The changing face of international radio

Radio, the major communication medium in many ACP countries, is changing fast. Since 1990, there has been a massive surge in the number of rural radio stations, now totalling more than 400, according to a recent survey for CTA. Urban stations have grown even more. Yet international stations continue to attract listeners, especially as they increasingly re-broadcast through local FM stations, in addition to short-wave, which is still used by more than 15% of radio listeners in Africa. The longest-running agricultural programme in international radio is The Farming World, broadcast weekly on BBC World Service, with more than 2,000 broadcasts in the last 40 years. Equally useful information is provided by other broadcasters' 'magazine' programmes (station details are given at end): DW: Man and Environment; Coopération et Santé RFI: Terres nourricières RNZI: Innovations VOA: Agriculture Report WRN: Earth and Sky Other stations, such as All-India Radio, Brazil's Radio Globo, Radio Japan or Radio Switzerland feature technical and agricultural stories in their news programmes. ACP stations have growing international audiences, through broadcasting world-wide on the Internet, and exchanging programmes, sometimes with CTA support. Now that the Afristar1 satellite has been launched (October 1998), the USA-based Worldspace plans to (re)-broadcast the programmes of 100 stations to Africa early in 1999, using digital broadcasts with high quality reception (which requires a special receiver). Ameristar1 and AsiaStar1 satellites will start later in 1999. Worldspace will carry several ACP stations (including stations in Benin, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda). Another consortium, the World Radio Network, offers the selected output of 25 key international stations, such as South Africa's Channel Africa. BBC: BBC World Service, Bush House, London W2B 4PH, UK. Website: http://www.agricta.org/Spore/spore78/www.bbc.co.uk CA: Channel Africa, PO Box 91313, 2006 Auckland Park, South Africa; Fax: + 27 11 482 3506; Website: http://www.agricta.org/Spore/spore78/www.channelafrica.org CBC: Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, The Pine, St. Michael, Bridgetown, Barbados DW: Deutsche Welle, 50588 Cologne, Germany. Fax: + 49 221 389 3000; Website: http://www.agricta.org/Spore/spore78/www.dwelle.de RNZI: Radio New Zealand International, PO Box 2209, Auckland, New Zealand; Website: http://www.agricta.org/Spore/spore78/www.actrix.gen.nz/biz/rnzi RFI: Radio France International, 116 av Pres. Kennedy, 75220 Paris cedex 16, France. Website: www.rfi.fr VOA: Voice of America, 330 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20547, USA Worldspace: (Washington, USA); Website: http://www.agricta.org/Spore/spore78/www.worldspace.com WRN: World Radio Network, 10 Wyvil Rd, London SW8 2TG, England; Fax: + 44 171 896 9000; Website: http://www.agricta.org/Spore/spore78/www.wrn.org The International Listening Guide which provides details of 5,000 radio stations worldwide is available from ILG, PO Box 1112, 34567 Homberg, Germany. Website: http://www.agricta.org/Spore/spore78/www.ilg.de The OneWorld Radio News Network helps stations to exchange programmes, and broadcast them via the Internet. http://nt.oneworld.org/ See also the radio pages on http://www.agricta.org/Spore/spore78/www.cta.nlRadio, the major communication medium in many ACP countries, is changing fast. Since 1990, there has been a massive surge in the number of rural radio stations, now totalling more than 400, according to a recent survey for CTA. Urban stations have..