"The Afghan media have flourished since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001. Under Taliban rule, television was banned and there was only one government-controlled radio station. Today Afghanistan boasts over 75 TV stations, 175 radio station and hundreds of newspapers and magazines. However,
...
according to pro-democracy groups, heavy handed government controls on radio, television and newspapers and the harassment and intimidation of journalists remain major problems. Radio is still the main channel for communicating news and information. But it is losing ground steadily to television, particularly in the towns and cities. As television ownership grows, the number of households with a radio set is declining. A media audience survey commissioned by USAID in 2010 found that 63% of all Afghans listen to radio regularly. The survey, conducted by Altai Consulting, found that only 48% of all Afghans watch television regularly. But it showed that once Afghans get a television in their home, they tend to abandon the radio. The Altai Consulting survey of 6,648 people in over 900 towns and villages indicated that 58% of households with a TV no longer possess a radio. Other recent audience surveys by BBC World Service Trust and the Asia Foundation indicate a slightly higher rate of radio listening than the Altai Consulting study. But all three point to a steady drift of broadcasting audiences from radio to television. It is therefore vital that humanitarian agencies communicate with the public through television as well as radio to ensure that they engage a wide audience." (Media overview, page 9)
more
"This book provides a clear and authoritative introduction to the emerging Arab media industries in the context of globalization and its impacts, with a focus on publishing, press, broadcasting, cinema and new media. Through detailed discussions of the regulation and economics of these industries, t
...
he authors argue that the political, technological and cultural changes on the global media scene have resulted in the reorganization of the Arab media field. They provide striking examples of this through the particular effects on media policies, media technology and the content and genres developed for the new generation of media consumers. As part of the book's overview of the contemporary characteristics of Arab media, the authors outline the development of the role of modern Arab media from a tool of mobilizing the public to a tool of commercial and symbolic profit. Overall, the volume illustrates how the Arab region represents a unique case where the commercialization and liberalization of selected media industries has gone hand in hand with continuous state intervention and an increasing self censorship." (Publisher description)
more
"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
...
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)
more
"In 2006 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST), funded by the UK Department for International Development, conducted research into media in 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa in order to identify priorities for future media development initiatives. A series of African Media Development Initiativ
...
e (AMDI) reports were produced, and this Media Sector Analysis builds on the Somalia component of that work. This analysis has been produced in consultation with media stakeholders and is grounded in a review of previously published material. The report is just one component of a larger media development project being delivered by the BBC WST entitled ‘Strengthening Radio Stations in Somalia to Promote Human Rights, Peace and Governance’ - a two-year project which aims to enhance the reach, levels of audience participation and professional capacity of Somali media. The media, and specifically, radio, is seen as a key local institution well placed to promote individual human and civil rights, freedom of expression and democratic dialogue. The project is informed by a rights perspective, ensuring that actions separately and collectively empower marginalised citizens, in particular, women and young people, to engage in direct dialogue with local authorities and thus have improved access to their civil and political rights. The project comprises two other strands in addition to the Media Sector Analysis: Capacity-building in six Somali radio stations [...]; media-related training for civil society rganisations [...] this report will inform the above project strands, as well as providing a basis for the development of media policy in the Somali region." (Foreword)
more