"Despite the assertion that radio is a dying medium due to technological advances, community radio has proven its resilience and relevance as an essential tool for development communication. Launched in 2020, the community FM radio in New Corella, Davao del Norte, has been instrumental in reaching t
...
housands of households with news, entertainment, and developmental initiatives. This program promotes an inclusive, consultative, and participatory approach to local development. Hence, this study investigated the extent of listeners' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding the development programs and examined the influence of demographic factors on these aspects through a descriptive correlational survey. The 252 listeners were surveyed, and the study found significant associations between their educational attainment, employment status, and ethnicity to their knowledge, attitudes, and practices. These findings underscore the importance of considering demographic variables in enhancing community engagement and the effectiveness of community radio initiatives. Strategies were also proposed to improve development programs based on the data findings such as developing inclusive and creative program content for all ages, ethnicities and genders, and producing radio-based education programs." (Abstract)
more
"Community radio has gained traction with the grassroots in South Africa, especially subaltern groups excluded from the public sphere during the colonial and apartheid years. This paper argues that rural audience acceptance of and participation in community radio is closely associated with indigenou
...
s language, which invokes cultural affinity. The paper used a qualitative methodology within the framework of the theories of cultural affinity to interrogate community radio listeners in Northwest Province, South Africa, looking at how local languages might influence listeners’ preferences and interactions with the stations. The results suggest language was essential for listening in and participating in community radio programmes among those interviewed. Community radio provides listeners with the outlet, social and linguistic resources to evoke and express their cultural heritage and participate in national dialogues. It also offers subordinated communities the opportunity to deconstruct dominant frames of reference and representations of themselves and others." (Abstract)
more
"While community media audiences and broadcasters have themselves been the subject of research, how a sense of community identity is created through content production is less understood. This article details a critical discourse analysis of programming from ten different community radio stations wi
...
thin the same geographic location. The findings of this research reveal the very different approaches that stations take to developing a mediatized community identity. Several stations approach identity expression by engaging in overt performances of ‘localness’, while the growing influence of commercialization was also observed among many stations. What this research highlights is that the performance of community identity on community radio is integral in shaping the listening communities, as well as delineating community radio from its commercial and state-run counterparts." (Abstract)
more
"This paper examines the motivation of audiences to participate in the programming of community radio; the readiness of community radio stations’ management and their audiences to embrace mobile applications; whether Rwanda is a conducive environment for the deployment of mobile applications in co
...
mmunity radio; and finally issues of affordability and availability of the internet. The study is qualitative and draws on interviews with community radio audiences as well as unstructured in-depth interviews with local technology experts and community radio representatives. Uses and gratification and diffusion of innovation theories guided the analysis. The study found that the pursuit of recognition within their communities is the main motivator for audiences to participate in community radio programming. The management and audiences of the four community radio stations who participated in this study understand the importance of mobile technologies for community engagement and are interested in adopting them. Rwanda is a conducive environment for the deployment of mobile apps in the community radio sector. Audiences can afford to use these services at least once a week, despite ongoing issues of unreliability of the internet. Further studies may investigate issues of adoption and affordability by the wider community as this paper focused on highly engaged community radio audiences." (Abstract)
more
"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
...
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)
more
"Overall, three quarters (72%) of Australians aged 15 years and over are aware of community radio. Since 2012, this survey has also asked survey respondents which individual community radio stations they had heard of, providing the ability to verify the stated awareness with specific station example
...
s. This secondary measurement provides closely matching results of 70%. Over a quarter (28%) of Australians aged 15 years and over, or 5,299,000 people, listen to community radio in a typical week. Overall, 83% of Australians aged 15 years and over listen to some radio in the course of a typical week. The number of Australians aged 15 years and over listening to community radio in an average week has risen from 3,767,000 in 2004 to 5,299,000 in 2016, with some statistically insignificant fluctuations from year-to-year. Of community radio listeners surveyed, 15% listen to community radio exclusively. Amongst the broader Australian population aged 15 years and over, 4% (or 811,000 people) are exclusive listeners to community radio in an average week." (Executive summary)
more
"Community broadcasting is known as the third tier of broadcasting, occupying the space between commercial and state broadcasters. In Kenya, this sector has been active only since 2004. Despite its recognised value in other contexts across the globe, community broadcasting is still struggling to fin
...
d footing in the Kenyan media landscape, and there is a paucity of research on how this sector actually operates – its structures, content and audiences. This work therefore explores the roles and relevance of community radio in the vibrant Kenyan media landscape. Using a complementary mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, three community radio stations with different social contexts, funding and management structures were investigated. The research focused on the ideas and actors behind community radio, its funding and management structures, content, content production processes, listenership patterns and participation practices. Brought to light was that this sector navigates legislation and funding challenges, and juggles between global and local ideals about community broadcasting, most distinct of which are democracy and development. The local, the national and the global inform the ideas under which Kenyan community broadcasting operates, and these ideas are interpreted differently in each context. Communities interact with each of the stations based on their particular local contexts. Not only do they listen to community broadcasters according to specific daily rhythms, but they also mobilise themselves into social formations – most often fan groups and clubs – as a way of collective participation in the life of the station. Contrary to much radio audience research, this work shows that listenership is a distinct activity and participation in and through the media is not only an individual endeavour, but a collective undertaking drawing on pre-existent social solidarities. Community radio content addresses its listeners as different kinds of communities and publics at specific times of the day, and they respond accordingly. As well, there is content transformation across diverse media platforms, which may be a step towards new genres. Despite working within different and hybrid journalistic cultures, the producers play similar roles to their communities across the three contexts including mediation, mobilisation, space-creation, information and entertainment. Of these roles, mobilisation is a strength of community radio. The research reveals the intertwined nature of state, media and audience relationships, and argues for the fact that there are no homogenous audiences even at a micro-level, and that the affective and democratic functions of media participation are intricately linked to each other." (Abstract)
more
"Most alternative media research has examined media content and the production process, largely ignoring another important component: the audiences of alternative media. To narrow this gap, this study investigates audience participation in one alternative media outlet: community radio. Case studies
...
were conducted on 2U.S. community radio stations through participatory ethnography, in-depth interviews, and a listener survey. Results suggest that community radio continues to be relevant in this digital era. While people lose faith in mainstreammedia and become increasingly suspicious of online content, they still consider community radio the most trustworthy. The study also demonstrates the limitations of audience participation in community radio, and the difficulties this medium faces in adopting new technologies and adapting to this digital world." (Abstract)
more
"The Prove It toolkit is a resource for community radio stations to enable them to conduct their own audience research. It provides stations with the information and expertise to both measure their audience listener figures and assess the impact that they are having on their community of listeners."
...
(Page 4)
more
"This article draws on the first extensive study of community radio audiences in the Middle East to contribute new insights about documenting the impacts of community radio, and the evaluative mechanisms that should be in place for non-profit, community media to better fulfill their mission to serve
...
the community. Building on critical ethnographic audience research, I argue for a storytelling approach that facilitates personal narratives and cooperative focus groups among community radio audiences." (Summary)
more
"The thesis investigates community radio as a tool for development drawing on case studies of Nkhotakota and Mzimba community radio stations in Malawi. The thesis employs communication for development and ‘another’ development theories to help understand the role of community radio in developmen
...
t. The research aims are firstly, to investigate the extent and ways in which community radio is used as a tool for development through audience participation; and secondly to examine the extent to which communication for development in community radio in Malawi takes the form of participatory communication. Using the case study approach (Yin, 2009), the thesis specifically examines the functions of participation in development through community radio; whether community radio can encourage development through enhancing capabilities and participation even when people do not own and manage the stations; how radio listening Clubs (RLCs) help to expand people’s capabilities; and how the programming of community radio in Malawi is influenced by the agendas of development agencies. Arnstein’s (1969) ladder of participation and Carpentier’s (2011) minimalist and maximalist versions of participation are adopted as criteria for evaluating the different levels of participation in and through community radio." (Abstract)
more
"This paper will use the example of the approach taken by UK Community Radio station, 'Future Radio' to obtain both quantitative data primarily through street surveys and qualitative data through on-line questionnaires, exploring why the station felt such research to be both necessary and beneficial
...
. Showing how reasonably accurate data can be obtained on a cost-effective basis, issues of accuracy and practical difficulties will also be explored. Finally, the paper will examine some of the opportunities and challenges raised by the changing nature of radio listening and interaction brought about by new methods of consumption such as Internet streaming and mobile 'smart-phone' applications." (Abstract)
more
"Analiza el diseño, los métodos de investigación aplicados y la relevancia práctica de 23 encuestas de audiencia y estudios de evaluación realizados por la ALER entre 1981 y 2008." (commbox)
"The project [...] was implemented in Kenya by the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) from September 2008 to January 2011 [...] The project’s overarching goal is to promote women’s human rights by raising awareness in six communities in Kenya and strengthening social action using commun
...
ity radio listening groups consisting of women, young people and media practitioners to enable them to identify human rights violations and gender inequality, voice their concerns and insist on stronger protection for human rights and hold the government accountable." (Introduction)
more
"For community radio stations, one important gauge of relevance is the Popularity of their programming outputs, as without evidence of this it is difficult to justify providing access to scarce broadcast frequency resources. In part, the popularity ofprogramming outputs can be assessed through varia
...
nts of the type ofquantitative research carried out for larger stations by the Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR). However because such research ‘does not produce listening figures for a particular Programme on a particular day‘ (Lister et al 2010: 67) it cannot provide detailed qualitative data concerning how satisfied individuals are with the speciflc content of Particular programming. More broadly, its generic audience sample is not best suited to surveying niche listening, such as, for example, to minority language outputs. With the above in mind, how might individual community radio stations approach the issue of audience research so that they can obtain cost-effective and reasonably reliable data suitable for their needs? The following case study examines the approach taken by one particular community radio station serving a ‘community of place' that is the city of Norwich in the east of England." (Page 349)
more
"In Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the rate at which listeners’ clubs are being formed and the fact that the approach is now being reproduced in various settings are indications of the success of this strategy and the extent to which it is proving sustainable. In South Kivu, for
...
example, a new formula has been tested with excellent results: the introduction of Farmer Field and Life Schools has been supported by existing community listeners’ clubs. In addition, a process for evaluating the impact of the clubs has revealed an unexpected but promising factor: the improved capacity of club members to engage in more formal rural structures. In this sense, the clubs are paving the way for greater participation of women in producers’ organizations and rural cooperatives. The success of the clubs has led to the setting up of new projects in Burundi, Senegal, Mauritania and the DRC (Oriental Province). At the request of various organizations and agencies, FAO-Dimitra is helping to implement these projects based on gender sensitive participatory methodologies that are flexible and well adapted, with a goal that remains unchanged: the empowerment of men and women in a rural environment." (Editorial, page 2)
more
"Cette publication fait le récit de l’expérience unique des clubs d’écoute communautaires mis en place au Niger et en République démocratique du Congo par la FAO-Dimitra et ses partenaires. Mécanismes d’information et de communication centrés sur l’action, ces clubs ont remporté un s
...
uccès tel que Dimitra a souhaité partager l’expérience. Le premier chapitre présente de façon succincte les clubs d’écoute communautaires, leur finalité, leur fonctionnement interne et les résultats obtenus. Le deuxième chapitre inscrit son récit au plus proche des initiatives des communautés, en donnant la parole aux protagonistes et en racontant la création des clubs d’écoute dans les deux pays. Le troisième chapitre fournit des orientations plus pratiques sur les étapes de création des clubs d’écoute communautaires." (Dos de couverture)
more
"This publication is particularly relevant for radio stations intending to establish listeners' clubs. It presents the experience of community listeners' clubs established in the mid-2000s in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger by the FAO and its partners, and the results that these initiativ
...
es produced. It shows that listeners' clubs proved to be an effective means for isolated rural communities to access information and engage in participatory communication. The clubs especially enabled women to assume a pro-active role in the development of their community and to receive recognition for doing so. The last chapter of the publication presents guidelines for creating and maintaining community listeners' clubs, and the main success factors to be considered." (CAMECO Update 1-2012)
more