Radio is still an excellent tool for disseminating educational information in the majority world.

bward's picture
Submitted by bward on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 21:28

Radio Project Resources

Radio (HF, FM, Community) offers many opportunities to deliver programming of both a humanitarian and spiritual nature. This page is intended to gather together resources that provide an idea of the possibilities that radio can offer as well as list resources that describe how to do it.

Table of contents

  1. 1. Limitations:
  2. 2. Power Issues:
  3. 3. Examples of Radio in Action:
  4. 4. Core Resources:
  5. 5. Building a Radio Station:
Radio Uses: local news and events • dramas • Bible storytelling • Internet research • public meetings • continuing education (health workers, teachers, etc.) • agricultural news and training • interactive radio instruction • local documentaries • youth programs • weather warnings

Radio’s wide reach and low cost provide effective communication in rural and remote areas.  Unlike newspapers and magazines, radio does not require literacy, and unlike television, radio receivers are affordable and accessible even without electricity or telephone connections.  Even in very poor communities, radio penetration is vast - an average of one in five people in Africa has a radio [FAOSTAT 1998 – in 1995 the ratio of radios to people in Africa (not including South Africa) was 1:5].   Furthermore, production is cheap compared to other mass media.

Radio has many uses, from entertainment to education and broadcast of personal messages. In some cases, radio stations have linked people to the internet by searching for, translating and broadcasting requested information on air.  In other cases, expert panels or local officials answer questions submitted by listeners by telephone or email, promoting accountability or extending relevant expert knowledge.  Radio has also been used by minority language or cultural groups to assert their identity and provide a cultural reference point.

Limitations:

Cost:  The cost of setting up a community radio station is upwards of US$40,000, although running costs are relatively low and digital technology bringing cost down even more.   However, to produce programmes for existing radio stations does not requires a lot of equipment or money.  The equipment needed is similar to that for digital video: a minidisc or cassette recorder, microphone, headphones and simple editing equipment.  Many participatory radio projects exist using listener groups to provide structured analysis and feedback on educational programmes, and suggesting topics to be covered. This costs nothing but time.

Infrastructure:  The infrastructure needed to make programmes is minimal, although broadcast stations require electricity, and receivers require coverage.  Electric power is not necessary for radio receivers as they can run on batteries or even clockwork power.  Where there are not many local radio services, specialist receivers can be purchased to receive programmes sent out by the WorldSpace satellites (AfriStar and AsiaStar).  These receivers cost around US$200 and are battery powered.

Licensing: Community and packet radio stations need broadcast licenses and in some countries these can be difficult to obtain. In India, rural radio stations not permitted to broadcast independently of state broadcasting authorities.

Skills:  Programme quality depends on skills from interviewing to recording and editing and confidence, as with all communication.

Power Issues:

Although many poor households own a radio set, in many countries it is the man of the house who controls when it is used and what programmes are listened to.  This has been flagged as an issue in Uganda, where women and children cannot touch the household set, while research in Bangladesh showed that 71% of males and 44% of females surveyed had regular access to radio broadcasts.  Furthermore, the division of labour and roles for men and women means that different programmes will interest or be relevant to men and women.

In many communities, radio is a valued source of information while in others experience has shown the medium to be untrustworthy and open to political influence.  During the ethnic conflicts in Burundi and Rwanda in the early 1990s, radio stations were key weapons used to spread violence. In contrast, Radio Ljambo, set up after the conflict in Burundi, played a crucial role in collecting authoritative news from multiple sources and facilitating roundtable debates between opposing parties that helped to lay the foundations for the peace process.  Radio must be a trusted source in order to have a positive impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.   

Examples of Radio in Action:

  •  Interactive Radio Instruction Reports from the Education Development Center (Somalia, Malawi, India, etc.)
    http://www.edc.org/search/node/interactive+radio+instruction
    Interactive radio instruction (IRI) has emerged as an important option for improving educational quality in primary school classrooms in developing countries around the world. Studies of the IRI experience in more than two dozen countries during the past 25 years have shown that the use of IRI has led to significant and consistent improvements in school achievement and has helped overcome equity gaps between urban and rural children and between boys and girls. Because IRI can be broadcast to large audiences across a country, the cost per student is often low in comparison with other options for improving the quality of instruction. In addition, IRI is a proven, effective strategy for reaching children and youths who do not have access to formal schooling, and a significant number of “secondary” audiences also benefit from the radio lessons.A particular benefit of IRI is its ability to improve classroom practices by exposing teachers, many of them untrained or undertrained, to the principles of learner-centered, child-friendly education. IRI also helps build capacity within education communities to enable them to embrace new approaches, innovations, and pedagogical thinking.

  • Community Radio
    http://www.amarc.org/
    Choose a region for resources. In recent years there has been a growth of community or rural FM stations.  A community-oriented station not only gives information but also gives the community a voice, enabling local people to actively produce material for broadcast, share their analysis and experience, influence others and gain new skills.  Where these exist locally you should give consideration to including them in your communications system, as for little cost, your group can create or feed into programmes with wide reach.   

  • Radio as a Tool to Browse the Net
    http://mailman.apnic.net/mailing-lists/s-asia-it/archive/2002/04/msg00007.html
    (New Delhi) People on the wrong side of the digital divide can now, through an interactive radio programme called 'radio browsing', ask experts to surf the internet on their behalf and transmit information in response to their requests.

  • Agricultural Research and Extension Network research project in northern Ghana –
    http://www.odi.org.uk/networks/agren/papers/agrenpaper_127.pdf
    Disseminates research on soil and water conservation through plays developed and broadcast locally from basic script and followed by panel discussion and phone in. 

  • Radio Latacunga ( Ecuador)
    http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://movimientos.org/foro_comunicacion/show_text.php3%3Fkey%3D8561&ei=437eSv68Mo-EMt3vjfYN&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=7&ct=result&ved=0CCYQ7gEwBg&prev=/search%3Fq%3DRadio%2BLatacunga%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DNwm
    Radio Latacunga set up recording studios in indigenous organisations in the area to produce educational and news programmes in Quechua and Spanish.  People encouraged to transmit their problems, needs and messages for organisations and families by writing or phoning in.  Modern mobile studios are also used for moving to remote areas so live programmes involving popular participation transmitted.

  •  In Uganda, Reflect participants contribute to a regular discussion panel on gender and education on the local radio station. 
    http://www.ricnet.info/BUKUKU.HTML
    The panel breaks taboos, openly discussing sensitive issues such as rape and harassment in schools or early pregnancy. 

  •  In Afghanistan, a soap opera “New Home for New Life” was set up by the BBC World Service to provide key information to people in a war situation. 
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/whatwedo/where/asia/afghanistan/2008/03/080221_afghanistan_aep_project_new_home.shtml
    Subjects covered include health education, mines awareness, veterinary care and drugs – all with the aim of building peace and alternatives to conflict.   

  • The Audiocast Diaries: Reflections on radio and podcasting for delivery of educational soap operas
    http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/370/731
    Ideas for content and delivery

  • Yu Tok – Youth Community Radio in PNG
    http://go.worldbank.org/8AQMJ93WH0
    See the full report link under the picture. Programming for and by youth.

Core Resources:

Building a Radio Station:

 

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Brian, Thanks for your

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 10/23/2009 - 07:55.

Brian,

Thanks for your interesting article. After reading your article a couple of questions came to mind:

1 - How are missionaries using IRI for Biblical education and training?
2 - How does shortwave radio fit into the broadcasting spectrum?
3 - HOw is MAF-LT using radio or developing content for radio?

Thanks
Rod