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Issue
COMMUNITY RADIO MANAGERS PREPARE TO GO “ON AIR”  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. Media
Development Project
c/o UNESCO, P.O.Box 1397 Maputo, Mozambique |
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