The importance of community-access radio in promoting social and community development, basic education, and models of good governance has been widely acknowledged in the international community. According to the World Association of Community Broadcasters’ 2007 report on community radio (CR) and its social impact, this form of development communication has contributed to poverty reduction and sustainable development, fostered broader non-partisan political communication within countries (including peace building and conflict resolution), helped to engage marginalized or excluded...
IPDC project priority: Community Media Development
Cambodia is still suffering from the effects of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the ensuing years of civil strife. The legacy of these historical factors is manifold, but two major effects are the prevalence of a voiceless and fragmented civil society, unable or unwilling to speak up about basic rights, and the continuation of repressive or corrupt state systems. This is particularly noticeable in the constraints placed upon freedom of expression and media plurality in Cambodia. The adoption of the new penal code in 2010 potentially limits freedom of expression and...
As the illiteracy rate in the rural areas is still high, radio is the most commonly used medium of the rural people in Cambodia to receive information, with almost every family in the provinces owning a radio set. Although provincial radio stations do exist in more than 10 provinces in Cambodia, most of their programming content is relayed from the Radio Nationale Kampuchea (RNK) in Phnom Penh. Therefore, the majority of programmes do not serve the specific requirements of the community people since the information needs of provincial people are different, not least in geographical terms....
The development of the radio sector in Lao PDR is slow, especially in the northern, mountainous part of the country where radio signal cannot reach many communities. Like the rest of the country’s media sector, Lao National Radio lacks the equipment for developing radio networks. Its capacity needs to be enhanced if it is to compete with international broadcasters and growing new media.
Nearly 44 percent of the country’s total population (6.3 million) is regarded as a member of various minority ethnic groups. Xiengkho District, one of the 47 poorest districts of Laos, has...
In many rural areas of Nepal, Community Radios (CR) represent the only form of media available, providing services to the marginalized and disadvantaged people who have often been ignored by mainstream media. With the continued increase of the CRs, effective implementation of a Code of Conduct has become vital to build on self-regulatory mechanisms in enhancing CR professionals’ unbiased coverage, honesty, accuracy and reliability. This project will establish a mechanism to hold CRs accountable to play a greater role as a watchdog. Self-regulation is a function that lies at the very the...
Media in Bhutan has undergone considerable growth after the establishment of democracy in 2008. Today, mass communication in Bhutan encompasses both traditional and New Media technologies, ranging from newspapers, radio and TV to mobile phones and the internet. According to a UNESCO-supported Media Development Assessment (MDA) conducted in Bhutan in 2010, there are vital elements missing in the media landscape which need to be addressed. These include policy and legal frameworks to support the growth of media; Right to Information laws to ensure transparency and good governance; Fiscal and...
There are more than ten thousand low-power radios in Brazil, most of them community radios. The applicable law on community radios, 9.612/98, imposes many limitations on their activities, including preventing community radio stations from broadcasting advertisements or belonging to a network, thus constraining their potential. Community radio stations throughout Brazil exist despite the lack of training policies or subsidies for improved development of communication activities, leading to problems in sustainability and a tendency to copy commercial models of communication.
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The means of creating and maintaining effective, culturally appropriate radio learning programmes on-air requires consistent support. This project presents opportunities for long term partnership solutions to this problem, expanding networks of collaboration and enhancing the long-term development of community media in the Caribbean. Its purpose is to train social development workers to create community radio content as another platform for participatory communication with vulnerable groups. Participants will include healthcare workers, social workers, teachers and police officers who will...
The purpose of this project is to establish and make operational a sustainable Radio Station and Community Multimedia Centre at the Youth Training Centre to service the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Community in recognition that they are a special needs, high risk community of over 4000 members, and therefore to increase the diversity of media and impact positively on Press Freedom. The Trinidad Youth Council is also motivated by the empirical findings of Ito and DiClemente, showing the benefits of engaging Youth in learning processes that involve the use of Digital Media and its implication...
By taking advantage of the great potential of community radios to reach out to people and actively engage them in rights-related issues, this project will create a network of immigrant community journalists to promote gender-awareness issues, freedom of expression and immigrants´ and refugees´ rights. In addition, this project will promote and strengthen female participation and leadership in the media. Immigrant women in Argentina face numerous obstacles to accessing basic rights, such as health services (for themselves and their children) and social services. Domestic violence in...
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