Power, empowerment and community radio: Media by and for women in Nepal

•Report on the first all-women community radio in South Asia and empowerment.•Research aims to presents balanced understanding of women's contribution to radio.•Women media is a counter-hegemonic project that makes women as political change agents.•Community radio producers as rights activists unveil many facets of domestic violence.

SynopsisAgenda for the community media starts from the point of view of liberation from dominant power structures. Production and interpretation skills attained through the participation in community media would allow persons to become more discriminating in their views. It gives them a voice to speak out actively on the matters affecting their lives. In this sense, community media will be subversive to any group, bureaucracy, or individual, who feels threatened by a coalescing of grassroots consciousness. Through reporting on the issues affecting women and advocating their rights, an all-women community radio in Nepal is working towards their empowerment. Based on the theoretical perspectives of power and media, this article through a case study, highlights how bringing Violence Against Women (VAW) into the alternative public sphere contributes towards women empowerment.