AudiencScapes

by Bai-Bai Sesay

18 March 2010

(Freetown, Sierra Leone)--Community radio stations are widespread in post-civil war Sierra Leone. But they face financial and logistical challenges, while some observers voice concern about whether they are playing a constructive role in the national political discourse and can remain free of partisan meddling.

Finances and politics are often related issues, as strapped stations may be more vulnerable to influence by those who would like to use them as a mouthpiece to push a particular political agenda.

National Reach

Isaac Massaquoi, head of the department of Mass Communications at the University of Sierra Leone and a community radio pioneer, said roughly 30 of these stations operate in all of the country's 12 political and administrative districts. Though they are typically based in district capitals, their broadcasts reach smaller and remote rural communities. In practice, he said, every part of the country has access to at least one community station, providing a public voice to rural communities that have made themselves heard through mainstream media. (For more on some of the more popular community radio stations see our Regional Analysis Tab)

However, Massaquoi said that sustaining community radio is a big challenge. “For most of these community radio stations, where they operate, the electricity from the national grid is absent. Running generators is expensive. The rural communities are poor and can’t even pay for small services like public announcements. The danger is that soon politicians will move in and patronize those stations and erode the [public watchdog] work that they have largely been doing”, he opined.

Bernadette Cole, the chairperson of the Independent Media Commission (IMC), said the agency has been educating station managers about the dangers of becoming political pawns. She also asserted that, by the time of the 2012 general and presidential elections, community stations will be sufficiently shielded from such influences. That said, the financial side of the equation remains unclear.

Financial strains have also led some stations to abandon their community status in favor of a commercial model. According to Massaquoi, a few stations in the capital Freetown appear to have gradually transformed themselves into semi-commercial stations, which is reflected in their programming and ownership.

Debate over Political Role

In the meantime, there is debate over the extent to which community radio stations may be either skewing the national political debate or presenting political news in a biased manner. Ibrahim Sorie Kamara, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Information and Communication, said that community radios outlets are disuniting Sierra Leoneans by sending distorted political messages and reports on government policies.

Dr. Julius Spencer, managing director of Premier Media Consultancy Sierra Leone and a former information and communications minister, disagrees. Spencer acknowledged that some community radio stations have taken very partisan stances during election periods, but otherwise there is no evidence that they are trying to create the kinds of rifts among tribes or regions of the country that helped to fuel the long civil war. Spencer added that community radio stations are supporting democracy by giving people the opportunity to have a say in programming and to voice their opinions.

Community radio stations can indeed create a constructive platform where issues are discussed and solutions found. Information and Communication Minister Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, who is also a seasoned journalist, stated, “Community radio stations form a backbone in the socioeconomic and political development of any country.”

Cole pointed out that the challenges of the media in Sierra Leone under her commission is to create a level of efficiency and professionalism among the media out lets in the country. She disclosed that the IMC has set up a committee to look into the affairs of existing media outlets. “We want to know how many of them are currently operating and paying there yearly dues. For the past two to three years some of them have not yet registered with the commission," she said. (For more on existing community radio networks and their political programming visit our Country Overview Radio section)

Related:

See our related blog by Peter Goldstein on UN radio and its relevance