"Community radio’s relationship with the farming communities has a long history in India. The earliest successful experiments in community broadcasting involved both farmers and agriculture. In terms of development communication, community radio in India represents a confluence of somewhat conflic
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ting paradigms. While community radio is generally presented as a highly democratic, participatory medium, the way it is operationalized in India more closely aligns with the modernization/diffusion paradigm. In 1976, Joseph Ascroft observed the phenomenon of ‘interpersonal diffusion’ among farmers, whereby for each farmer trained in new techniques, three more would adopt the innovations. While this ‘interpersonal diffusion’ was by no means perfect, it was illustrative of the complex communication networks involved in the diffusion process. It also hints towards the ways in which community radio can act as a facilitator of these processes; as somewhat of an intersection between diffusion and participatory communication. Drawing on ethnographically inspired qualitative research conducted at a rural community radio station in South India, this article explores the role of community radio at the intersections of participatory development and diffusion. This article argues that community radio facilitates the sharing of technical information and innovations among farmers and contributes to amplifying existing knowledge communication systems. The implications of this article suggest that a focus on existing local knowledge communication and transfer systems could contribute to achieving broader development outcomes and further situating the role of community radio within development and social change initiatives." (Abstract)
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"[Esta guía] es el resultado de la realización del Diplomado en Periodismo Comunitario llevado a cabo con comunicadoras y comunicadores populares de la Región Altos y Selva de Chiapas en el 2018, como parte de la labor que como Red de Comunicadores Boca de Polen realizamos desde el campo del peri
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odismo y comunicación comunitaria en México." (Capa psoterior)
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"Sustainable development is a big challenge for developing countries, due to lack of effective communication about sustainability to the rural population. This paper aims at building a theoretically and statistically sound model to communicate sustainability more effectively in rural areas in order
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to achieve sustainable development. To this end, the constructs and items of the hypothesised model are identified, based on a focus group discussion and backed by the literature reviewed. Both partial least squares and covariance-based structural equation modelling approaches were used to test the hypotheses and validate the model against multiple indices after analysing survey data collected from 300 community radio listeners in Bangladesh. It was found that the unique media characteristics of community radio positively increased the acceptability of sustainability communications, which in turn affects the behavioural determinants (popular theory: attitudes, self-efficacy belief and social norms) and changed the intention to adopt sustainable behaviour. Example cases from around the world also support the statistically sound model." (Abstract)
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"This article discusses some structural elements affecting spaces for social interaction within community radio processes, such as spaces for participatory planning and interpersonal communication that could be considered as a crucial contribution to the construction of peace in Colombia. Methodolog
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y: The study used two ethnographic vignettes to investigate these spaces: (i) the “Programming Boards” of community radio stations in the Caribbean, and (ii) the “Local Thematic Committees” of community radio stations in northeast Antioquia. Literature on participatory intensities frame this research providing a historical and critical perspective of community communication for peace. Discussion and conclusions: We concluded that it is necessary to strengthen participatory planning with a political emphasis and that interpersonal communication should form the basis of a radio designed to call and engage civil society to meet, share, and dialogue towards the collective construction of peace." (Abstract)
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"In India, the campaign to legitimise community radio began in mid-1990s, soon after the Supreme Court of India ruled in its judgment of February 1995 that “airwaves are public property. Though the approval for setting up of Community radio stations in India was granted in 2002, it is yet to devel
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op in the valley of Kashmir. Till now, the valley has not established any community radio station, but the first effort to use radio for the development of the community was made in 2009 when Panos South Asia, in collaboration with the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), a rural University in Awantipora (Kashmir) started a community radio program in the Awantipora community. The program named “Pesh Kadam” meaning “Step Forward” started in 2009 and completed 350 episodes in 2018. This paper is aimed to study the reasons for absence of community radio stations in Kashmir. It also documents the efforts made to bring this medium to Kashmir and understand the evolution and challenges of first ever community radio program in Kashmir, study its content, analyse its popularity and efficacy. Both qualitative and quantitative research techniques are deployed in this study." (Abstract)
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"Du 21 au 23 novembre 2018, huit chargés de communication d’Afrique francophone du Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) dont le mandat est de venir en aide aux populations affectées par les conflits armés, se sont réunis à Dakar pour échanger leurs expériences d’utilisation de l
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a radio comme outil de communication humanitaire, apprendre à évaluer l’impact de leurs programmes avec l’aide d’Adrien Zerbini, formateur de la Fondation Hirondelle. Organisation suisse à but non-lucratif, la Fondation Hirondelle fournit de l’information à des populations confrontées à des crises, pour leur permettre d’agir dans leur vie quotidienne et citoyenne. En décembre 2017, le CICR et la Fondation Hirondelle ont signé un accord de partenariat (MOU) pour favoriser les collaborations entre leurs équipes sur le terrain. Cet atelier fut l’un des fruits de cet accord de partenariat. A son issue, nous voulons garder une trace écrite des bonnes pratiques en la matière et vous proposer deux parties simples, didactiques, dont le but est d’être facilement utilisables: les «dix règles d’or pour une bonne production radio» et le «choix de la bonne production radiophonique et son évaluation»." (Introduction)
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"This article adopts the case study research approach through the use of document analysis and interviews to investigate the role of two community radio stations in selected areas of the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa with regard to rural development and the dissemination of information to w
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omen listeners. It also suggests ways by which these radios may be used to enhance access to information by rural women in South Africa. The findings reveal that although community radio stations are recognised as support systems for information dissemination in rural communities, their role in information dissemination and the community development of women has not been fully explored. This article suggests ways in which the services of community radios may be enhanced by the provision of information to women for rural development." (Abstract)
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"La participación como una condición para el desarrollo es uno de los aprendizajes que deja este proyecto. Acción Cultural Popular reforzó la necesidad de trabajar colectivamente y de participar en lo relacionado con su entorno. Un nuevo esquema de relaciones para el futuro planteó ACPO con su
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trabajo. Con la organización de los campesinos se reconfiguraban los mapas de poder en las diferentes regiones del país. Pertenecer y hacer parte de las Escuelas Radiofónicas era pertenecer a un grupo que tomaba decisiones frente a su desarrollo. La combinación o relación de los medios de comunicación interpersonal y de los medios masivos de comunicación con todo su poder, enlazó al campesino, al Estado y a la Iglesia en una red que impulsó nuevas formas de ciudadanía y motivó la participación. La creación de Radio Sutatenza y Acción Cultural fue una apuesta política, social y comunicativa con el objetivo de sacar al campesinado de la marginalidad y ubicarlo en un mundo moderno, pero con mejores condiciones para vivir dignamente. Una de esas apuestas tuvo que ver con el trabajo desarrollado durante varios años a favor de una reforma agraria que beneficiara al campesino. Este trabajo mostró cómo los medios de comunicación, la organización de ACPO y el funcionamiento de varias organizaciones campesinas, creadas para buscar el mejoramiento de las condiciones de vida de esta población se unieron en una causa común y lograron ejecutar acciones conjuntas. Por último, uno de los aportes más importantes que dejó el proyecto de Acción Cultural Popular fue sin duda el de establecer unos fundamentos teóricos y metodologías de trabajo con la activa utilización de los medios de comunicación. ACPO, como pionera de la radio educativa, dejó una huella profunda. Su experiencia fue llevada a varios países para ser implementada como un modelo para el desarrollo de los pueblos, especialmente latinoamericanos. A partir de Radio Sutatenza han crecido muchas emisoras que utilizaron diversas estrategias, no solo para llevar algún tipo de formación académica a las comunidades sino para generar procesos colectivos." (Cnclusiones, página 118)
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"This article examines the current environment of audio transmission services in the UK with particular regard to the community radio sector. Community radio stations in the UK are having to consider the extent to which their audiences choose to listen on an FM analogue signal and whether this is su
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stainable for them. The number of new platforms that a listener is using to access audio programming now includes DAB, SSDAB, TV carriers and online services. There are also developments to the actual receivers that may be used, in particular the use of smartphones to listen via online Wi-Fi or 4G. Currently there are no plans for an FM turn off in the UK and a hybrid system of transmission and reception is the most likely outcome for the foreseeable future. The consequences of this environment for the broadcasters, the listeners and the audio content are discussed in turn. A sample group of twelve community radio stations have been studied to assess current practices. This group are the remaining stations from the original Access Pilot community radio stations that went on air in 2002 and so are the oldest and most established of the UK stations. This article provides baseline definitions where relevant and uses recent data from national audience research, regulatory and other bodies to assess what people are listening to and how, along with examples from public service and commercial radio, as well as community radio." (Abstract)
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"Nos encontramos ante un hecho incuestionable: desde hace décadas el proceso de concentración mediática es la norma en los estados contemporáneos y el poder político se ve supeditado a las líneas editoriales de los oligopolios mediáticos que tratan de conducir y representar a la opinión púb
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lica desde la opinión publicada. Así, las corporaciones de medios se han convertido en armas de propaganda de un modelo que se resiste al cambio y son el sustento del imaginario imperante en torno a la felicidad proporcionada por el consumo. La ausencia de regulaciones efectivas y la concentración mediática rompe el equilibrio de poderes que define a los sistemas democráticos. Transparencia mediática, oligopolios y democracia ¿Quién nos cuenta el cuento? pretende desvelar esta situación mediante la aplicación del Indicador de Rentabilidad Social en Comunicación (IRSCOM®) desarrollado por Laboratorio de Comunicación y Cultura (COMAndalucía) de la Universidad de Málaga, una herramienta que busca hacer transparente el comportamiento de los medios y permitir la introducción de mejoras mediante el reflejo de sus fortalezas y debilidades, posibilitando asimismo la implementación de políticas públicas eficaces en pos de la transparencia mediática y la rentabilidad social de la Comunicación. La obra acomete en una primera parte el estudio de la situación del mercado de medios radifónicos y de televisión en España y, en una segunda parte, el diagnóstico de situación en buen número de países latinoamericanos y de la Europa mediterránea que permitan la aplicación de este indicador en sus respectivos países. «Relevar los déficits democráticos, resaltar sus fallos normativos y de control, es ya iniciar el camino para la fijación de unas alternativas democráticas en políticas públicas de comunicación." (Prólogo de Enrique Bustamante)
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"This NAB guide is [...] aimed at assisting community radio as well as industry stakeholders to unpack current and future challenges facing the sector. These include issues such as digital disruption, technology convergence and the impact of new content platforms. The guide also provides an overview
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of broadcasting policy and legislative matters, and a list of useful links to resources and research papers. It includes recently developed tools by media monitoring practitioners on fake news and social media.
The first section looks back to the evolution and growth of community radio in South Africa. It briefly explores the radio ecosystem and community radio’s unique mandate, with an emphasis on advancing the goals of the South African Constitution – including freedom of expression, access to information, transparency and accountability. It outlines key regulatory frameworks governing the sector and reflects on a few persistent challenges. The second section provides an overview of the current legislative framework and highlights policy developments. The third section looks to the future – to the possibilities and challenges brought about by advances in new technologies and content platforms. The last section provides a resource list so that practitioners can widen their learning and research, as well as to start curating and archiving the wealth of written materials generated on the community sector – both locally and internationally. It contains a list of useful website and training institutions. The
icon in the text points readers to readings of specific relevance to that section.
The guide is essentially aimed at enabling the user to prepare a “future-proof” strategy for continued relevance, sustainability and viability. It could also serve as a framework on which to build, as we’ve reached 25 years of community radio in South Africa." (Pages 1-2)
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"International Media Support (IMS) carried out two initial assessment missions in Ethiopia in June and August 2018, and the community radio sector was identified as an area of possible cooperation and support. In order to follow up on this finding, an IMS team consisting of Mr. Tewodros Negash and M
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r. Per Oesterlund was assigned to carry out an assessment of the community radio sector in Ethiopia. This report synthesises findings from desk research and field-work conducted by IMS. The first phase of the assessment analysed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the community radio sector based on literature reviews, discussions and interviews held with relevant actors such as government regulatory authorities, radio station managers, journalists and listeners. Subsequently, visits to selected community radio stations in rural areas and urban centres outside Addis Ababa were undertaken." (Introduction)
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"Community radio represents an opportunity for audiences to play a lead role in the production, dissemination and ownership of media channels and content. The active participation of audiences is one of the primary differences between community radio stations and their commercial and state-run count
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erparts. The role of participation though is complicated in environments where community radio acts as an instrument for development, as is the case in India where community radio licenses are held by either educational establishments or non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Discussions around defining, encouraging and evaluating participation are extensive, yet little has been written about what defines meaningful participation from the perspective of community members. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in India, this article explores what makes participation meaningful and who is able to engage in this meaningful participation with community radio stations. Applying this perspective to community radio, encourages a more qualitative, holistic view of the benefits and outcomes of those who participate. Considering meaningful rather than maximalist or minimalist allows space to explore the impacts of participation in environments where it may be limited or restricted by structural factors. Engaged, invested audiences who regularly and meaningfully participate in their stations can help ensure that community radio remains a collaborative and powerful force within the global media landscape." (Abstract)
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"This paper examined listeners’ perceptions of Forte FM’s role in facilitating community development in Alice, which is a small rural town under Raymond Mhlaba Municipality, South Africa. Forte FM is a community radio station located at University of Fort Hare, Alice campus, established to facil
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itate development in communities within the Amathole District Municipality. The paper adopted a qualitative design in which qualitative questionnaires with open-ended questions were used to collect primary data. The findings revealed that listeners view Forte FM as a community station that facilitates development in Alice in various ways, including providing the community with agricultural information, promoting local culture and local artists as well as creating health awareness among others. The paper further revealed that listeners feel a sense of community ownership towards the radio station and this means that the community is involved in their own development." (Abstract)
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"Cameroon is battled by several conflicts, so sensitive reporting is important to avoid escalation and foster peace. The Presbyterian Church has set up a network of community media outlets with this end, supported by Germany’s Civil Peace Service. Present results are promising." (Introduction)
"Identification of specific contributions made by community radio for translating the rhetoric of participation and empowerment into practice requires more attention. There is also a need to conduct more theoretical and empirical studies on “women and community radio.” The study attempts to fulf
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ill these needs to an extent, and offers a fresh perspective to look at the ways community radio can be evaluated. Women’s narratives about the influence on health aspects by Henvalvani Community Radio situated in Chamba, a region of India, provided the necessary data and helped in finding the role of such participatory technologies in affecting the agency of the women. Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action and Kleine’s Choice Framework guided the analysis. Empowerment through Communication (ETC) framework is proposed to provide a new perspective for comprehending the impact made by a community radio in influencing health seeking behavior of women. The study establishes Henvalvani Community Radio as a feminist public sphere helpful in altering the socio-cultural praxis of health communication." (Abstract)
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