This paper shares the experience of ABC Ulwazi in South Africa in interacting with and creating educational and developmental radio programmes for community radio stations. According to the author, the majority of the ABC Ulwazi programmes use the EE format, for example Rebuilding Civil Society - Democracy Indeed, The Magic Circle, Talking Man - Talking Woman, Fight Against the Fist etc.

The paper states that in producing these programmes, they have learned that producing a well-researched, well-scripted, well-produced programme, using familiar situations and colloquial dialogue, is not enough. In addition, station “buy-in” must be ensured through short adult education courses for presenters and station managers. This helps them to “localize” scripts to address regional issues, problems and languages. In addition, in order to extend the usefulness of the broadcast programmes, Listeners Associations are being established. These create further opportunities for selected opinion-formers in the community to maximise the impact of the broadcasts. Listeners Clubs can disseminate the broadcast information to NGO’s and schools as
well as lobbying for airtime on the local station for panel discussion programmes. Critically, Listeners Associations can provide structures, advice and assistance to help those individuals targeted by the broadcasts i.e. victims of domestic violence, those affected by HIV, or unemployed youth.

The paper explores the concepts of 'Media Determinism' and 'Individual Volition', and states that it is time for a re-think - to move away from a blind faith in a single medium (the curse
of media determinacy) to consider the entire social, economic, cultural and
psychological context of the consumption of a medium and the ability of those
consumers to act.

The effectiveness of even as simple a medium as radio does not reside in transistors,
coils and antennae. It is everything contained in the "mesh."
So considering these factors what can we do to ensure that when the broadcast
ends, the programme is not over? It must be understood that the actual broadcast of
an EE radio programme is only the start of a complex communication process. The
actual broadcast should be woven into the "mesh" of communicational activities
triggered by the broadcast – and this is how ABC Ulwazi is striving to overcome the
challenges discussed.