Community Radio For Development [1d21]

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Community Radio for Development E-Discussion Briefing Paper Achieving sustainability in community radio Alfonso Gumucio In recent years, the approach to sustainability for community media has greatly evolved. Several research projects and the resulting reports and publications, have provided a new perspective to the concept of sustainability, which for too long has been restricted to funding. There are still many for whom sustainability is a financial issue; however, this has proved insufficient and the new concept considers not only financial sustainability, but above all social sustainability and also institutional sustainability. These three are the legs that ensure comprehensive and long-term sustainability. Social sustainability has everything to do with community participation. So many vertical communication projects have failed in spite of their good intentions because their patronising approach meant the community was not involved. If the community does not participate from the very inception of a particular initiative it is unlikely that ownership will be ensured in the long run. Only communities that “appropriate” a communication process can make it socially sustainable. A paradigmatic example which I’ve mentioned many times before (but I do it once more since many still do not know about it) is the miners’ radio stations in Bolivia, my home country. From the 1960s to the 1980s, mine workers controlled more than 20 radio stations. They defended these stations with their lives when the army attacked them, during military coups. The only reason is because the stations were part of the community and the workers had “appropriated” the communication process, which is more complex than getting to run the equipment and the programming. During this week, we should discuss how communication projects are really decided at the community level. Who drives the process? How is the community involved in decision-making?

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Institutional sustainability is important in terms of strengthening the local organisation and the internal democratic process. However, it is usually subject to numerous external conditions. For example, countries that do not have proper legislation on community radio will run into trouble when the frequencies get saturated. This happened in some countries in Latin America, such as Guatemala, with serious impact on indigenous radio stations that were then declared “pirate” when the frequencies they had obtained in the past through benevolent governments, were put to bid and grabbed by the powerful networks. Legislation that limits the power of transmitters or the percentage of advertising in community radio stations would be discriminatory. The issue of legislation is thus of crucial importance in those countries living in democracy. Unfortunately, some international organizations like the World Bank have played a contradictory role, supporting on the one hand the proliferation of indigenous radio stations, but on the other hand putting pressures on governments for the privatisation of air waves, in flagrant violation of the right to use this natural resource for the collective benefit. We could also discuss during this week the double-standards of many development agencies, currently putting in practice vertical communication approaches, very close to public relations

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community radio discussion

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and dissemination of information, while their discourse often includes the words “participation” and “ownership”. I could contribute with a first hand example in Mozambique, where the local UNICEF office vetoed with no explanation a national communication strategy to combat HIV/AIDS which had been developed through a comprehensive participatory process involving more than 40 organisations. How determinant is legislation for the sustainability of community radio? What to do with development agencies that actually discourage participatory processes and are more inclined to public relation activities? Perfectly designed and funded projects can fail if they have to face the above circumstances. Financial sustainability has much to do with the social and institutional environment. Clearly, a proper legislation that protects community radio stations’ right to communicate would facilitate acquiring funding, both from national and international sources. Likewise, if development agencies were consistent in their support to participatory processes, the funds currently assigned to elevate the profile of the country director or the minister of health or education would instead contribute to strengthen the voices of communities. Moreover, funding doesn’t necessarily have to come from international sources. Governments should have a responsibility over community radio stations because of their educational and cultural importance, the same way they fund libraries or the National Orchestra. And there is also funding from the communities: radio stations were so important for the impoverished mine workers of Bolivia that they contributed to their financial sustainability by donating one day of their salary. If poor miners can do it, there is no reason why other communities wouldn’t, unless they don’t really believe in it. How do we decide on the “cost” of running a radio station? Are those community radios stations that start with funding, equipment, studios, staff training the most sustainable? As a moderator of the discussion, I would like participants to exchange ideas and experiences, but to avoid doing a PR presentation on how good is the work they do is. Many of these email discussions end up being a collection of presentations of people that don’t seem to want to look at others’ ideas and experience. Telling about your personal experience is good, as long as it doesn’t become another promotional outlet for institutions. We want to debate ideas, perspectives and experiences, but with the aim of coming out of our respective shells towards a common understanding of what is needed and what the challenges ahead are. I would like to point to several sources that may help to understand and develop the discussion along the lines briefly expressed above. One very important one is the research project “La Practica Inspira” carried by a team of researchers from Latin America during 2003-2004, and covering more than 40 community and independent radio stations in the region, with the specific task of looking at their sustainability. The final report, compiled by Victor van Oeyen, Andres Geerts and Claudia Villaseñor, was published by AMARC and ALER, but unfortunately it is only available in Spanish. Alan O’Connor has published in English a book containing his analysis and numerous texts by Bolivian authors, on the long-lasting experience of the miners’ radio stations: "Community Radio In Bolivia: The Miners' Radio Station”. Another important book is “The One to Watch”, by Bruce Girard, where I have a chapter on sustainability of community media. The book can be downloaded in both English and Spanish. Read the summary of week two's discussion

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Views expressed in the discussion are not necessarily those of DFID, IDS, id21 or other contributing institutions. Copyright © 2003 id21. All rights reserved.

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