"The changes are mostly of a quantitative nature: proliferation of newspaper publications, an increase in the number of frequencies attributed to radio stations (commercial and community stations). Greater superficiality in the editorial lines of most newspaper publications has also been noted. The
...
key projects examined included those run by: Panos Institute West Africa ALTERCOM; the Media Centre of Dakar; Génération TV and SYNPICS. Funding is one of the main weaknesses of the media sector of Senegal. The press support fund is very low. Funding of media activities is handled mostly by a few foundations, such as the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and a few NGOs, such as OSIWA. Evaluation of media activities is a real problem in Senegal. The culture of evaluation is obviously missing in the endeavours of most of the organisations approached in this research. Actors are conscious of the problem and are developing initiatives to solve it. There are few exceptions to this rule, especially for those who believe that there is no progress without evaluation. Beyond financing matters, the success or lack of success of media development activities can be explained by state obstacles to the development of the media, training, professionalism and self-regulation, decriminalising press offences, media evaluation, and the involvement local of groups in community radio." (Summary & conclusions, page 68)
more
"The past five years have seen a mushrooming of media development organisations and media outlets. The period has also seen greater and better-coordinated civic activism in support of media development. There has generally been a diversity of media content, reflecting the plurality of media outlets.
...
There has been more legislative and policy change, although, in some cases, the state has proved to be a stumbling block in the implementation of the laws. There is evidence of a diversity of media development initiatives in Zambia – some of these are originated and financially supported by the media themselves while others are a partnership between media support organisations and donors. There is a need for the involvement of multiple actors in any media development initiative, as evidenced in the success of a multi-stakeholder campaign for legislative reforms and the withdrawal of VAT on newspapers and magazines. Media development activities need to have an inbuilt sustainability plan in order to have a lasting impact. Donor support needs to have less conditionality and promote the recipient’s independence and innovativeness." (Summary & conclusions, page 66)
more
"There are a number of media players in Zimbabwe, in the private and state media, NGOs and training institutions, who have a keen interest in the development of the media in Zimbabwe. The majority of interviewees see the enactment of Zimbabwe’s media laws as the key change that has taken place ove
...
r the past five years, although opinion differs as to whether these laws are progressive or not. While the government sees media laws as progressive, NGOs and the private media argue that these laws have diminished the democratic space through the closure of newspapers and the intimidation and arrest of media workers. Organisations in Zimbabwe have had to change strategy in line with the changing political and economic environment. The impact of media development initiatives varies, depending on the organisation or sector in question. In terms of the transformation of the state media (in particular the public broadcaster), minimal impact has been recorded." (Summary & conclusions, page 71)
more
"There have been significant changes in the Botswanan media in the past five years. Some of the changes noted include the recent proliferation of newspapers and the partial freeing of the airwaves by the Botswanan government, which has led to the setting up of two new commercial radio stations. Ther
...
e has been some improvement in the content and quality of reportage in various media. There have been changes in the legislative and regulatory framework prevailing in the country. More training opportunities have opened up and there is now professional development of journalists – especially following the establishment of the first and only journalism school in the form of the Media Studies Department in the Humanities Faculty of the University of Botswana. Before this, most journalists in Botswana were trained abroad, mainly in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, South Africa and various other African countries. Several NGOs in the country are also now involved in the mentoring and training of journalists and media workers at various levels. There have been developments in self-regulation, the establishment of media pressure groups, and a commitment to professionalism in the media – particularly with the establishment of the Press Council of Botswana, the Media Advisory Council and the Botswana Editors’ Forum." (Summary & conclusions, page 66)
more
"The following changes have taken place over the past five years: media laws have been enacted; a legal framework is in place with the Press Law and Broadcast Law, and the creation of a favourable environment for media development; the Ethiopian Broadcast Authority has been established to issue lice
...
nces for private broadcasters (though not enough); expansion of both state and private media – especially the increase in the number of papers, the opening of regional radio and community radio (though insignificant in number); expanded coverage of state media and an increase in the number of languages used; schools of journalism have opened in different universities; training institutes have been forced to upgrade their programmes, revise their syllabuses, and upgrade the quality of their teaching staff; some media institutions have begun to consider quality and diversity of content." (Summary & conclusions, page 69)
more
"Nine of the 15 interviewees said the most important change in the media sector in the last five years has been the mix of deregulation/liberalisation/privatisation. Four interviewees said the newly democratic environment has been the key change. All interviewees agreed that media development in the
...
past five years has had significant impact on their own area of work [...] Four key political and economic factors were identified as allowing for successful media development in Nigeria: the return to democracy; Nigerians’ desire for information; a better business environment; and, computer/Internet usage. In terms of the role of the state in media development, most felt the state cannot be relied upon to help all media, and will tend to support state-owned media. The donor community was applauded for its good work, but was urged to involve local people more, and to avoid imposing agendas." (Summary & conclusions, page 66-67)
more
"On the whole, interviewees report both a positive quantitative and qualitative change in terms of the number and content of media messages. Liberalisation and more stable political climate has facilitated the opening up of the telecommunications sector, and has led to a diversification of the media
...
industry. Community radio has proliferated and has brought many benefits, particularly in terms of enhancing participation and information provision to those living in remote areas. The establishment of a Press Congress and the High Authority for Media has created a more favourable environment for the media to development. The advent of national and international NGOs that promote peace, and defend freedom of information and of the press, has been important in supporting journalists who suffer repression. There has been a substantial increase in the number of further education institutions and courses that offer training in journalism and communication sciences. According to one interviewee, expanding digital telecommunications networks offer the greatest potential to improve communication and information provision across the country." (Summary & conclusions, page 73
more
"This research initiative assessed the key media changes and developments in seventeen African countries over the past five years and aimed at recommending intervention strategies for strengthening an independent, professional media sector. The summary report presents the main findings regarding med
...
ia landscapes, media legislation, media technology and equipment, journalism training and principles of media development. According to this publication "substantial evidence is provided that points to: non-sustainable and short-term approaches to projects; disconnected programmes; unneccesary competition amongst donors; and, consequently wasted investment of donor funds" (Page 15). In addition, individual country reports have been released, written by renowned African media specialists and researchers. They include: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Each country report consists of three sections: 1) Media sector developments, 2) Challenges for future media development activities, 3) Case study: illustrating good practice in media development." (commbox)
more
"The reorganisation of radio broadcasting in the five Arab countries we have looked at is a slow, unequal, up-and-down and unfinished process. It is unfinished in that some states (Egypt and Syria), still have not published the conditions for awarding broadcasting licenses, even though some independ
...
ent stations have received authorisation. The beneficiary stations thus have no real legal status, but are private businesses broadcasting music, and refraining from broadcasting news. The stations seem to be of most benefit to businessmen close to the authorities, and are more a part of the process of State privatisation than media democratisation. There is a general lack of transparency, and very little information is available about these radio stations. Journalists know little about the shareholders, working conditions in the stations and how they are organised. The legal vacuum will no doubt eventually be filled in these two countries. But, for the time being, radio broadcasting in Egypt and Syria remains totally under the control of the authorities. Lebanon is a special case. By allowing radio and television stations to be privately owned, Lebanon has essentially brought an existing state of affairs within the law, since these independent stations did not wait for the 1996 law to be passed before going on the air. Nevertheless, the various attempts to prevent religious interests from controlling the media have so far failed, and the political stations are a direct mirror of the country’s religious polarities. Every political/religious party has its own radio station (and television channel), which it uses to support its political choices. And the only non-religious station, Sawt Al-Shab, is close to the Lebanese Communist Party. Despite their vulnerability, the Palestinian and Jordanian experiments are without doubt the most promising. The legal framework is restrictive, in these two countries, but the privatelyowned stations are pushing back the boundaries of news broadcasting, are helping to render the media more autonomous, and introducing a relative degree of democracy in the field of information. But these experiments remain dependent on the unstable political context and resulting legal restrictions. The new legislation is more favourable to entertainment stations and benefits businessmen close to the authorities, leaving little space for civil society radio projects to develop." (Conclusion, page 42)
more
"The purpose of this book is to provide a first step for anyone interested in discovering popular culture in India today. The chapters cover cinema, television, and radio; newspapers and magazines; music, theater, and literature; and sport, providing an explanation of the critical developments in ea
...
ch of these fields. The book also explores the changing lifestyles in India, particularly in the areas of shopping, eating, and other forms of consumerism. Each chapter has its own list of the books, academic papers, and articles in the popular press that I found useful in the compilation of the book." (Preface)
more
"Dans cette région d'Afrique, dont plusieurs pays ont connu, au cours des dernières années, des conflits violents ou des troubles importants, l'outil radiophonique joue un rôle essentiel dans les processus de reconstruction et de consolidation démocratique. A travers cet ouvrage, nous souhaiton
...
s fournir aux acteurs du pluralisme radiophonique en Afrique centrale, aux partenaires au developpement, aux autorités publiques et aux associations professionnelles, un état des lieux des législations en vigueur, pays par pays, mais aussi de leur degré d'application, des éventuelles difficultés constatées et des expériences positives à souligner." (Description de la maison d'édition)
more
"The article examines the distinctive characteristics of radio broadcasting in Madagascar, a country with 200 private local stations and more than 15 regional stations of Malagasy National Radio (RNM). It takes note of the complete freedom of tone among news broadcasters, of the massive presence in
...
the schedules of spoken news and of magazine programmes dealing with political affairs, and of the fact that Malagasy, the national language, is heard on air throughout almost the whole country. An outline of RNM's service and a review of the different categories of private stations illustrate the problems facing the medium. Even if RNM experiences excessive control by the State and retains a monopoly of national transmission across the country, radio is a real means of social intervention and of propaganda for the younger generation of politicians, whilst religious organizations are making a substantial contribution to the sector. All this is not without effect on the practice of local radio and could threaten all the advances made by Madagascar in freedom of expression and free choice of listening." (Abstract)
more
"This is an exploratory study. It attempts to build on the work conducted for a series of papers which identify lessons learned from the international community’s attempts to use media as a means to consolidate democracy in Cambodia. The consensus is that, despite ten years of training programs an
...
d financial assistance, radio news broadcasts still do not meet democratic norms for political communication. A shortcoming of these papers is that they are based on theory and research traditions outside media studies. As a result, they do not take into consideration processes of media production or audience reception when making their propositions for change. This study proposes that, by using methods of research from media studies, it may be possible to address these gaps in knowledge, and therefore strengthen these propositions. It combines peacebuilding and media theory in an effort to identify the normative assumptions of the lessons learned papers, and therefore develop an appropriate strategy for evaluating media performance, and for determining if the propositions in the lessons learned papers have the potential to be successfully implemented. The use of such a strategy was explored in pilot research conducted in Phnom Penh July 2004. It combined content analysis and interviews (with radio station directors, as well as representatives from political parties, non-government organizations [NGOs], and members of the international community.) This study concludes that, while some refinements are required in the design of the proposed research strategy, its use may allow future researchers to gain new insights – insights which compliment the lessons learned papers, and which could be valuable in implementing their propositions for change." (Abstract)
more
"This report outlines the findings and conclusions derived from the assessment mission undertaken by the ‘Partnership for Media and Conflict Prevention in West Africa’ to Liberia in December 2003. This mission brought together the expertise of a number of the national, regional and international
...
media development and freedom of expression actors. The report seeks to layout collaborative approaches for supporting the media during the immediate and longer-term transition periods, both in terms of overcoming obstacles and developing capacities and resources, as well as contributing towards the creation of lasting peace, stability and democracy." (Executive summary, page 3)
more