Issue
COMMUNITY RADIO MANAGERS PREPARE TO GO “ON AIR”
PROCESS COACH FOR “WAVE II” STARTS…
…INCLUDING NOVA RÁDIO PAZ
… WITH RADIATION STUDIES IN METANGULA
…AND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE COURSE
COMMUNITY RADIO MANAGERS PREPARE TO GO “ON AIR”
Co-ordinators and Community Mobilizes from the three “Wave I”
Community Radios expected to start transmissions very soon, met for
two days in Chimoio to prepare themselves to enter the “on air”
period of their stations, following a two-year preparatory period
that started in 1999.
The Community Radio managers and mobilizes from Cuamba, Chimoio
and Homoine shared information and experiences on the development
status of each of the stations, with the view to highlight each
one’s main challenges and bottle-necks, in the eve of the start of
life “on air” - the most delicate initial months in the lifetime of
a station.
Main challenges found to be crucial for the smooth opening of the
stations included: the consolidation of clear, transparent and
functional organizational structures, based on participatory
management practices and clear policies, regulations and day-to-day
routines in connection with the rational use of the available human
and technical resources.
Other concrete and crucial issues discussed among the managers and
mobilizes included: effective and permanent dialogue between those
who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the radios and
their communities – by whom they were appointed – in view to allow a
programming policy that reflects the real, felt needs of that
audience.
One of the most enthusiastically discussed subjects relates to
community radio ethics, in connection with defining policies for
fund-rising, as the question on “what can be accepted for
advertisement and what can not” may be a source controversial
answers.
Victor Marrão, Provincial Delegate of the ICS in Tete , and directly
responsible for the establishment and running of two community radio
stations there – one in Angonia and the other in Muturara – joined
the workshop as a guest speaker, and shared his experience with the
participants.
Culminating this very practical workshop, the participants engaged
in a series of team planning activities, conceived to reflect “real”
everyday life in a community radio station, where the managers
discussed all from editorial policies, human resources (volunteers),
motivation and effective control of the sensitive and expensive
technical equipment.
PROCESS COACH FOR “WAVE II” STARTS…
The coaches selected to train volunteers for three of the five
planned community radio stations from “wave II” have already started
their activities in Dondo (Sofala), Bagamoyo and Matola (Maputo)
The two coaches based in Maputo are preparing volunteers for
“Radio Comunitaria Escuta” , with the Scouts League, (LEMO) and a
“Voz da Cooperativa”, with the General Union of Co-operatives (UGC).
Following an introductory workshop organized by the Media Project
last December, the three coaches started their training activities
after having been formally presented to the three communities during
public meetings.
About 100 volunteers are being trained in the three communities
altogether.
…INCLUDING NOVA RÁDIO PAZ
The training activities through process coach has also started at
Nova Rádio Paz, a catholic Community Radio based in Quelimane, as a
result of a package of institutional support granted by the Project
to this station.
Mr. Arlindo Mustafa, a Radio Mozambique professional, has been
identified as the process coach, and he is presently training 15
volunteers, both in journalism and organizational issues.
Meanwhile, one important step is about to be given by the managers
of the station: to guarantee the involvement of the communities
inside the community of Quelimane in the station’s activities,
including programme production and management.
An Action Plan has been developed to reach such an objective by
the end of the current year.
… WITH RADIATION STUDIES IN METANGULA
Also as part of the implementation activities of “wave II” of
Community Radio, field technical studies have already started, and
are expected to cover the five planned sites in Bagamoyo, Matola,
Dondo, Milange and Metangula.
The Media Project’s broadcast consultant, Mr. Luis Loforte, opened
this chapter of technical studies with a field visit to Metangula,
Niassa Province, early February.
The field studies will successively cover the rest of the four
sites, in preparation of the legally needed documents for legal
clearance of the stations prior to the provision of frequencies and
sending licenses, by the concerned State authorities.
…AND PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE COURSE
A Radio Station can function with very limited equipment, and even
with very old equipment - if it is well maintained. Even a station
with new equipment will very quickly be unable to function without
proper preventive maintenance measures in place.
To strengthen the capacity of the UNESCO partner communities in
their technical handling of the equipment, a training course on
Preventive Maintenance was developed in collaboration with our
partners, and held in Chimoio January 24 to 31.
The course covered both training in proper handling and operation of
equipment and diagnosis of technical problems, as well as
development of station policies and regula-tions to facilitate the
upkeep of this.
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
|