio Gnjilane, 6 to 7 p.m.
"We are producing the KFOR Hour to affect change in this country
and to try and accomplish our main mission which is to promote
peace," said Stover. "We are giving people useful information
such as local and world news, weather and we are also producing
safety messages and answering questions about the military's
mission in Kosovo."
Because the listening audience is both Serbian and Albanian,
producers designed the show to be impartial.
"We are providing an avenue of information that is not partial
to either the Albanians or the Serbians," said Spc. Thomas
Grayson, a broadcast journalist for the 20th PAD. "The show
focuses on the promotion of peace for all Kosovars, regardless
of their heritage."
The mission of creating a non-partisan radio program for the
people of Kosovo has forced Grayson to be creative and use all
of his broadcasting skills.
"This real-world mission forced me to hone and enhance the
skills that I have been taught as a broadcast journalist," said
Grayson.
Producing a show in different languages has made Grayson change
the way he broadcasts.
"I never would have thought that I would have to figure out a
way to broadcast in a foreign language.  As a result, the
production of the KFOR Hour has forced me to create alternative
methods of communication," said Grayson.
Grayson said he thinks the extra work involved with broadcasting
in Serbian and Albanian is worth the challenge.
"I think broadcasting in both languages provides for a volatile
situation.  But, at the same time, I think that a greater good
may be reached by this risk."
In order to achieve the goal of producing a radio show impartial
to the different ethnic peoples, the production team had to find
translators willing to put aside years of hatred in order to
accomplish the mission.
"The translators who are ethnically from opposing sides have
shown that with a little open-mindedness, all Kosovars can work
and live peacefully.  The three translators for the radio
program, Dejan, Dren Berisha and Makfire Pajaziti, are truly the
type of pioneer thinkers Kosovo needs in order to keep the
violence of this country's past from becoming its future," said
Grayson.
"The idea behind the KFOR Hour is noble, and I think that we are
pioneers of the next generation ... a generation of peace," said
Dejan Maksimovic, a Serbian translator from Skopje, Macedonia,
who works for the KFOR Hour production team.
Producing a multi-language show takes several different people
working together as one.
"The production of the KFOR Hour involves gathering and
translating command messages, news, spot sets or commercials,
commentaries and show promotions.  Once they are translated, we
have to voice them or record them, and finally we broadcast them
over the air," said Grayson.
"My part in the production of the show is to process
information, write spot sets, write commentaries, review music
and engineer the program from inside the radio station," he
added.
All of the local Kosovars who own radios listen to the program,
according to Rakah Rashimi Radio Urosevac station manager.  He
said the local population relies on the show for information and
entertainment.
 "I love the radio show.  It is good for the people to know that
they can tune in and get information from and about the soldiers
in or around their town," said Rashimi.
(Editors note: Pvt. William Shelton is a member of Task Force
Falcon Public Affairs.)