This publication is part of a series of Portuguese-language training materials produced during "Strengthening Democracy and Governance through Development of the Media in Mozambique," a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)/ United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) media development project that ran from 1998 to 2006 in Mozambique. According to the English-language forword, within communities, there are "the communities within the community." Since different people are affected by different issues, UNESCO in Mozambique chose to organise the work of the community radios it was supporting in "editorial groups." These groups produced programmes around the many special interests of the community, for example: health, agriculture, culture, education, women, human rights and elections, children, sports, and history of the community.

This manual was developed to help editorial groups understand the relevant community-aspects of their special area of production and turn ideas into good programmes. The manual was produced to guide editorial groups and producers through this process: turning the idea into a script, ensuring that this script effectively reflects the interests and tastes of the audience, that it does not activate taboos and fears, that the language, the style, sound effects and the music make up an exciting programme, which will keep its listeners alert and attentive. The manual includes sections on planning the programme, writing the script, using sound effects and music, producing different formats, and undertaking an evaluation.