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SOUL BEAT : Community Radio

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Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET)

Country

Kenya

Programme Summary

Established in 1996, the Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET) is a national network of individuals, media organisations, media professionals, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that promotes community media and development communication in Kenya. KCOMNET advocates for the creation and sustainability of community-based media owned, controlled, and produced by, for, and about communities.

Communication Strategies

The objectives of KCOMNET include:

  • building awareness and appreciation among decision and policy makers at all levels regarding the positive contribution of community media in the national development agenda;
  • fostering an enabling regulatory environment for community media in Kenya;
  • helping KCOMNET members and other communities acquire the basic knowledge and skills for community media practice;
  • working with KCOMNET members and other communities to acquire the technological resources necessary for the application of community media knowledge and skills; and
  • helping KCOMNET's secretariat to develop an accessible and useful resource centre on community media theory and practice.



KCOMNET members are community-based communication groups who use a variety of media, such as street theatre, songs and poetry, live music bands, puppets, radio listening groups, community newspapers and newsletters, community video, resource centres, tele-centres, and radio broadcasting.

Housed by EcoNews Africa, a regional development communication NGO, KCOMNET's activities include lobbying, advocacy, and training activities.

  • Training: This takes the form of workshops where KCOMNET group members offer basic communication skills to members of the community communication groups. Training includes modules that enhance skills in a member's area of specialisation as well as new skills towards para-commercialisation and other sustainability measures. Consequently, modules include group dynamics, introduction to community participatory production techniques in radio and television, entrepreneurship, and marketing techniques.
  • Advocacy and Lobbying: The lobbying working group works towards the creation of an enabling regulatory environment for community media, the legal recognition of community broadcasting as a distinct third sector of broadcasting, and an independent regulatory body for broadcasting.

Partners

African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), Friedrich Ebert Stiftung(FES), Kenya Union of Journalists(KUJ), Africa women and Child Features(AWC), National Initiative on Computer Education(NICE), Media Council, PANOS Eastern Africa, EcoNews Africa, British Council and Kenya Social Forum.

Contact

Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET)

C/o EcoNews Africa
P.O. Box 76406

Nairobi
Kenya
Tel: (254 20) 2721076/99 / 2725743 / 2721655
Fax: (254 20) 2725171

Source

KCOMNET website on October 3 2005 and KCOMNET website on March 26 2009.


Placed on the Soul Beat Africa site October 03 2005
Last Updated April 14 2009



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