I s s u e 7
- O C T O B E R, 1 9 9
9
TURNING PLANES INTO REALITY
Community Radio—for empowerment of communities
A
joint Paper Purchase Centre?
Equipment Support to RM
How to Start a Community Radio
Newsprint
for the Independente Print Press
Election Coverage in the National Public Radio
 TURNING
PLANS INTO REALITY
Three Communications Centers in the provinces, initial contact and agreements
with the three pilot Community radio stations and a green light to
proceed with preparation to call for applications for support to the
establishment of the remaining seven community radio stations. These
are the important steps taken during the past month by the Media
Project all based on the results reported in the “ Media Pluralism
Landscape” study, covering the more than 90 media active in
Mozambique at the moment, and the more than 40
projects expecting to be realized in the near future.
Communication Centers-for independent print media
Beira, Chimoio and Tete have been chosen as the three initial centers to be
developed on an experimental basis. A National Consultative Meeting organized
by the Media Project on September 16 with participation from
Independent Print Press from the provinces and Maputo further
defined the initial ideas of the “Media Pluralism Landscape”
study. Now small working groups are preparing initial projects
descriptions and “business plans” in each of the three towns. If
the working groups manage to keep the agreed work plan, it is
expected that UNESCO will have approved the three plans before the
end of October.
The centers are foreseen to meet the urgent need for access to
equipment and internet/e-mail connections expressed by practically
all media in the study as well as in our own contacts with the
independent media. To facilitate this, the study suggests that the centers
are equipped with 4-6 computers with internet connection and e-mail,
laser printers, a copy printer a photocopier, telephones and fax.
Whereas this vision is more costly than the “newsroom” foreseen
in the project document of our Media Project, we have urged the
working groups to critically assess their needs and to suggest a
step-by-step, modular approach.
To ensure that the decision on the establishment of the
communication centres as soon as possible assist the media in the
important coverage of the electoral process, the working groups have
also been asked to come up with a practical suggestion as to how and
where a first computer with internet connection and printer can be
placed in each of the three sites as soon as possible.
Community
Radio—for empowerment of communities
The pilot phase of the Community Radio Component of the Media Project is now
in full implementation in the three sites: Cuamba and Homoine as
originally chosen, and as INDER will start rural radio and TV soon
in Marromeu this initially selected site has been replaced by a
differentv type of Community radio developed by a social action
group in Chimoio, GESOM.
The three community groups are all working on an elaboration of
project description and business plans as a basis for contractual
agreement with our project, so as to facilitate our support in organizing
and funding training and mobilization work. At “the right time”
equipment will then be procured and installed.
Furthermore a technical Advisory Group September 13 assistant the
Project Management team in elaborating the framework for the second
phase of our Community Radio Component. Based on these discussions
and advice we are at the moment requesting from our legal advisors,
we plan to within the month October to call for proposals by groups
who have already elaborated concrete plans Community radio stations.
A selection board will carefully assess these, and by early next
year we will start the support to the remain seven Community Radio
Stations foreseen to be supported by our project.
A
JOINT PAPER PUCHASE CENTRE?
In 1995 the editors in Senegal were facing serious economic problems as
the prices on newsprint kept rising. Together with the PANOS
Information Pluralism Programme, a joint Paper resulting in 30%
lower prices on newsprint.
Also in Mozambique the cost of newsprint takes up 50 to 70% of the
budgets of the six independent newspapers using newsprint.
A meeting has therefore been organized by the Media Project on
October 8 with the coordinator of the Senegal Paper Purchase Centre
Alymana Bathily.
The aim of the meeting is to learn from the Senegalese experience
and to explore the possibilities of also cutting prices here.
Equipment Support to RM
The Media Project met with management of Radio Mozambique on October
1st to initiate the foreseen component. A strengthened
national coverage by the potentially most important medium in the
country is the aim.
Based on a Terms of Reference to be defined, an independent
consultant will together with the technical experts of Radio
Mozambique assess the most effective way for the project to assist
Radio Mozambique.
The equipment will be procured through an international tendering
procedure to be run by the UNESCO head office in Paris. It is
foreseen to be ready for installation early
next
year.
How to Start a Community Radio
The three community radio stations being part of
the pilot phase of the community radio component of our project will
each send three participants to the training course on “How to
start a Community Radio” which will take place in Xai-Xai October
18-29. This course is part of the Media Management training package
of the Media Project.
Representatives from the many other community radio stations or
projects will take up the remaining 7-8 places in the training
course, which is again organized jointly by the Nordic SADC
Journalism Centre and the Media Project.
Newsprint
for the Independente Print Press
During the National Consultative Meeting held in Maputo
on September 16, a working group was made up by the participants in
the meeting, in order to come up with a proposal on how the Media
Project could possibly support the print media with paper.
The recommendation was received by the project the following day and
ways of meeting the recommendations are now being examined.
Election
Coverage in the National Public Radio
September 20-24 the UNESCO Media Project in close
collaboration with the Training Department of Radio Mozambique held
a training course for editors and senior journalists from the
provinces and Maputo on the many practical aspects of covering
effectively the electoral process.
The training course included components of the legal framework of
election reporting, basic journalistic principles, experience
gathered by participants and invited guest lectures as well as
series of practical exercises.
This training course was the first of two media project training
courses on “Reporting for Radio”. The second course will be
directed towards reporters from the emerging community radio
stations and is foreseen to take place in February 2000.
Media
Development Project
c/o UNESCO, P.O.Box 1397 Maputo, Mozambique
Tel. +
258.1. 498752/ 490840 Fax +258.1.498717
E-mail: unesco@mediamoz.com
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