Local Voices: Preliminary Findings from Radio Content Analysis - Kenya
Internews’ Local Voices project, funded by USAID, aims to mobilise and equip radio professionals in Kenya and Nigeria to play a more meaningful role in helping their societies to cope with HIV/AIDS. The project sensitises media owners and managers to the need for ongoing, effective coverage of HIV/AIDS, trains radio journalists, talk show hosts and disc jockeys to improve coverage and programming on HIV/AIDS issues, offers ongoing access to a media resource center, radio production studio and technical support for research, editing and production, and gives travel grants to investigate in-depth features outside of the capital city.
According to the organisers, as one of the objectives of the Local Voices project is to increase frequency and improve quality of HIV/AIDS reporting and programming on radio, radio content analysis is an important part of their three-pronged evaluation strategy. (They also evaluate changes in attitude by radio station management toward HIV coverage, as well as impact on listening audience through household surveys). Steadman Research Services in Nairobi has been contracted to conduct this content analysis for the Kenya project. The first wave (W1) or baseline was conducted in June 2003 when the project had only been on the ground for a few months. The second wave was conducted a year later in June-July 2004. Eleven radio stations were recorded during Wave 1 and 12 stations during Wave 2 (One station, Waumini, was not yet on air in W1). One week of radio programming was monitored and recorded daily (6am-11:30pm). Selected programmes from the monitored week were played for listening groups. (Wave 3 will be conducted in June 2005).
Key Findings from comparison of Wave 1 and Wave 2:
- HIV programmes being sponsored by UNAIDS and UNFPA during Wave 1 have dropped out in Wave 2. (ie. Not sustainable)
- Unsponsored news stories on HIV have increased in Wave 2 by 52%, while unsponsored talk shows/call-in programmes on HIV have increased by 225%.
- More of these HIV programmes are airing during prime time in W2, a 110% increase. (63 slots aired during prime time in W2 compared to 30 in W1)
- During Wave 2, a variety of HIV-related topics are being covered that were not present in Wave 1, including PMTCT, HIV/AIDS and religion, ART, sexual abuse, nutrition, and people living with HIV/AIDS.
- KBC English - which has national coverage - has recorded the highest increase in HIV/AIDS slots in Wave 2, from 4 to 38, both during prime time and off-prime time.
- Metro FM also shows increase from 14 slots at Wave 1 to 29 at Wave 2. Also, more topics being covered, including PLWHA, mother to child transmission, and TB. Although the slots being paid for by UNFPA and UNAIDS in Wave 1 are no longer there since sponsor pulled out, Metro is producing more of its own slots in Wave 2.
- Citizen Radio increased HIV slots from 3 in W1 to 16 in W2, with content diversified in W2 to include PLWHA, condoms, and rape - a topic that is rarely talked about.
- On Kiss FM and Capital FM, HIV/AIDS coverage remains minimal in both waves.
- During Wave 2, more of the programmes include personal testimonies and voices of those personally affected and infected than in W1 (ie. A mother living with HIV/AIDS, a rape victim, etc)
Please contact Mia Malan mia@internews.org or Liz Gold lgold@internews.org for more information.
Email from Liz Gold to Soul Beat Africa, October 28 2004.
Comments
To me this article reflects that media owners, producers and reporters have developed their own localised products - rather than relying on the sponsored programmes - this owuld probably give the producers more freedom with regards to diversity in topics covered? I am looking forward to read the study on changes in attitude by radio station management toward HIV coverage, as well as impact on listening audience through household surveys.
First, it is commendable for people in the electronic media to get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.However, it is not enough, the people who are more exposed to HIV infection are the rural dwellers in most poor devloping countries. Radio, in these communities is seen as a veritable tool for news and propaganda by government or people in power, therefore the locals hardly listen if it is not music or a programme in thier dialect. A more proactive way of reaching out to the people is by involving NGOs that can attract the people by visiting the most inaccessible areas and presenting dance dramas, information is passed this way without the rural people getting distracted. Pictures of victims and ways of prevention can be shown to the locals through the dance groups. Outside this, we are talking about a people that go out to farm or fish very early in the morning and come back at night, they hardly listen to radio to get bored with HIV/AIDS talk.
Journalist in Africa especially Nigeria, in thier attempt to enlighten people and remove the stigma of living with aids, often make it more hard for those living with the virus to own up. If people with terminal dieseases like cancer and other renal diseases come out openly to solicit for help and talk about it openly, why do journalist always empahsise 'the incurability?' diabetis and many more diseases are not curable.Some quacks and alternative medicine practitoners cash in on this and inform the hapless and ignorant sufferer that there is cure and they follow even avoiding the sustainble anti-retroviral drugs (that is if they can afford it). Journalists in Nigeria especially elecronic also make it look like carelessness and wayward lifestyle brings forth aids. If we must reach people and make them own up or go for tests, aids should be seen like another disease that kills and can be prevented therefore contracting it is not as a result of high flying life style. So many women in Africa am sure contact HIV not through sex but through skin piercing instruments they use in saloons while fixing their hair. 60% of Nigerian women fix one form of weavon-on or another and the stylists use needles to sew the artificial hairs on the scalp of the women. Sex of course is a major meduim of transfering the various but the religious inclinations of many Africans make it look like a terrible sin. Am looking forward to the day HIV positive victims can come out openly like other terminal disease sufferers to ask for assistance without a hood on their head.
It is a bold intiative but more africans living out side the major towns shuld be involved in the fight against aids even if it means organising fiestas, cinema shows, dance troupes etc. This way I believe we can catch the attention of the rural dwellers who still think aids is an urban disease, visitation of drama troupes will linger more in their memory than a talk show or a thirty second talk on aids.
I think the page is very useful, specially for a country like Pakistan, which is still low prevalence but high risk. I am a free lance journalist working on HIV/ AIDS for the past few years and find it very difficult to place my articles in newspapers as our media heads are still in the denial phase of the epidemic. It is very encouraging to find such networks as the few of us working in this field need support and capacity building thru exchange of ideas and guidance. It is very frustrating at times.
Huma Khawar
Free Lance Journalist
Apt-112, Park Towers,
F 10 Markaz, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN
Phone:92-51-221-1913
Cell:92-300-954-2711
e-mail:khawar_huma@yahoo.com
hkhawar@isb.paknet.com.pk
i am sending this email to you request you to come at ruiru rehabilitation centre you how the children are suffering very painful well wishes they bring things to them but the workers they aretheft even the pple have stpped helping them now i have them way aresuffering now ihave decided to write to to assist themb i have much to but i request to it is after kimbo thika road.
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