Eight Coastal Community Radio will Share Coastal Airwaves in Bangladesh.
A day-long strategic workshop titled- ‘Community Radio for the Future: Multi-Platform Presence, Multi-Generation Reach, Editorial Independence & Serving the Public Interest’, was held on 4 January , 2017 at the Meeting Room of Coast Trust at Shyamoli, Dhaka. The Program was organized by Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) under the support of Free Press Unlimited.
A total of 14 Community Radio Broadcasters and representatives of the initiator organizations of 8 Community Radio Stations (all located in coastal region of the country namely Community Radio Naf, Community Radio Sagar Giri, Community Radio Meghna, Community Radio Sagardwip, Community Radio Lokobetar, Community Rural Radio Krishi, Community Radio Nalta and Community Radio Sunderban) participated in this event.
Currently Eight Coastal Community Radio stations are jointly produce & broadcast 51 hours programs covering 2.8 million listeners by involving coastal communities.
On behalf of BNNRC, Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kamaruzaman, Program Coordinator, Syed Kamrul Hasan, Coordinator-KM4D and Ms. Tamanna Rahman, Coordinator – Building Capacity from BNNRC attended the workshop.
The objectives of the workshop were to exchange and share common radio contents among all 8 Community Radio Stations and to produce more creative and quality radio programs in a common platform for their respective audiences to enjoy and benefit from various diversified contents based on their local demands.
To explore the ways to cooperate in joint program production and broadcasting by 08 community radio stations in coastal region
To create a multi sect oral platform aiming to ensure multi-presence by combining representatives from all levels of the society and occupation
To establish the image of radio as an effective and strong media outlet
To ensure multi-platform presence and reach to multi-generation utilize Face book, SMS and other social media options and utilize internet broadcasting of radio content
Speaking about the importance to exchange radio programs, AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR highlighted the role and possible challenge for Community Radio by briefing four stages of community Radio such as Multi- generation reach, Multi- platform presence, Editorial independence and community Radio for serving a community interest, act an alternate to mainstream media, linking to the local civil society and how the community media would act as rhizome for the rural community.
He said, “If the eight CR Stations could be able to exchange and share joint radio programs, they would reach altogether around 28 lacs audiences at a time! As a result, by using this common avenue, in future, the broadcasters will ensure to mobilize their target communities, i.e. they will be able to create a multi-platform where they can ensure multi-generation presence or reach.”
The participants presented their action plans by dividing them into two groups, such as one was technical and other on programmatic aspects. They highlighted about their possible future common and combined contents and formats. They have decided that each Community Radio Stations would make a single component of a magazine program and a news bi-rotation which would lead to coordinate to broadcast their combined program for a monthly basis.
Technical group in their presentation, requesting the program persons, for the sake of smooth on airing, all prepared radio formats must be on their hand before two days of scheduled broadcasting the program. From live broadcast, they would upload and download all programs, as appropriate to the technology in place. All these programs would be available in the social media, such as You-tube, Facebook etc.
In presentation, they also committed to tackle all possible challenges; they have also proposed some way-outs to address those challenges in an affordable way. Such a common platform would also have potentials to work together as pressure group by using social media, appropriate apps and application of internet broadcasting.
It was decided that this draft action plan will be finalized in another brief workshop in Dhaka and after approval of their senior management. The workshop was ended with a brief feedback session of the participants.
