Rural Broadcasting Lecture 3

Principles of
Community Radio
The Community Radio
The Association of Community Radio in South

Asia defined community radio as a “broadcast
organization established to provide
communication support for the social, economic
and cultural development of a community, within
a geographical location, owned and operated by
the community on a non profit basis”.
Community radios exist to service the needs of
the communities.
The community
There are two types of community. The first type is
a group of people living in an identifiable
geographical location that share similar
characteristics. Examples are villages or towns, or
a group of villages or towns. Communities can also
be found in large cities, for example, the residents
of Canaan land, Ota.
The second type of community refers to people
who are united by particular interests they share.
They do not reside in a particular geographic
location such as village or town; they are scattered
all over the country, but share the same interests.
Examples are fans of European football clubs and
professional bodies.
Groups like these are called communities of interests.
When a group like any of these establishes a radio
station to discuss matters concerning their central
interest, it is called a community of interests radio
station.
Access and Participation
Members of the community have the right and opportunity to
take part in the ownership, control and management of the
station. The members of the community representing various
community interests share in the management of the station.
Examples: Radio Lumbini in India is owned by a co-operative

group. The Madanpokhara village owns the Madanpokhara
Radio in Tansen-Palpa district of Nepal. Local volunteers who
felt that their local people wanted to listen to programmes that
would help them to improve and empower them formed the
Naledi Community Radio in Matwaberg Free State, South
Africa. They can also produce contents. In other words, the
members of the community make or contribute to what is
aired.
Volunteerism
The presenters and producers

usually offer free services and may not be professionals at the
work. Wikipedia reports that a 2002 Report found 2000
Australians regularly volunteer $125 million of unpaid labour
at their community radio stations. Similarly, the community
radio stations in Philippines are completely run by volunteers.
Diversity
Community radio provides different types of programmes for
the community members. These members may be those united
by ethnicity, language, religion, educational affiliation or way
of life. Thailand has over 3000 community radio stations. India
offered 6000 licences to non-profit bodies to establish
community radio stations. the programmes they offer range
from local music, news to political education.
Independence
Government does not fund community radios. This does not
mean that community radio stations do not interact with it or
its numerous agencies. However, these interactions are open
and transparent to ensure non-partisanship. The stations
operate within legally defined boundaries.
For example, India imposed stringent conditions on fund
raising. The stations depend on the communities that own them
for financial sustenance. KPFA FM is a community supported
station in the United States of America. Similarly, KNON 89.3
FM, is a non-profit community supported radio station in
Dallas. It derives income mainly from on air pledge drives or
sponsorships by local small businesses.
Sweden did not allow community radio stations to run
commercial until 1993. In the United Kingdom, they are not
permitted to raise more than 50% of their operating cost from
advertisers or sponsors.
Some radio stations are owned by Non Governmental

Organizations. E.g. Lavos Del Minero Radio (Voice of the
Miners) is run and financed by the Miners Trade Union in
Bolivia.
• Nevertheless, community radio can benefit from
grants, donations and charitable organizations. In
Bankilare, Niger Republic for example, a rural
radio station was established with the help of
UNDP.
Localism
Community radios target

specific communities united by geography and interest.
Geographical communities are defined by their physical
locations. For example, the Canaan Land community in Ota.
The station is based and explicitly committed to its community.
It provides what other commercial and public stations do not;
it addresses issues of interest to the community like poverty,
environmental sanitation, social exclusion and community
development.
Models of Community Radio
There are two basic models of community radio. They are:
The Service Model

This stresses the
offering of services to the immediate and neighbouring
communities. The emphasis is on what the station can do for
the communities. The station prefers to produce and present
high quality contents. Professionals are hired to ensure this.
The Participatory Model
This lays emphasis on the active involvement and participation
of the community in the ownership and management of the
station. The community is engaged in the production and
presentation of the programmes. The objective is to get the
people who would listen to the programmes to produce and
host them exactly as they like. They are not necessarily
professionals.
Programmes are deliberately tailored to suit that area. Listeners

have access to many local contents that ordinarily would not
have been possible.
Roles of Community Radio
The major roles a community radio plays in any community
include the following:
Cultural Empowerment
Community radio
strengthens local culture by building on the common cultural
background of its host community by portraying the peoples'
common background, articulating its local cultural and
political agenda. These three combine to initiate cultural
empowerment and cultural citizenship.
It also creates a community public sphere that is in contest
with the mainstream public sphere.
Encourage Dialogue
Community radio encourages dialogue

among members of the local community. Dialogue breeds
understanding and that builds communal identity. Communal
identity leads to participation and fellowship among the
community residents. Duke (1986) says the function of
community broadcasting is to enable a community and its
many sub-committees to talk with themselves, to get to know
themselves and to empower themselves. Participation is
enacted through the medium of community talks.
Broadcasting Democracy
Community radio stations ease broadcasting

democracy through the provision of channels to individuals or
groups who do not have access to the mainstream channels.
Through the community radios, these people can disseminate
their ideas, operations and messages to a wider and larger
audience. Their message themes may include local issues,
health, politics and community announcements.
The present elitist radio stations leave many questions
unanswered. Some have become government megaphones,
relaying whatever the government in power wants the people
to know. The consequence is that there is a credibility gap in
broadcasting.
However, with community radio, the people are able to discuss

the advantages and disadvantages of government programmes
as well as proffer solutions to problems. Community media
increase community political consciousness and their
understanding of the political process.
Community Service
This is the
active support for indigenous communities. Hours of contents
are produced for the community audience and at times by the
community members themselves. This creates room for
participatory democracy.
Individuals, their communities, Non Governmental Bodies

(NGOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) identify
what they need and not what they are told that they need, and
become involved in improving their social, economic, cultural
and political conditions.
They integrate their community activities to contribute to
national progress. Community radios are the mainstream media
for their communities.
Community media are concerned with the campaign for social

development. They engender in the people, the philosophy of
self-determination, self-help and self-reliance.
• Social mobilization
They
enhance social mobilization and popular participation which
are essential for any development programme. These are
conscious efforts to boost the awareness of community
members concerning developmental goals and the collective
attempt to move them in the direction of actualizing these
goals.
Fostering literacy
Community
media enhance the process of making more people
in the country literate, by stimulating their interest
to read for themselves. The community radio can
air literacy programmes, where the people are
taught how to read and write.
Economic growth
The rural community media help to

boost economic activities and growth in the country by
highlighting the potentials of the rural communities. It creates
avenues for local producers and traders to advertise their
products to community members, thereby increasing
patronage. Community radio also serves as a platform for
teaching and acquiring financial empowerment skills.
Other functions include the following:
• It provides of relaxation and entertainment.

• It provides advice and information to individuals to help them
in making decisions.
• It guides social behaviours. E.g. environmental protection,
population control/family planning, child spacing etc.
• It provides avenues for individual self expression
• It provides topics for conversations and by that promotes
interpersonal relationships.

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Principles of

The Association of Community Radio in South

Examples: Radio Lumbini in India is owned by a co-operative

The presenters and producers

Some radio stations are owned by Non Governmental

Community radios target

The Service Model

Programmes are deliberately tailored to suit that area. Listeners

Community radio encourages dialogue

Community radio stations ease broadcasting

However, with community radio, the people are able to discuss

Individuals, their communities, Non Governmental Bodies

Community media are concerned with the campaign for social

The rural community media help to

• It provides of relaxation and entertainment.

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