Policy Advocacy Plan for Community Radio In Bangladesh

Introduction

Radio is a powerful media in Bangladesh. It can reach people who live in areas with no phones and no electricity. Radio reaches people who can't read or write. It can be a main venue to distribute information, discuss issues and define our culture. Community radio is a concept that uses this powerful media and brings it to the people. It focuses on the use of appropriate communication and information tools to support decision-making and encourage dialogue between citizens and public authorities thereby enhancing democratic governance. Bangladesh, most importantly the rural communities in Bangladesh, can be benefited from such a media.

An Overview of the Challenge

The increasing globalisation context poses different challenges. The challenges are probably important for Bangladeshi NGOs/CSOs. With a huge backlog history we encounter several major issues such as large population, entry barriers and poverty. For greater interest we must solve these problems by facing all these challenges.

Increasing competition and globalisation has made the poor and disadvantaged, even more vulnerable. NGOs thus face stiff challenges at all levels of the society. There are major roles to play in transforming this competitive ethos into a positive attitude within own capacity for greater interest.

Globalisation has even affected national and donor institutions, which provide funds and include grants for development. Globalisation has resulted in a surge in demand for power both for production and consumption both in the rural and urban areas. The poor in both these areas consequently find it even more difficult to have access to critical resources.

In Bangladesh as a development communication planner I have been examining issues relating to democratisation of the media, the right to communicate and access to information and communication technologies particularly for the economically and socially deprived.

With the thrust towards globalisation Bangladeshi economy emerges to global corporate interests. The process of dismounting state monopolies and control over the broadcasting sector has begun. The effort of some development NGOs on this issue has been to ensure the interest and voices of those section of society who are not primary target audience for the private commercial broadcaster but who even the most deprived among the general Bangladeshi poor. They intent remain inarticulate and kept marginalised.

Along with other advocates of democratic and public sector service media we have arranged for the new dispensation to make specific provision for independent broadcasting station that has to be set up locally by NGOs/CSOs educational institution and cooperatives.

In particular low cost local FM Rural Radio station covering restricted geographical areas can very effectively fill the information and communication need of the communities.

In Bangladesh globalisation basically transforms communication into a commodity like any other commodities, which is used for commercial gain only. We have realised the importance of Community Radio and we like to establish our own mainstream mass media communication for the greater interest of the rural poor.

Importance of Community Radio

Community Radio is radio for the people and by the people. The main objective of such a radio station is to enhance democratic process at a local level by giving voice to the voiceless. Also such an outlet helps in increasing diversity of content and information at the local level in order to promote culture. It also encourages participation, sharing information and innovation. For instance, community radio can play a vital role in a farming community. Most of these farmers won't have Internet access in their lifetime. Most people wont have access to a telephone. Although number of television in rural areas is increasing, it lacks content that is locally determined, relevant, appropriate — and accessible to the farmers. So radio can be an important factor in the rural life. Several countries in South Asia already implemented community radio. Radio Sagarmatha in Nepal and Kothmale Radio is Sri Lanka is two successful community radios that had some huge impacts in the community.

Role of NGOs

In Bangladesh NGOs activities and programmes have already earned reputation working for the socioeconomic development of the poor people, their project areas are limited and well defined. The objectives and target groups are specific to reach in to the goal, they have to win the total confidence of the local community. NGOs have to inform the people about their projects and activities. Rather they have to ensure peoples participation in implementing the projects.

For Dissemination of information they usually depend upon personal and group contact. Due to lack of proper transport facility and paucity of project staffs, communication becomes difficult. Effectiveness of communication mostly depends upon the individual abilities of individuals. Sometimes lack of communication creates major problem in transferring the information, but if we an effective communication but it is quite possible by establishing community radio network that will help to communicate within areas.

We only need to emphasise that radio can do it effectively on a large scale. Any other media cannot achieve the instantaneous quality of the massage and its possibility to cover thousands of people at a time.

The depth of the people's participation that a community Radio can bring forth is the most significant advantage. With community radio interaction will be wider and more frequent. There are many examples of how such community radio can support and empower children, youth, women, and farmers and ethnic group.

In Bangladesh access of poor and deprived community to radio and television is very limited. The prospects for decreasing the gap of information between the rich and poor are gradually increasing. In globalisation context potentials of the mass media technologies are indispensable in Bangladesh. But as experience has shown the gap of information between the have and the have not are increasing while the poor are dependent on rich and therefore the poor become oppressed.

NGOs of Bangladesh must develop the strategies to influence the national and global institution controlling mass media through public discourse and alliance building. Communication media is a serious concern of development areas of Bangladesh. So that NGOs could run a Community Radio station to serve the communication needs of their development projects.

Community Radio station can participate in the life of the community by broadcasting programme on rural festival and fairs. It can organise campaigns, rallies, competitions where the whole community get an opportunity to come together and share information and experience. It helps to strengthen the bond between the community radio and the community peoples and develop a strong association with the station. Listening different programme becomes their habit and part of life. Neither other channel nor any other media can allure themes the need of community radio is beyond any doubt and this is for the betterment of the humanity.

Policy Advocacy Plan for Community Radio

Problem

Increasing Information gap between the rich and the poor specially the rural of Bangladesh

Who Benefits, Who Loses

• Rural People
• Rural youth
• Rural Women
• NGOs/CSOs
• Radio Bangladesh
• Information related company
• Rich people
• Monopoly business

Causes

• Only Govt.radio station
• Monopoly programme
• Lack of need based programme
• Lack of rural centered programme

Solution

• Advocacy with policy makers
• To encourage NGOs/CBOs
• Dialogue with concern ministries
• Dialogue with Radio Bangladesh

SWOT analysis on Community Radio

Strength

• Grassroots based experience
• Institutional motivation
• Institution flexibility
• Resources
• Clear vision and mission
• Strong leadership
• Access to media
• Networking ability
• Research
• Access to policy level
• Resource mobilisation

Weakness

• Lack of experience on public policy analysis
• Lack on technical person on community radio

Opportunity

• Democratic governance
• Grassroots support
• Donor
• International recognition on community radio
• Legal provision for BBC, VOA DW and radio Metro wave
• Amateur Radio holder group
• Go-NGO partnership
• South Asian collaboration

Threats

• Vested interested group
• Govt. Media
• Patriarchal structure

Policy Advocacy Plan on ------

Constituents, Allies and Opponents

Constituents

• Rural People
• Target group of NGOs

Allies

NGOs/CBOs

• Donor
• Rural Media
• ADAB

Mass line media Centre (MMC)

Opponents

• Govt. Media

Policy advocacy influence tactics

• Analysis of broadcasting policy/ executive order
• Work on drafting bill
• Lobbying with concerned ministries
• Dialogue with some selected MPs (Position and opposition)
• Collect community radio related information from other countries
• Provide community radio related information to Govt. and other

Organisational consideration

• Experience in Policy advocacy
• Broad reach
• Extensive constituency base

Uncertainties

• Long term budget for advocacy

Short and long term plan

Goal

• To enact a community radio broadcasting policy/ executive order

Short term objective

• To enact a community radio broadcasting policy/ executive order

Short term objective

• A change in present broadcasting policy/order

Target

• Concern cabinet minister
• MPs
• Media persons
• National institute of Mass Communication
• Press Institute of Bangladesh
• Mass Communication and Journalism of Universities
• Rural Press Club.

2nd target

• Media
• Radio Bangladesh
• God Father

Policy advocacy plan

Objective

Change in Existing BroadcastingLaw/executive order

Activities

• Review existing law/executive order
• Comparative research on laws for community radio of other countries
• Propose new drafts to legislator or concern ministries
• Lobby key player for implementation ratification of proposed legislator
• Lobby with political leader
• Dialogue with MPs
• Organise seminar on Community Radio
• Publications

Resource required

• Legal Expert
• Public Policy analyst
• Research personnel
• Expert for Alliance
• Fund

Where obtained the resources

• Legal expertise from BLAST and BELA
• Fund from Donor
• National Institute of mass communication
• Radio Bangladesh
• Mass line Media Center (MMC)

Indicators of the effectiveness

• Change in broadcasting laws/executive order
• Report on status of present broadcasting laws
• New draft of policy
• Positive responses from GO and NGOs/CSOs
• Campaign activities