"In 2006 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST), funded by the UK Department for International Development, conducted research into media in 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa in order to identify priorities for future media development initiatives. A series of African Media Development Initiativ
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e (AMDI) reports were produced, and this Media Sector Analysis builds on the Somalia component of that work. This analysis has been produced in consultation with media stakeholders and is grounded in a review of previously published material. The report is just one component of a larger media development project being delivered by the BBC WST entitled ‘Strengthening Radio Stations in Somalia to Promote Human Rights, Peace and Governance’ - a two-year project which aims to enhance the reach, levels of audience participation and professional capacity of Somali media. The media, and specifically, radio, is seen as a key local institution well placed to promote individual human and civil rights, freedom of expression and democratic dialogue. The project is informed by a rights perspective, ensuring that actions separately and collectively empower marginalised citizens, in particular, women and young people, to engage in direct dialogue with local authorities and thus have improved access to their civil and political rights. The project comprises two other strands in addition to the Media Sector Analysis: Capacity-building in six Somali radio stations [...]; media-related training for civil society rganisations [...] this report will inform the above project strands, as well as providing a basis for the development of media policy in the Somali region." (Foreword)
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"This book provides a clear and authoritative introduction to the emerging Arab media industries in the context of globalization and its impacts, with a focus on publishing, press, broadcasting, cinema and new media. Through detailed discussions of the regulation and economics of these industries, t
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he authors argue that the political, technological and cultural changes on the global media scene have resulted in the reorganization of the Arab media field. They provide striking examples of this through the particular effects on media policies, media technology and the content and genres developed for the new generation of media consumers. As part of the book's overview of the contemporary characteristics of Arab media, the authors outline the development of the role of modern Arab media from a tool of mobilizing the public to a tool of commercial and symbolic profit. Overall, the volume illustrates how the Arab region represents a unique case where the commercialization and liberalization of selected media industries has gone hand in hand with continuous state intervention and an increasing self censorship." (Publisher description)
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"Este texto está dividido en seis capítulos que indagan, en el tiempo, los campos culturales de los diarios y revistas, los libros, los discos, las películas, la radio y la televisión. Es una obra colectiva que incluye investigaciones, estadísticas y cartografías generadas por el Sistema de In
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formación Cultural de la Argentina (SInCA). Además, los escritos centrales que abordan cada industria cultural están acompañados de opiniones de 18 especialistas." (SInCA website)
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"A description of the radio landscape in Liberia, and recommendations for the IREX Civil Society and Media Leadership Program." (commbox)
"With the rise of Spanish language media around the world, The Handbook of Spanish Language Media provides an overview of the field and its emerging issues. This Handbook will serve as the definitive source for scholars interested in this emerging field of study; not only to provide background knowl
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edge of the various issues and topics relevant to Spanish language media, but also to establish directions for future research in this rapidly growing area. This volume draws on the expertise of authors and collaborators across the globe." (Publisher description)
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"The development of media in post-Taliban Afghanistan has been relatively successful (compared with both the Taliban regime and other countries subject to international intervention) in establishing free and responsible expression despite the lack of electricity, harsh terrain, absence of viable med
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ia outlets during the Taliban regime, and a conservative religious society that subordinates women. However, Afghanistan’s media development remains incomplete. Since it still faces many challenges, the international community must continue to assist and support it. Three main processes contributed to Afghanistan’s initial media success: the proliferation of local media, especially radio; the government’s increased capacity to communicate; and international media that filled gaps that otherwise might have become problematic. This three-pronged approach in Afghanistan may provide useful lessons for other societies emerging from conflict." (Summary)
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"The objective of this study is to assess HIV and AIDS Radio campaign messages in southern Africa and the impact they have on their target audiences. The countries involved in the study are Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The intention is to document the assessment and share detailed
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tips on how to carry out an effective HIV/AIDS Radio campaign, and to advise respective media users on the most effective way of presenting HIV and AIDS information on radio. The study has been conducted in such a way that it can capture the impact of HIV and AIDS radio campaign messages on people living with HIV and AIDS - the most affected - as well as the general population. This particular report however, pertains only to Zambia and shows how the radio as a source of information is being utilised for the dissemination of HIV and AIDS messages." (Purpose of study, page 1)
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"Radio seems to have proven itself as a developmental tool, particularly with the rise of community and local radios, which have facilitated a far more participatory and horizontal type of communication than was possible with the older, centralised broadcasting model of the 1960s and 70s. There seem
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s also to have been a re-discovery of radio in the context of new ICTs, a realisation that technology has made radio into a more two-way medium and that it can help bridge the digital divide by providing a powerful tool for information dissemination and access, especially for hard-to-reach rural audiences [...] Whilst there are some proven successes in terms of radio's development impact to date, there are still some question-marks over radio's impact. This report identifies and discusses the issues of gender and minority access and inclusion in radio broadcasting; the issue of inciting violence and radio's 'double-edged' nature in vulnerable societies; the whole question of sustainability and whether or not developmental - and/or 'public-service' - radio is a viable concern from an economic standpoint. Underlying all these questions remains the challenge of how precisely to measure the impact of radio; finding appropriate methodological tools and forums to do so; and the problem of defining and researching behaviour change." (Executive summary)
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