Liberia Community Radio Case Study: The Sustainability Myth

This six-page document summarises the findings of Search for Common Ground (SFGC) research into community radio station sustainability and the role of communities in five Liberian towns. According to the document, despite the proliferation of community radio stations in Liberia, their potential to create participatory democracy has not been utilised fully as a partner in the development process. The self-limiting definition of media that focuses on traditional press and urban-based radio stations providing news is one contributing factor, while another is the myth that community radio is not sustainable. The research found that all interviewed stations had achieved some level of sustainability, which was most effectively attained by building community ownership. Those that received national development funding were more likely to broadcast for the public good versus their more commercial counterparts. The study also found that local authorities needed more education on the role of community radio in development and that the Association of Liberia Community Radio (ALICOR) could be a tool in this regard.

One community radio's defining characteristsic is community participation in programming, management, and ownership. Although community radio has blossomed in the wake of Liberia's peaceful elections in 2005, the document asserts that community radio has not been utilised as an effective development partner and the sector faces challenges in terms of station sustainability. However respondents in the research reported that stations had benefited local populations through provision of information and education, and less importantly, entertainment. Several stations noted radio's role in post-war reconciliation and recovery. One station also highlighted the radio's role in disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation, and reintegration, encouraging ex-combatants to come on air and publicly renounce their war names as a way of reintegrating back into society. Another station helped reunite more than 20 missing persons with their families. Following from this, the study found that about 75% of all station programming was locally produced. Again, stations characterised their relationship with communities as symbiotic; they provided them with information and, in turn, communities helped with station maintenance or funding.

While station sustainability was strongly linked with this kind of community ownership, stations had achieved varying degrees of success in community ownership and governance of radio through call-in shows, roundtables and, in some cases, community programming like collecting local histories. The need for increased community involvement was addressed as part of the report's three recommendations:

Improve community involvement: Stations needs help in implementing community outreach activities, such as dramas, skits and town hall meetings, to educate communities about the radio's benefits, and their role in supporting and managing it. Stations themselves need education on the importance of conducting listener surveys and holding listener forums for feedback and discussion. Finally, community radios need assistance in drafting terms of reference and providing board development to community board members.

Strengthen the ALICOR Network: ALICOR needs additional resources and training to provide technical assistance to member stations in the form of staff development and advocacy work. It also needs professional guidance on how to mobilise members to lobby for an allotment of Liberia's County Development Fund as community radios provide important development programming. Most importantly, ALICOR needs assistance in gathering and disseminating information among its membership, especially in regard to opportunities.

Promote models of sustainable practices: Individual needs assessments should be conducted with stations to identify challenges. Stations should then be provided with possible solutions to these challenges based on the practices of other community radios within the Liberia network. A Liberia-specific community radio handbook that provides real-world examples of successful strategies for income generation, financial management, community involvement, and strategic planning could complement hands-on assistance.