Document details

Local Radio in Afghanistan: A Sustainability Assessment

Altai Consulting;Internews (2017), 136 pp.
"This study assesses the role and impact of this local radio station network as well as its sustainability prospects, focusing on four pillars of sustainability in particular: Financial sustainability: at a minimum, radio stations need to be able to support their activities, and ideally enjoy some surplus for innovation. Organizational sustainability: radio stations need to have access to a level of professionalism and resources that allow it to produce and present programs of reasonable quality. Political and cultural sustainability: radio stations need to be politically enabled to perform their activities, to do so in safety, and to enjoy the support of the communities within their broadcast area. Audience sustainability: radio stations need to be able to reach a sizeable audience, and to meet this audience’s information needs and expectations. To this end, in-depth interviews with key stakeholders in the Internews/Salam Watandar story as well as those involved in media operations at the central Kabul level were combined with 10 in-depth case studies from the research sample of 30 provincial Internews-established, full Salam Watandar-partner stations. 20 in-depth interviews by phone with the remaining sample stations were added to this." (Executive summary)
1. INTRODUCTION, 12
Background -- Internews and the Salam Watandar Network -- Study Objectives -- Approach
2. INTERNEWS AND RADIO IN AFGHANISTAN, 17
3. ROLE & IMPACT OF RURAL RADIO, 24
Rural Access to Media -- Rural Radio Listenership -- Programming -- Role of Community Stations -- The Impact of Local Radio
4. SUSTAINABILITY OF RURAL RADIO, 43
Defining Sustainability -- Financial Sustainability -- Organizational Sustainability -- Political and Cultural Sustainability -- Audience Sustainability
5. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, 82
ANNEX A: CASE STUDIES OF 10 RADIO STATIONS, 86
Sada-Ye Hadalat - Ghor Province, 92
Sol-E Paigham - Khost Province, 96
Radio Zohra - Kunduz Province, 100
Radio Jaghuri - Ghazni Province, 103
Radio Daikundi - Daikundi Province, 106
Radio Khorasan - Panjshir Province, 110
Radio Kishim - Badakhshan Province, 114
Radio Darman - Jawzjan Province, 119
Radio Alina - Nuristan Province, 122
Radio Milma - Paktika Province, 125
ANNEX B: METHODOLOGY, 127