"Radio has been called ‘Africa’s medium’. Its wide accessibility is a result of a number of factors, including the liberalisation policies of the ‘third wave’ of democracy and its ability to transcend the barriers of cost, geographical boundaries, the colonial linguistic heritage and low l
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iteracy levels. This sets it apart from other media platforms in facilitating political debate, shaping identities and assisting listeners as they negotiate the challenges of everyday life on the continent. Radio in Africa breaks new ground by bringing together essays on the multiple roles of radio in the lives of listeners in Anglophone, Lusophone and Francophone Africa. Some essays turn to the history of radio and its part in the culture and politics of countries such as Angola and South Africa. Others – such as the essay on Mali, gender and religion – show how radio throws up new tensions yet endorses social innovation and the making of new publics. A number of essays look to radio’s current role in creating listening communities that radically shift the nature of the public sphere. Essays on the genre of the talk show in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa point to radio’s role in creating a robust public sphere. Radio’s central role in the emergence of informed publics in fragile national spaces is covered in essays on the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. The book also highlights radio’s links to the new media, its role in resistance to oppressive regimes such as Zimbabwe, and points in several cases – for example in the essay on Uganda – to the importance of African languages in building modern communities that embrace both local and global knowledge." (Publisher description)
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"By assessing edutainment as a space of cultural translation, Drama for Development advances an often neglected perspective in this topics' research. It focuses on what happens when various goals, worldviews and needs from donors, producers and the audiences come together in the production and meani
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ng construction of soap operas. The perspective is illustrated by examples from the largely South Asian experiences of the BBC World Service Trust, itself seen as a cross-cultural contact zone. Tensions between western scientific paradigm and local researcher in the audience research process (chapter 3), the cosmopolitan competencies of the production team in harmonizing the urge for authenticity, cultural sensitivity and development objectives (chapter 6) and the construction of social realism as an interplay of the observed realities of the audiences and the neo-liberal themes of donors (e.g., opium in ch.6 and forced marriage in chapter 11) exemplify some of the processes taking place in that zone. The epistemological position of the book is complementary to the more technical perspective of the existing body of literature, which sometimes fails to capture the complex processes of meaning construction and link it to the wider social context." (commbox)
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"This article explores the use of sound in the context of two BBC World Service development-focused social realist radio drama productions in Afghanistan (New Home, New Life) and Nepal (Sweet Tales of the Sarangi). It examines the various ‘sound strategies' employed to enhance the realist aspirati
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ons of the productions, while examining the ‘creative labour’ employed in crafting discrete ‘acoustic environments' or ‘soundscapes'. It argues that sound helps to index narrative, but in doing so suggests that too specific a rendering of sound environment may confound the abilities of listeners to construct a satisfying sense of place and therein affect any sense of social realism derived." (Abstract)
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"El presente texto es una aproximación básica a distintas cuestiones de la producción de radio que son necesarias para comenzar. No aspira a ser un manual de uso, de esos que tienen pasos a seguir para lograr el éxito, sino todo lo contrario: aspira a ser un texto de guía basado en conocimiento
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s obtenidos por la experiencia. Y cada experiencia, al ser distinta, puede generar distintos conocimientos. Por eso, en este texto se encontrarán algunas claves, algunos consejos, y la mención de algunos puntos a tener en cuenta, como para saber de su existencia, poder adentrarse en ellos y, sobre todo, animarse a investigar, intentar, equivocarse y encontrar las formas y estilos propios para encarar una producción radiofónica. Nos manejaremos otorgando conceptos habituales, herramientas útiles, caminos posibles. Hablaremos tanto sobre generalidades de la radio, sus formatos, sus características y posibilidades, la importancia de la radio social, como así también sobre claves para la producción, el guión, la edición y la difusión de contenidos. La intención es brindar herramientas para la producción independiente." (Introducción, página 7)
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"Esta nueva edición de la Colección Vocación de Radio, luego de tres reediciones de la primera aparecida en 2006, sale a luz en el denominado “Año del Bicentenario”, cuando se cumplen los 90 años de la radio en Argentina y en un pequeño grupo de otros países que, como el nuestro, fueron p
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recursores en el nacimiento del primer medio de comunicación de masas con tecnología electrónica [...] La radio es un medio amado, tanto por los que la hacen, como por los que la escuchan, seguramente por ese poder de sugestión que tiene la palabra hablada y la música, que a través del oído llegan al espíritu, al alma y al corazón de la gente. Amantes de la radio son los autores de este libro, porque la hacen, la escuchan, la investigan, la critican y además la enseñan. “Comunicación y lenguajes en la radio” es producto de todo eso, que se sintetiza en el momento de tener que formar a los futuros investigadores, productores y conductores de programas radiofónicos." (Prólogo)
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"En este manual vamos a dar pistas para reencontrarnos con el drama y tal vez… surja de entre las cenizas aquel viejo amor. Queremos seducirte para que entres al mundo del drama en la radio y te hagas de herramientas compartiendo elementos claves y procedimientos sencillos que te pueden ayudar a a
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rmar desde una escenita hasta un novelón. ¿Cómo leerlo? Puedes recorrerlo de arriba abajo, o empezar por el capítulo que más te llame la atención. Te invitamos a dar el paso, a ir incluyendo de a poquito y sin forzar todos estos formatos que van de lo simple a lo complejo.
En la primera parte, Drama en la radio, nos preguntamos por qué incorporar el drama en nuestra programación. En la segunda parte, Ver el mundo a colores, presentaremos los diversos usos que podemos dar al dramatizado en la radio. En la tercera parte, La mecha que enciende la llama, hablamos de los ingredientes de los dramatizados. En la cuarta parte, Y entonces… ¿qué somos?, nos referimos a los formatos. En la quinta parte, Pasito a paso, retomamos los pasos en el proceso de producción. Y en la sexta parte, Para que no se acabe el amor, te daremos pistas para encontrar recursos, música, sonidos, etc. que alimenten nuestras producciones y nuestras ganas de producir." (Páginas 8-9)
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"The symposium Measuring Change. Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation in Media Development focused on the utilisation aspect of evaluation1: The adding of “Planning” to “Monitoring and Evaluation” in the subtitle indicates that emphasis was laid on learning from monitoring and evaluation experie
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nces, to facilitate the improvement of existing projects and programmes at all levels, from planning to implementation and follow-up." (Executive Summary)
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"Can the media reduce intergroup prejudice and conflict? Despite the high stakes of this question, understanding of the mass media’s role in shaping prejudiced beliefs, norms, and behaviors is very limited. A year-long field experiment in Rwanda tested the impact of a radio soap opera about two Rw
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andan communities in conflict, which featured messages about reducing intergroup prejudice, violence, and trauma. Compared to communities who listened to a control radio soap opera, listeners’ perceptions of social norms and their behaviors changed concerning some of the most critical issues for Rwanda’s post conflict society, namely intermarriage, open dissent, trust, empathy, cooperation and discussion of personal trauma. However, the radio program did little to influence listeners’ personal beliefs. Group discussion was a notable feature of the listening experience. Taken together, the results suggest that radio can communicate social norms and influence behaviors that contribute to intergroup tolerance and reconciliation." (Abstract)
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"Contains 11 studies, mainly on information projects, each with between four and eight stories told by people involved in those studies. Each set of stories is prefaced by a summary of the study." (commbox)
"This manual was designed for project managers, and gives emphasis to the planning and production - not on scriptwriting - of radio soap operas for peace building in conflict areas. Its underlying assumption is that radio soap operas can, over a long term period, subtly change attitudes, and contrib
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ute to peace, because they reach people emotionally. The guide gives instructions on several steps of the planning and implementation process, such as conducting a timeline, defining the target audience, and choosing a team, recording a schedule, and planning the budget. It discusses where to record a soap opera (in studio or outside), how long a soap opera should last, and when it should be broadcast. It gives advice on the pre-test phase with focus groups, and provides a checklist with the overarching aims, ie, the intended outcomes and the emotional focus, of the soap. The appendix contains an excerpt from an Indonesian radio drama serial, produced by Common Ground Indonesia." (commbox)
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"This guide seeks to familiarise journalists and media personnel with the Sabido methodology for social change using entertainment-education format serial dramas broadcast over mass media channels (such as radio and television). The main area of focus is for HIV and AIDS prevention, especially among
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women and girls. The guide book is part of UNFPA's aim to reinforce the capacities of journalists at the country level to prepare them to be agents of gender- and culturally-sensitive HIV prevention programmes. The training guide gives detailed explanation of the eight-step Sabido methodology of "entertainment with proven social benefit."It is focused on the social-content (educational) portion of an entertainment-education programme. The guide is based on the assumption that the writers received previous training in drama and have experience in writing melodrama. The author also includes at the end of the guide an exploration of the theoretical underpinnings of the Sabido methodology." (ELDIS).
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"This publication contains a collection of scripts and selected radio episodes that have been produced and distributed by ABC Ulwazi in Southern Africa. The scripts focus on social and health issues, and recognize that local communities are the key drivers of their own development. Each of the progr
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ammes, only partially presented, were produced with the systematic participation of community members and with a conscious effort to ensure easy adaptation of the original English versions to local languages. They attempt to demonstrate formats that combine information and education approaches to engage the public audience in critical development issues. The scripts of the three programmes included here promote poverty eradication, gender equality, and the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Each programme was produced to influence social change for economic growth and stability." (Introduction)
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"This is a guide for those training writers of radio soap operas for peacebuilding. It contains a ten day training course, materials, and background information which are invaluable to facilitators." (Back cover)
"This is a practical guide for writers, producers and others who use radio dramas as the vehicle to bring about behaviour change among socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in the developing world. Divided into three parts, the first argues for the power of radio to initiate change and stresse
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s the need for careful planning of programmes; the second describes in detail the duties of the programme manager; while the third provides guidance and tips for script writers." (Publisher description)
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