Community radio plays a unique role in bridging the digital divide. How can radio facilitate the democratic right to communication within poor and disadvantaged communities? Can community radio in Africa empower local knowledge in a context of global information? This Imfundo background paper suggests that, among electronic media, radio is uniquely placed to minimise the constraints on access to information for the world’s poor.
Low production and infrastructure costs, aligned to distribution costs close to zero, have enabled radio to become a pervasive presence penetrating into the remotest areas of the poorest countries. Community radio has a particular contribution to make to education and social development. There are international patterns. In Europe, state-owned monopolies have been the norm at least until the 1970s with community radio emerging more recently. In contrast, community radio has had a rich history in the US since 1949. Latin America has the most diverse and dynamic community radio sector pre-dating developments in the US. Radio outside the state-owned system is a much more recent development in Africa.
The continued maintenance of the digital divide is due, largely, to cost constraints to the poor, the low level of linguistic diversity and the primacy of text based information. Community radio has the potential to bridge the old and new information technologies and to redress the balance of the information age by supporting the vernacular and the local. Other observations from the paper include:
- Free market models, public service broadcasting and community radio all have different objectives. The latter emphasise defence of human rights against the intrusions of state and capital
- Bolivian mining communities were among the first to establish community radio stations. By the 1960s, 23 stations were on air sustained by a percentage of workers’ salaries going toward the running costs
- In Africa, liberalisation and democratisation led to an opening up of the airwaves in Mali and South Africa. Other African countries have followed including Benin, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire
- Telecentres combined with radio can provide wider access to the Internet and communications technology. ‘Community media centres’ shift the focus from technology to creative production.
Policy pointers to overcome constraints and measures to improve prospects for success include:
- A link to the wider democratic process. Awareness of educational and development potential of community radio must be raised among policy makers, regulators and civil society organisations
- The regulatory framework remains the most significant restraint: Deregulation has been the exception rather than the rule. Community radio must be recognised in law and allocated good frequencies
- Support for community radio development should be provided through intermediary bodies at national and regional level and should include training, guidance and mentoring
- State support can be one part of the economic base but it may also be seen as restricting independence. It must be linked to clear guidelines to guarantee editorial independence
- Strategic links should be encouraged between community radio and telecentres, and clustering of community-based media reources is to be advocated.
