Meeting Minutes: Dialogue Role of Community Radio for Poverty Alleviation Jointly Organized By Palli Karma -Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) and Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication

Meeting Minutes: Dialogue
Role of Community Radio for
Poverty Alleviation
Jointly Organized By
Palli Karma -Sahayak Foundation
(PKSF)
and
Bangladesh NGOs Network for
Radio and Communication
Chaired By: Mr. Kazi Mesbahuddin, Managing Director of
PKSF
Moderated by: Mr. Md.Fazlul Kader, General Manager-
(Operation) of PKSF
Date: 23-01-2011
Venue: PKSF Bhaban (3rd Floor –Room No-307), Shere-
Bangla –Nagar, Agargaon, Dhaka.
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On 23rd of January at 11 AM a dialogue on Community Radio
was held at PKSF Bhaban (3rd floor, Room no-307), where some
selected PKSF partners participated.
Among the participants, there were 05 partner organizations
who have already received Community Radio License and 06
others (more) waiting for the license to install Community
Radio Stations.
The attending PKSF Partners, as recipients of Community
Radio license are:
1. RDRS
2. Srizoni Bangladesh
3. YPSA
4. Proyash and
5. EC Bangladesh
The other partners (now in the process to get CR License)
participated in the dialogue were:
1. Dwip Unnayan Sangstha
2. Sankalpa Trust
3. Setu
3. TMSS and
4. Jagorani Chakra Foundation
Senior Officials from PKSF – Parveen Mahmud, FCA, Deputy
Managing Director, Dr.Jashim Uddin, General Manager(Admin)
Mr. Golam Touhid,General Manager(Operation) Golam Mawla-,
Akanda Md.Rafiqul Islam, Md.Mashiur Rahman and Mr.Ziauddin
Iqbal attended the program.
From BNNRC Mr. Rafiqul Alam, Chairperson of BNNRC and
Executive Director of DUS, AHM Bazlur Rahman, Chief
Executive Officer, Syed Kamrul Hassan, Coordinator –
Knowledge Management for Development(KM4D) and Zahidul
H. Khan, Program Officer took part in the event.
Background session: Introduction and BNNRC
Presentation on Community Radio
Mr.Fazlul Quader moderated the dialogue. On his request the
participants introduced each other.
Later he requested CEO of BNNRC, the co-organizer of the
event to provide a short briefing on Community Radio, its policy
aspects and its role in poverty alleviation in line with PKSF. In
his short PowerPoint presentation, AHM Bazlur Rahman
highlighted the approval process of Community radio Policy in
Bangladesh and its regulatory framework .He referred that
Community Radio has been mentioned as an effective media
tool in “National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction-2
FY 2009-11(PRS)”.Responding on how Community Radio can
play effective role in poverty alleviation for the Poor, Landless
and Assetless people, he pointed this radio an
attractive,available,accessible and affordable media .This is
attractive because most of the rural people enjoy listening to it.
Community Radio programs, particularly the educational
programs are relatively cheap to produce and to transmit.
Besides, most people, even in the poorest rural areas, have
access to radio receivers and a source of power. Describing on
Community radio programs in line with PKSF Mandate –he
pointed some programs as examples like Radio
talks,Interviews,Panel
discussions,Documentaries,Drama,development music and
song, Community dialogue etc.those would cover
education,information,entertainment and development
motivation aspects.
What (possible) role PKSF can play, regarding poverty
alleviation through Community Radio, through its Partner
Organizations? The following points have been mentioned:
1. Skills for effectiveness
2. Provide Technical Assistance
3. Fruitful Partnership
4. Collaborative Planning
5. Developing program
6. Developing support materials
7. Listening groups. Using the network
8. Promotion, publicity, feedback and add value.
BNNRC is already involved in capacity development of CR
Initiators, provide them technical cooperation and conducting
on-going Research & Development on the issues.(For more
details -Ref: BNNRC PowerPoint slides-find attached)
In his supporting brief comment on CEOs presentation, BNNRC
Chairman and Executive Director of Dwip Unnayan Sangstha
and Chairperson of BNNRC - Mr. Md.Rafiqul Alam stressed on
the immense potential of Community radio in enhancing the
livelihood situation of the fishermen community. Community
Radio can be instrumental in disaster risk reduction of the
coastal community, in protection of their lives and livelihood.
Discussion Session: opinion, suggestion and
recommendations as outcome of the Dialogue
The BNNRC presentation made a background and thus created
a starting point for an open discussion among the participants.
Partners’ Comment and Opinion in brief-
In open discussion representatives from PKSF Partner
organizations expressed their opinion and concentrated their
discussions on main 2 aspects-the potential and the challenges
for Community Radio. In this respect, participants have
identified 3 main areas as they were to address regarding
community radio installation, operation and management
stages. These are: Technical, Content and Sustainability.
Scopes
Representative from Proyash (ChapaiNawabganj) mentioned
one of the consultation findings conducted in one of the local
schools in his working area, where the respondents expressed
positive response to community radio. All of the discussants
from Partner NGOs unanimously agreed that Community Radio
can be effective-
In preservation and appropriate utilization of Indigenous
knowledge and technology, Information dissemination (Proyash
Representative)
Awareness raising of fisher folk community and the Sunderland
neighborhood and thus save the bio-diversity (Representative-
Sankalpa Trust)
Providing information on Collection, preservation, profitatable
production and marketing of potato growers in Musnshiganj
(Representative-EC Bangladesh), for Shabjee growers in
Kushtia (Representative-Setu).One of the representatives
mentioned that the potential of CR could be multiplied by
Internet/cellular links.
RDRS representative shared one of the recent study findings
conducted recently in RDRS catchment area for CR (Chilmari),
where, community people even being ultra poor, showed
inspiring response to this media now to be operated at their
doorsteps! Accordingly they have categorized priority-wise for
the content of Community Radio as: Agriculture, Health and
Entertainment. Agriculture became the top issue of the Radio-
Content.
Challenges
The Representatives identified some challenges they might face
in different stages/areas during Community radio operation.
Some of those could be coined as follows:
Technical area
-Cost of Installation
-Technical know-how
-Trouble-shooting and smooth operation of the installed
technology.
Content area
-Priority of the community in content selection
-Content development
Sustainability
-Local resource mobilization
-Sponsorship, Advertisement (being unbiased)
-Business Plan
In response to the above points, CEO (of BNNRC) mentioned
that BNNRC, side by side with policy advocacy, is providing
capacity building support to all (14) CR initiators of the countryparticularly
in the area of Station Management, Technical
aspects, Program and News production, Radio content
development, Rural journalism.Also,govt.department like
NIMCO is playing capacity development role –he mentioned.
BNNRC, in collaboration with other institutions in home and
abroad is trying to develop a Community Radio Academy to
ensure an institutional support-base for the initiators.
It was also informed that a studio installation cost ranges from
20-30 lacs taka (10-15 lacs for a Buet sample). Mr.Polash
Chowdhury (YPSA) requested PKSF to provide supporting cost
in CR Station Installation process.
Program sponsorship, selling on-air time, advertisement and
local community donation were some of the ideas generated for
Sustainability of a station. Minimization of operational cost may
also be considered as a point to pick up for sustainability. For
overall sustaionability, there should be a well-thought business
plan to guide to the sustainable operation.
The representatives mentioned that their travel and exposure in
some CR stations in the neighboring countries enriched their
understanding and confidence level.
PKSF Officials: Comment and Opinion in brief-
In her comments, Perveen Mahmud encouraged the partners
and told them not be dishearted with CR operation project.
Though this would be the first of its kind, “sustainability would
not be a problem” –she mentioned.
Dr Jashimuddin mentioned that community radio could play a
great role in livelihood improvement and poverty alleviation,
and so PKSF has had a great role to play in this regard.”We will
be with you”-he mentioned. “I am hopeful of the future of CR
in our country”-he stressed. Since Community Radio would
cover multi-stakeholder at different levels, so sustainability
would not be a problem for a Community Radio – he
mentioned.
Mr.Fazlul Quader, the facilitator of the discussion told the fact
that each of the 14 CR Initiators (the first license holders)
would cover all most million people of 900sq.km reflected the
great potential of CR as a community media.
Mr.F.Quader was also optimistic to the future role of
Community Radio and its sustainability as a community asset.
Dr.Kazi Mesbahuddin Ahmed: his bridging comments –
In his very eloquent speech Dr. Kazi Mesbahuddin, MD, PKSF
and the Chair person of the Dialogue sessions recalled his
involvement and role in incorporating community radio in PRS,
as an essential media tool for the future community
development. He recalled his personal experience in
community/campus radio listening during his study and travels
in USA, Australia and/or in other European countries.
He mentioned that in PKSF, there is a consensus among the
Panel Leaders to encourage and include new tools and
diversified sub-sectors in poverty alleviation. Community Radio
can be effective in small, densely populated area in countries
like Bangladesh (in comparison with Mongolia) where large
population could be reached by using a low-cost, affordable
technology. Such a radio can be used in different development
motivational aspects-in protecting early marriage, drinking
boiled water, safe sanitation and so on. Regarding the
prospects of the Community Radio in Bangladesh, he
commented-“sky is the limit!”
He reminded PKSF mandate in poverty alleviation and
expressed his supportive feeling and cooperation in community
radio promotion throughout the country. He suggested the
initiators to avoid undue local politics/influence and ensure the
un-biased stand of community radio for rural development. He
expressed his frustration regarding the present trend of
language distortion in the current commercial FM Radios and
requested the Initiators to be alert.
How PKSF can help in community radio promotional processresponding
to this, he mentioned that PKSF can initiate its
cooperation by selecting and providing information on Radio
Contents (those would cater the poverty alleviation agenda of
PKSF).He also mentioned that PKSF Initiative –“Samriddhi”
(One organization, one Upazila –having 21 partners in
operation) could be a starting point for cooperation in
community radio field for the partners.
Finally he encouraged BNNRC to go on and to continue its
mission for establishing a full-equipped CR Academy so that it
would be able to provide meaningful services to CR initiators.
He suggested BNNRC to strengthen their policy advocacy role
and take part more actively in regulatory framework.
At present BNNRC is included in Monitoring Committee, not in
Regulatory Committee. Such a Committee-structure might
provide a sense of govt.-owned type regarding Community
radio, therefore representation of Civil Society is an essential
requisite.
At the end, he thanked everyone in the dialogue for their
thoughtful inputs and active participation.
Written by:
Syed Kamrul Hasan, Coordinator, Knowledge Management for
Development (KM4D) New Initiative Unite of BNNRC