"We report on an experiment that used podcast audio-drama as a medium to generate impact from academic outputs in a creative, inclusive and collaborative way. Tobias and Syd was a serialized podcast audio-drama published in January 2023 based on ideas contained in the book Anthropology of Tobacco an
...
d personal narratives from the Wellcome Trust funded ‘Letter to the Breath’ project. The series aimed to generate conversations and discussions, rather than conclusions, about the role of tobacco in society today. It was a collaborative project involving contributions from diverse stakeholders. In addition to developing, producing and promoting the play, the educational value and dialogic space of the podcast was enhanced through four recorded webinar events based on key themes in the drama. Podcast audio-drama has the potential to open up new perspectives on contentious public health issues like tobacco use and abuse. We reflect on some of the processes involved and the challenges encountered in this case." (Abstract)
more
"Radio-based entertainment education (EE) programs have long been a way to communicate health-related information, particularly in developing countries. To explore the effectiveness of these campaigns, we used meta-analysis to examine the results of 20 published studies on the effectiveness of healt
...
h messages embedded in radio-based EE programs. The results suggest that these messages had small but significant effects in changing health related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. We also found that research methods, health issues, and exposure levels were significant moderators of these effects. These results have both theoretical and practical implications." (Abstract)
more
"Reducing stigma is key to improving the wellbeing of people with albinism in Tanzania. This study aimed to obtain more insight into the effects of two radio interventions with regard to albinism-related stigma: a radio drama and a radio interview. Assessment of the radio interventions was based on
...
two attitude measurement instruments (The Albinism Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue Community Stigma Scale and the Albinism Social Distance Scale), an entertainment scale, and two informal (group) interviews. In total, 111 community members participated in the assessment prior to the radio drama, and 65 after. In the case of the radio interview, 123 community members participated in the assessment prior to the radio show, and 77 after. Following the radio drama, a significant reduction was found in terms of community stigma, and a reduction in social distance was found after both interventions. The entertainment score for both interventions was high, but significantly higher for the radio drama. The respondents indicated that they had gained more understanding of albinism as a result of the interventions, and were positive about this type of education. The current study shows that a radio show in which the listener interacts with someone with albinism can contribute to a reduction in stigma, and demonstrates that different types of radio intervention can have different outcomes." (Abstract)
more
"As part of the Inclusive Futures programme, BBC Media Action produced a radio drama, Story Story, and accompanying social media content, to tackle stigma and discrimination around disability in Nigeria. This content was broadcast from November 2020 to November 2021 through local radio partners in s
...
ix states – Enugu, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kano, Kaduna, Kogi and Lagos. This briefing draws on a literature review and key insights from BBC Media Action’s mixed-methods evaluation of the drama conducted in June and July 2021. The evaluation included a large-scale quantitative household survey and qualitative research in the six states. It examines the evidence for using drama to address disability-related stigma, discusses lessons on how best to engage audiences on disability inclusion through media and evaluates the impact of the Story Story drama on audiences. It also includes examples of characters, storylines and dialogues to illustrate how the drama addressed disability inclusion and related stigma. The briefing concludes by reflecting on what the evaluation tells us about the role that media and communication, specifically drama, can play in supporting disability inclusion and tackling disability-related stigma and discrimination." (Page 2)
more
"This book lays out the history of entertainment-education and discusses the boundaries of what counts as entertainment-education and narrative persuasion, includes both authors who work within academia and authors who are practitioners, and chapters focusing on developed and developing countries; d
...
raws upon communication principles and theory but prioritizes actionable lessons for how entertainment-education actually works." (Publisher description)
more
"Intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts the physical and mental health of one in three women globally, with equally high rates in rural Nepal. The risk of physical violence, stalking, harassment, and homicide between intimate partners increases when alcohol is used by the perpetrator. This study ev
...
aluates the impact of Change Starts at Home, a nine-month intervention to prevent IPV in which 360 married couples in the Terai region of Nepal listened to a serial radio drama and engaged in Listening Group Discussions. A sub-sample of 18 couples were selected for individual in-depth interviews that were taken at the end of the intervention and 16 months later. Participants strongly and consistently associated alcohol use with IPV against women in their own and others’ relationships. Husbands and wives agreed that men sustained reductions in alcohol use, conflict, and perpetration of IPV, attributed to improvements in communication, conflict resolution, and a reduction in alcohol expenditure following the intervention. The results of this study suggest that integrating programming on alcohol reduction within IPV prevention interventions in the Terai region of Nepal has benefits on couple functioning, alcohol consumption, and IPV perpetration." (Abstract)
more
"How can sound be utilized as a tool for political conscientization? COVID-19 has disrupted face-to-face organizing tactics for progressive movements globally, making it necessary to branch out to more mediated forms of grassroots political organizing. In this article, we explore how sound might be
...
employed to invoke an imagined working-class community across ethnic, gender and generational divides against a backdrop of crisis and corruption on the structural level. Through a close listening of a South African radio drama, 'Plague in the Time of King Kapital and Queen Corona' (KKQC), we find that the use of sound enables a worldmaking that is both attuned to structural inequities and imagines a utopian, solidaristic working-class community. KKQC offers a case of worldbuilding and political conscientization through radio drama that is relevant to understanding the possibilities of the genre in the contemporary South African context." (Abstract)
more
"Mixed methods research found that including entertaining and relatable characters and storylines in the Life in Lulu radio drama engaged listeners and helped them to apply lessons from the programme to resolve conflicts peacefully in their own households and communities." (Page 1)
"Using a randomized encouragement design, we assigned 2,064 people to listen to either 'Ina Mafita' or to a control program (professional soccer matches) each week over the course of two months. Recruitment and engagement were conducted remotely via short message service (short message system [SMS]
...
or text message). The results indicate that the radio show 'Ina Mafita' had a positive effect on listeners’ beliefs about the importance of being a role model and a positive but not significant effect on the belief in local committees’ value in reintegrating at-risk youth. Results were more pronounced for high complier subsample and for those who reported liking the show’s story line. The authors found no effect on listeners’ views of kidnap victims. The researchers found no or possibly negative effects on listeners’ value of diversity, however, it must be noted that the show did not explicitly address this theme. Listeners also enjoyed the show and many continued to listen to the show after the incentivized exposure had concluded." (Key findings)
more
"There is evidence that [the radio drama series] 'Life in Lulu' had a strong impact on women’s attitudes and inspired female listeners to resolve conflicts non-violently and encourage others to do the same. This seems to be driven by having characters that are engaging to women and storylines that
...
challenge traditional gender roles and model more balanced power dynamics between men and women. However, the drama had less impact on shifting the attitudes of men in relation to the role of women in decision-making and conflict resolution. Gender norms related to decision-making within and outside the home are particularly ‘sticky’ and difficult to change." (Conclusion)
more
"This chapter presents the findings from three radio dramas in Africa (Nigeria, Burundi, and Burkina Faso) developed using Population Media Center’s unique entertainment-education methodology. Each case study is presented in detail, including background on the country or region where the program w
...
as implemented, a description of the program design, and highlights of the results obtained by the program in question." (Abstract)
more
"With a focus on entertainment education, this article sheds light on the effects of radio drama in addressing conflict over land governance. The discussion is built around the broadcast of Bush Wahala radio series during the recent land acquisition process that has taken place in Sierra Leone. Thro
...
ugh the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted by the author with rural farmers affected by this issue, on the one hand, this work generates reflections on the role of radio drama in providing listeners with alternative options to the use of violence and confrontation with the authorities in order to claim land rights; on the other hand, it represents an important contribution to the literature of edutainment in contexts of conflict, with a specific focus on the increasingly complex issue of land grabbing in the developing world." (Abstract)
more
"The SRP was piloted in Tanzania following the model of the Sara Communication Initiative (SCI). The main objective of SRP was to improve skills among school children, especially girls, on negotiation, communication skills and positive social behaviour. Activities to foster and support engagement of
...
the key target audiences through Sara Radio Programme (SRP) are being piloted in Iringa DC since 2016, with the aim of identifying elements that can be scaled up nationally. Two radio stations are carrying out the broadcast twice a week during school-term; Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), which has national coverage and Ebony FM, with coverage that is limited to Mbeya, Iringa and Njombe regions (MIN). The SRP included developing, pre-recording and broadcasting 100 episodes. The radio drama series featured a young girl, Sara and her friends. The SRP was crafted in a way to be fun as well as engaging pupils - girls and boys, teachers and parents in discussions around key messages. Primary standard four to seven school children (10 - 14-year olds) are the main target audience for the programme. Teachers and parents were key secondary audiences that got information through direct listening and messages from children. The programme addressed social norms to promote school girls’ retention and completion. In addition, the SRP aimed at imparting a change in knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, early marriage, early pregnancy, social inclusion and protection. The long-term objective of the programme is to empower girls to decide and control what happens to them, to be safe, and to pursue what they want in life.
[.] Findings on SRP thematic components
SRP Information: Almost all the children (93.5%, N=339) interviewed in Iringa DC confirmed that they were aware of the SRP implemented in their schools. The high percentage of awareness of the SRP by the children can be attributed to the frequency of attendance for listening to the episodes. The majority of children mentioned that Sara radio episodes were broadcasted twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday between 1530hrs to 1600hrs.
HIV/AIDS: Children were asked whether they have heard of HIV/AIDS and majority 95.9% had heard of HIV/AIDS while a mere 3.9% had not. Regarding source of information on HIV/AIDS, the majority of children (87.0%) mentioned schools/teachers as their main source, followed by parents/guardians/family (33.0%) while radios contributed 17%. On spreading of HIV virus, the majority of children (87.0%) confirmed that unsafe sex increases chances of acquiring HIV virus, against 10.7% who did not. There was a small percentage difference between boys (88.0%) and girls (85.8%) who confirmed the risks of unsafe sex on acquiring the HIV virus. [.]" (Executive summary, p. viii-ix)
more
"Against the backdrop of the war in Syria BBC Media Action produced and broadcast 150 episodes of the radio drama Hay el Matar (Airport District) between 2015 and 2017. Funded by the European Commission as part of a broader project aiming to help build an open and inclusive society in Syria, the dra
...
ma and an accompanying weekly discussion programme was available online and on BBC Arabic. Set in a fictional Damascus suburb, Hay el Matar followed the daily lives of residents and featured love affairs, family feuds and tragedies. Each episode was scripted by a team of Syrian writers and touched on a different issue - from violence, radicalisation and migration, to economic insecurity and forced marriage. To understand how listeners engaged with Hay El Matar, BBC Media Action commissioned and trained local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to conduct focus group discussions with listeners in Syria and Lebanon. We found that the drama prompted listeners to think about topical issues, challenges stereotypes and have a view of the Syrian conflict that extended beyond their own personal experience. It also challenged their assumptions and prompted them to talk about and reflect on other people’s multi-faceted experiences of the conflict." (https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction)
more
"Does social influence exerted through role modeling of collective action impact social change in contexts that are not conducive to collective action, such as long-lasting violent conflicts? We examined this question in two field experiments in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. We created t
...
wo versions of an episode of an existing media intervention (a show aiming to promote positive social change), in which fictional characters either planned collective action (role modeling condition), or did not plan action (control condition) to address grievances. In Study 1, role modeling affected individual-level outcomes: it increased perceived collective efficacy and willingness to take action, but exacerbated intergroup attitudes and reduced tolerance. Study 2 tested the influence of role modeling on a group-level outcome (group discussions). Discussions following the role modeling show focused less on grievances, and included more positive lessons of the show, as well as more statements about collective efficacy and collective action. The findings highlight the influence of role modeling of collective action through media on efficacy and action for social change, but caution against unintended consequences on intergroup attitudes." (Abstract)
more
"La radio en Bolivia tiene una larga historia, iniciada desde los ensayos experimentales de la propagación de ondas radioeléctricas operados mucho antes de la llegada y madurez de esta tecnología, en 1929. La presencia de este medio ha estado marcada desde su inicio por su acompañamiento estrech
...
o a la dinámica social y cultural del pueblo boliviano. Asimismo, ha sido pionera de la introducción de formas de hacer radio que décadas después aparecerían como propuestas teóricas en el campo teórico de la comunicación social. La radio es y ha sido un medio democratizador de la palabra, y esta cualidad tiene como elemento determinante la cualidad oral de la sociedad boliviana resultado de su carácter indígena-originario. La metodología de la educación por entretenimiento se propone mundialmente como un recurso para generar procesos de cambio social, y dentro de ella se ejecuta en Bolivia el Programa "Voces nuestras", que reaviva la experiencia de contar historias para cambiar vidas." (Resumen)
more
"This article examines German public service broadcasting and its message for African female audiences. It situates the activities of Deutsche Welle (DW) within public diplomacy theory and analyses the content of DW's Learning by Ear series, which is geared towards young African women. The article i
...
nvestigates DW's view on gender and education in Africa and positions the broadcaster's activities within the broader context of the German and European Union's (EU) development assistance to the continent. Through critical discourse analysis, the article examines the broadcaster's perception of Africa. It argues that DW constructs a flattened, reductionist and often incorrect image of Africa. In its stories, Africa is depicted as a continent of harmful traditions that need to be abandoned, gender-biased schooling practices which are a product of regressive African communities, and women who are voiceless and powerless. The article concludes that although well intended, DW fails to grasp the complexities of African realities. Its broadcasts emerge as a series of culturally insensitive programmes that perpetuate well-worn stereotypes. Supported by Germany's Federal Foreign Office and designed to dispose of ‘backward’ African traditions to make space for the ‘new’ and the ‘modern’, the Learning by Ear series echoes the language of the mission civilisatrice of Africa's imperial past – something that contemporary development discourse has significantly moved away from." (Abstract)
more
"In many—if not most—countries of the modern world, radio is thought of as a provider of music, news, weather reports and traffic situations, but very little else. Yet in parts of the developing world, radio is still extremely important and valuable as a medium for encouraging and teaching life
...
improvement. This book demonstrates and teaches how radio drama—be it stand alone or serial drama—can be very influential in helping people to improve their lives." (Prologue)
more
"Since the end of the civil war in Sierra Leone the organisation Sierra Leone Adult Education Association (SLADEA), with its headquarters in Freetown and 13 branches all over the country, added Peace Building to its curriculum. In this field of work young people are a particular target group; youth
...
is seen as a catalyst for social change. The case of Sierra Leone’s civil war shows that youth play an important part to make, strengthen or break a system. The young population in Sierra Leone have an strong impact in terms of peace building and peace keeping. A way to catch the youth’s interest is entertainment education. Radio is the most popular medium in this West African country; one reason is the high illiteracy rate. In order to reach the masses the local NGO’s SLADEA, Freetong Players International and Culture Radio decided to produce a radio drama which both educates and entertains its listeners." (Page 71)
more
"The report reviews several communications tools developed and disseminated through collaboration with Tacloban’s Radyo Abante as part of IOM’s Tindog Kita (‘Rise Together’) communications campaign, which included a radio drama, interactive talk show and key message song. Of the communicatio
...
ns components, the song developed jointly with Health Songs International was the most popular and widely known. The report notes that community concerts, mobile downloads and play by other radio stations played a key role in disseminating the song. The report also provides recommendations for ongoing and future communications campaigns in Haiyan-affected areas." (CDAC website)
more