PocketFMandthestateoflocalradio

Despitetechnologicalinnovationtakingplaceatanunprecedentedpacelocalradiocontinuestobethemostwidelyavailablesourceofinformationandentertainmentforpeopleeverywhere.While television, newspapers and the internet are available in cities and throughout thedevelopedworld,noalternativesexist inmostruralareasofdevelopingcountries.Duringandafter disaster, trauma and war local radio can help save lives and support the rebuilding ofinfrastructureandcommunities.Inimmediatesituationsofcrisis,suchasforexampleanaturaldisaster like the earthquake inHaiti, radio networks can be set up relatively easily to supplypeoplewithinformationonshelter,foodandwater.Further, for more than a decade community radio projects have been an effective way tofurtherdevelopmentgoalsinmanypartsoftheworld.

Theimportanceoflocalradio:

• Radioisthemostaccessiblesourceofinformationtomostpeopleintheworld,reachingalsomostofthose‘hardesttoreach’–includingwhenlivinginconflictandfragilerealities.

• Radioreception is ‘mobile’andreceiversaffordable,whetherviamobilephone,transistororcarradio.Radiocaninprinciplebelistenedtoanywhere.

• Radio iseasy toproduceand it iseasy toproducewith inclusionofmanyvoices– includingvoicesofthosetraditionally‘voiceless’.

• Radioiseasytoaccesswithfeed-backbylistenersbycallingin,sendingSMStextmessagesorthroughdigitalservicessuchasFrontlineSMS(written)orFreedomFone(oral).

• Radiothushasthepotentialtobecomeaplatformforpublicdialogueanddevelopmentofasenseofcitizenship-ifpoliticalandlocalvisionandwillisinplace.

• Radio legislation ideally incorporates the three tiers: nation-widepublic service, commercialradioandcommunityradio.Nationalpublicserviceandcommunityradioeachhavetheirrole,distinctlydifferentandcomplementary.

• Radioinmanypoorandmarginalizedrealities–inconflict–isreceivedcollectively(contrarytosocialmedia) adding furtherpotential forpublicdebate spurredby goodprogramming. Thispotentialisinmanyplacesfurthersystematizedin‘ListeningClubs’.

• Radioproductionandtransmissionequipmentisbecomingincreasinglyaffordable,makingthecommunity’sownestablishmentofaradiostationfeasible.

RadiocanreachallspectraofsocietyFMradiocontinuesbe themostaffordablemassmediumtoproduceand to receivecontent.Radioreachestheilliterateandcanbelistenedtoeverywhereandintheabsenceofelectricitywhichmakesradioaparticularlyimportantsourceofinformationforthepoorandinareasandsituations with limited infrastructure. The ease and affordability of content production alsomeanthatlocalandhyper-localcommunityradiostationscanbeoperatedtoreachevensmallandmarginalisedgroupsintheirlocallanguage.Thisproximitytocommunityalsobuildstrustinthesuppliedinformationwhichisespeciallyimportantwhentheaudiencefeelsalienatedbythecommunicator(e.g.thegovernment)orthemessageissubjecttoideologicalbias.FMradiohasdifferentfacesintheformofstate-controlled,publicservicestations,commercialradios or rural or community radioswhichoperate alongside eachother. Local radio reaches

anything fromaneighbourhood toadistrictoftenwithup toa250W transmitter andwithavarietyofownershipandorganisationforms,oftenreferredtoas‘communityradio’.

‘Localradio’variesvastlyincontentandstyle:- local radio owned and run by a religious grouping, a political party or local commercial

interests, often called ‘community radio’, also when the community is just where it islocated.

- rural radio,based inaruralarea, focusingonrural,agriculturaldevelopmentasstartedbyandthroughtheFAOinthelate60sand70s.Thename‘ruralradio’or‘radiorurale’remainswidelyusedinfrancophoneAfrica.

- community radio, is by definition a radio owned and managed by the community;programmesareproducedbythecommunityandtheydealwithissuesarisingwithinandofrelevancetothecommunity,as theglobalassociationofcommunity-orientedbroadcastersdefinesit1.

- community radio fordevelopmentandempowerment, a subsetof theabove, focusesonproviding more transparency, more rights and self-determination in a community and astrengthenedsocio-economicdevelopmentthroughcommunityownership2.

As such radio offers the possibility to supply all spectra of society with information andentertainment. However, it can also be used to limit engagement and understanding by itslisteners,itcanbeusedtooppress(groupsof)peopleinasociety,anditcanintheworstcasesbeaterrifyinglyeffectivetoolforincitingviolence,chaosanddeath.TechnologicalchangehaschangedthefaceofradionotitspotentialTechnologicalchange, increasingdigitalisationandthespreadofmobilephoneshavechangedthewayradioisusedandtransmittedwithouttakingawayradio’scharacteristicsthatmakeitaneffectiveplatformformasscommunication.With further technological developments, the costs of setting up a new station have beendroppingfrommorethanUSD$25,000toapresentUSD$5,000,withsignificantimprovementsinthequalityofsoundrecordingandeasierandbettereditingquality.Altogether,thefuturelooksmoretobeaformofhybridradio,withnewdigitalpossibilitiesintheproduction,distributionandreception.Differentwaysofbroadcastingradiomeandifferentwaystogettoyouraudience,andalsointermsofradioreception,thehypearoundtheadventofthemobilephoneanditsimportancesome10yearsago,hasprovenrightintermsofeaseoflistening. Being able to listen to the radio on an individualmobile phone or the internet hasallowed radio to better engagewith a younger audiencewho is less likely to sit around thetransistorathomewiththefamilyforcollectivelistening.

The spread of mobile phones and the internet have also frequently led to multiplatformaudience integration through social media and text messaging. Multiplatform audienceintegration also offers means to engage the illiterate e.g. in the form of the Freedom Fone1http://www.amarc.org/documents/manuals/What_is_CR_english.pdf2See:’EMPOWERMENTRADIO–Voicesbuildingacommunity’byBirgitteJallov.EMPOWERHOUSE2012

systemwhichallowscommunitymemberstocallintheirmessageswhicharethentranscribedbysoftwaretoensurethatcontributionisalsoopentoeveryone.Anincreasingnumberofurbanandruralradiostationsaimtointegratesocialmediaintotheirprogramming and to engage their audience through feedback mechanisms via Facebook,Twitterortextmessaging.AnexampleofthisistheuseofFrontlineSMSinNigerwhichcollectscommentsonprogrammes,requestsformoreorotherinformationandalertsondevelopmentsthattheradiocantheninturndisseminate.UsingmobileplatformssuchasFrontlineSMS,itisalso possible to integrate SMS campaigns with radio programmes and other communitydevelopmentactivities.Localradiofordevelopmentprojects

’Attheheartofdevelopment,people[needto]haveaccesstocommunicationtoolssothattheycan themselves communicate within their communities and with the people making thedecisionsthataffectthem–forexamplecommunityradioandothercommunitymedia.’3

Witha focus togenerate sustainable changeand realdevelopment results– including theMillenniumDevelopment Goals, development actors have turned to the stories emerging from community radiowithinterestandcuriosity.

Awave of community radio stations have emerged during the past 15-20 years especially inAfricaandAsia.Theseradiostationsareasdifferentasthecommunitiestowhichtheybelong,but they all aim to use their radio as a platform for community debate and dialogue. These“communityradiosfordevelopmentandempowerment”aremeanttoeffectsocialchangeandtomove towards the development vision and dreams of their community. These radios alsoserve their communities by bringing the increasing wealth of information into a locallyunderstood and meaningful context. They also create a sense of belonging by using thecommunities’languageanditsproverbsandtheytransmitandcelebrateitscultureandaddressand resolve issues of local importance. Empowerment grows from being in charge of theprogrammeproductionprocess,wheneditorialgroupsaremadeupofcommunitymembersaswell as the ownership expressed through communitymanagement and leadership aswell asthroughthesenseofownershipofdevoutlistenerswhounderstandtheradiotobetheirs.Community radio has been included in documented recommendations from numerous internationalconferences over the past 10-15 years4. The World Congress on Communication for Development(WCCD) in 2006 was one such forum where decision makers, multi-lateral as well as bilateraldevelopment-oriented organisations and agencies, academia and development practitioners, met tochartthecourseforcommunicationfordevelopment.

Community radio in general and specifically its features suchasdialogue,debate, public engagement,and the right and possibility to participate, were all included in the final recommendations5. Amongother things,communitymedia’s roleasa tool forstrategicandeffectivecommunicationto reachthemillenniumdevelopmentgoalswashighlighted.

3WilsonMandWarnockK2009,Attheheartofchange.PanosLondon,UK.(http://www.panos.org.uk/?lid=248)4BellagioConferenceofbilateralandmultilateralagencies(2004);UNCommunicationRoundtables(2007,2008,2009,2010);WWCD(above);5Thisisinspiredbycoveragein:EMPOWERMENTRADIO–VoicesbuildingaCommunity.ByBirgitteJallov,2012

Weneedcommunityradio!

Recentinternationalfora,whichhavehighlightedtheimportanceofcommunitymedia/radiointheirconcludingstatements,declarationsandrecommendations:¨ IntheWCCDinSeptember2006oneofsevenrecommendationsoftheRomeConsensussaid:’Ensuring

thatpeoplehaveaccesstocommunicationtoolssothattheycanthemselvescommunicatewithintheircommunities andwith peoplemaking the decisions that affect them– for example community radioandcommunitymedia.’6

¨ The10thUNcommunicationroundtablerecommended:’…toadvisetheheadsofrespectiveagencies,programmesandfundstointegrateCommunicationforDevelopmentprinciplesandmethodologiesintoprogrammeandprojectplanning,execution,monitoringandevaluation;’7

¨ The Commission for Africa in 2004 highlighted: ’Broadcasting and other methods of publiccommunicationscanplayamajorroleinpreventingillnessaswellasincreasingdemandforhealthcare,suchasencouragingyoungpeopletoseeksexualandreproductivehealthcare[…]Africangovernmentsshouldenablecommunityinvolvementtoimprovehealthoutcomesaswellasincreaseaccountability.’8

¨ Sida’spolicyon’CultureandMediainDevelopmentCooperation’says: ’Sida’sworkwithcultureandmediaisultimatelyfoundedontherightsofindividuals;therighttofreedomofexpression,therighttoexerciseculturalandcreativeactivities,therighttoaccessinformation,therighttoknowledge,therighttotransformknowledgeintoactionandtherighttofreethemselvesfrompoverty.’9

¨ The World Bank: ’Poor and marginalized people have often been viewed as the target of povertyreductionefforts.CommunityDrivenDevelopment(CDD)approachesturnthisperceptiononitshead,and treat poor people and their institutions as assets and partners in the search for sustainablesolutionstodevelopmentchallenges…CDDprogramsoperateontheprinciplesoflocalempowerment,participatory governance, demand-responsiveness, administrative autonomy, greater downwardaccountability,andenhancedlocalcapacity.’10

Thefollowingcasestudiesareexamplesofthesignificantimpactthatiscontinuallyregisteredinmanypartsoftheworldwherecommunityradio isusedtoworktowardstheachievementofdevelopmentgoals.EspeciallythechangesdocumentedintheexamplesfromDondoandKhounare closely linked to the fact that the stations are run, managed and staffed by the localpopulationandthatthestationsenjoyanenormoussenseof‘communityownership’.Casestudies

Throughdiffusionoftension,radiospromotepeaceinLiberia

Inacountry likeLiberia, theprocessof transition fromviolencetopeacehasbeeneffectivelysupported and furthered through public information, dialogue, community outreach andcapacity building through radio projects and community outreach projects. The radio and aninclusive approach to community problem solving have led to the foundation of theorganisationSearchforCommonGround’s(SFCG)whohasbeenactivelypursuingpeacebuildingwork11foroveradecadeintheregion.Withtenyearsofexperienceutilizingcommunityradioin Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone for the promotion of peace, SFCG believes incommunity radio’s capacity to promote a transparent, accountable, and participatorydevelopmentprocessinthesecountries.6From’TheRomeConsensus’:inthereportonWorldCongressonCommunicationforDevelopment2007,where700politicians,policy-makers,academics,donorsandpractitionersmettodiscusswaysforward.ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/ai143e/ai143e00.pdf7Reportfromthe10thUNcommunicationroundtableheldinAddisAbaba,February2007,UnitedNations2007,pp8-98TheCommissionforAfricaconcludingreport(2004,BritishPrimeMinisterTonyBlair)(p182)9Sida’spreambletoitspolicyon‘CultureandMediainDevelopmentCooperation’,Sida200610TheWorldBank’s‘CommunityDrivenDevelopment’11http://www.amarc.org/documents/rapports/New_Community_Radio_Assessment_FINAL.pdf

Anevaluation report12 documentsexamplesofhowradioplaysanactive role inmaintainingpeace,forexampleinelectionprocesses,andhelpsavoidrisksofslidingbackintoconflict:

In Liberia voter education arounda complicated run-off vote betweennow-PresidentEllen Johnson-Sirleaf andGeorgeWeah reduced tensionsnotably, inways thatmanybelieved warded off potential violence […] Radio’s ability to quickly disseminateelection information is believed to have counter-acted the potential for unfoundedrumourstofuelconflict.

Overall, this study finds thatcommunity radiocontinues toplayastrongrole in localpeacebuilding. Specifically, programming that directly addresses issues related tocommunity inclusiveness and non-violent conflict resolution has meaningful impactacross locations.Radio isalsonotedasanactiveagent indiffusing local conflictandpreventingbackslidingintoviolence.

This study concludes that in addition to explicit peacebuilding programming, radiostations’ promotion of inclusive development processes – such as good governance,effectivecommunication,security,andlocaleconomicgrowth-hasabroadimpactinalsopromotingsustainablepeace.

When lookingatthedocumentationofmediause inLiberiabelow13, thepowerandpotentialimpactofradiostandsout: 94%ofthepopulationinurbanand91%inruralLiberiaareradiousers.Thisisfollowedby62%useofTVinurbanand22%inruralLiberia.NewspaperuseisthesameasTVinruralLiberia,whereas62%haveaccesstotelevisioninurbanareas.

WhenincludingmobilephoneanddisaggregatingdataforurbanandruralaccesstomediaandICTs , radio stands out again with a reach of 98% in urban Liberia and 96% in rural areas,followedcloselyby85%and76%mobilephoneaccessrespectively.Giventhatyounglistenersincreasingly use their mobile phone to listen to the radio rather than participating in thetraditional collective listening to the community transistor radio, these figures are importantsincehalfofLiberia’spopulation,andthusitspotentiallisteners,arebelow15yearsofage.

12Ibid.13http://www.audiencescapes.org/country-profiles-liberia-country-overview-quantitative-survey-qualitative-analysis-research.

ThisdatapresentsthesituationinLiberia,butthegeneralpictureisverysimilarinmanyotherAfricanandAsiancountries.Whenmovingfrom2-300annualcholeradeathsincentralMozambiqueto0,radiorules!

After having had a community-owned and run radio in the district of Dondo in CentralMozambique,animpactassessmentwascarriedout.Themostsignificantchangesdocumented,triangulatedandagreedamongcommunitymembers representeda stunning setofelementsmakingupthebasisforsignificantlyimprovedlivesandlivelihoods.

Standing out beyond and above the rest of the powerful and importantchanges, was the fact that the usual, annual cholera-related deaths thatusuallyoccurredduringtherainyseasonhaddroppedfromasmanyas300tozero.

Whereas health authorities, national and international organisations hadpromoted good hygienic practices during these periods for many years, thechange that had occurred coincidedwith the establishment of a communityradio programme and was managed and run by the people of Dondo. Theprogramme is produced by groups of community broadcasters who are thesisters andmothers and neighbours of the listeners, or the teachers, nursesand friends. By transmitting the information through personal connections, the programmefinallymanagedtogetpeopleinthecommunitytotrustandtofollowthehealthadvicewhichledtothissignificantdeclineinmortality.

Dondo

ThemanagementteamofDondoCRin2003totheleft.TotheRight:CommunityBroadcasteronairinDondo,withthe election period rules on the wall. These rules were a framework developed and agreed voluntarily in theMozambicanCRnetworkforownprotectionandjointapproach.

Figuresofcholera-relatedillnessanddeathwereassessedeveryyear,followingthe‘revelation’in2003,andtheabsenceofdeathscontinued.

CommunityImpactResultsinDondo,Mozambique(2003)

Increaseddebate,empowered&improvedlivelihood v Electricitysupplyv Communitypolicingv Nocholeradeaths(normalaverage160-200peryear)v Improvedpublicservicesinhospitalsandofficesv MoreHIV/AIDStestingv Increasedparticipationinelectionsv Womenmoreheardandseenv Increasedprideinculture&languagev …andalotmore…

Dondoyouthswaitingforalivebroadcastchildren’sprogrammetobeginoutsidetheDondoCommunityRadio.Youngricefarmerturns‘developer’andvillagechiefinLaoPDR

ThefinalexamplefromLaoPDRagaindocumentshowtheemergenceofacommunity-runradiogeneratedsignificantchangeinapoorcommunity14.

14ForthebackgroundtoKhounCommunityRadioforDevelopment,readhere:http://www.communicationforsocialchange.org/photogallery.php?id=363

Thisexamplealso illustrateshowinformationtransmissionthroughfamiliarvoices intheformofcommunityradiocangaingreatertrustthaninformationdisseminatedby“foreign”nationalorinternationalorganisations.Here,theMinistryofHealthandnationalaswellasinternationalorganisationshadtriedtoachieveimprovementsinmaternalhealthandhealthingeneralforalongtime–withlittlesuccess.

Effects were finally documented following the emergence of a community-run radio thatbroadcastshealth informationtothepopulationoftheKhoundistrict intheir local languages,spokenwiththelocaldialects,usingmetaphorsthatarelocallyknownandunderstoodaswellas local proverbs to explain important issues in life. The fact that thiswas done by the localpeoplethemselves,peopletheyknew,nowworkingasvolunteercommunitybroadcasterswasagainthereasontherecommendedactionwasfinallytrustedandadoptedsimilartothestoryfromDondo,Mozambique,above.LocalradiointimesofconflictandcrisisRadio often becomes particularly important in areas of conflict or disaster, especially indeveloping countrieswhere thebreakdownofother communication infrastructuremay leaveradioastheonlyreliableoptionforreceivinginformation.Contentcanthenbeproducedeitherlocallyorcanbetransmittedfromabroad.Anexampleofthis istheSomaliexileradio“RadioERGO” that broadcasts a one-hour programme with humanitarian relief information fromNairobi in Kenya. In this case information is collected within Somalia by stringers and thenbroadcast fromabroad.Thewideravailabilityof transmitters suchasPocketFMcould in thiscasefacilitatelocalbroadcastingwhichismorelikelytopresenttheinformationinappropriatelanguagethatistrustedbythetargetaudience.Localbroadcasting infrastructure isneededbyallpartners involved insecuring informationtopopulationsinsituationsofcrisis,conflictandemergency,whereeithertheusualchannelshavebeen destroyed, seized, or captured by interest groups. Without information about vitalnecessitiessuchaswater,shelterandsecurity,peoplecannotmakeinformeddecisions.Transmitters are theAchilles-heel to community radio inmost developing and crisis realities.The small, portable Pocket FM with its size and limited price fits these realities and offerspossible solutions either by providing information for a designated small group through onetransmitterorbyfacilitatingbroadergrassrootscommunicationthroughafarreachingnetworkof transmitters. This makes Pocket FM a powerful instrument for communication both insituationsofcrisisandpeace.Inaddition,themanytechnicaladvantagesoutlinedinthesectionhereafter,wouldalsoallowthebroadcastertooperatemorediscreetlywhichmayreducesomeimmediateandsecondarydangersforallinvolvedpartiesincludingpartnersinthehumanitariananddevelopmentsector.Unfortunately the areas in the world where this type of communication and information support isneededisrapidlygrowing.Beyond crisis situations, Pocket FM also harbours great potential for further communityempowerment as the transmitter is all that is needed to give an individual with a desire tobroadcastavoice.

ByBirgitteJallovBirgitte Jallov is Director of EMPOWERHOUSE (www.empowerhouse.dk), providing an online meeting ground and capacity building site for community radios. Active in the budding community radio movement in Denmark since 1980, co-founder of Denmark’s first women’s community radio ‘Kvindebølgerne’, and on the team pioneering community TV in Denmark in 1985-1987, Birgitte has ever since worked with community media as community development platforms in many of the more than 60 countries where she has worked. On the steering committee of the first AMARC conference 1983 (coordinating Northern European participation), on the board of WIN Europe during the 90s and managing UNESCO’s to date biggest media development project in Mozambique, Birgitte has an extensive international community media network upon which her most recent book builds: ‘EMPOWERMENT RADIO – Voices building a community’ (http://empowerhouse.dk/new-book-empowerment-radio/) builds. Birgitte is on the board of the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE – www.cmfe.eu )