Summary

This is the introductory chapter from a new book called the The One to Watch: Radio, ICTs and Interactivity that examines the potential for radio to become the medium that links the power of ICTs and the Internet to the real world, daily demands of development. In this chapter Girard argues that it is the combination of radio and the new ICTs that will truly offer a new range of possibilities for development communication projects. After examining some features of the Internet for development, the history of radio and its contemporary application, Girard examines how communication projects can be placed into three broad categories that play a vital role in development. These categories are:

• Projects which create/support networks of broadcasters.
• Projects in which the radio station serves as a gateway for access to the knowledge and information potential of the Internet.
• Projects that use the radio/Internet combination to connect migrant communities and realize the communication potential of the Internet.

Key Points

When broaching the issue of the digital divide, Girard points out that much of the debate has focused on “uncovering new areas of global inequality and imagining new opportunities for development.” Often overlooked is the seemingly obvious fact that the primary cause of the digital divide is the same cause behind the many other inadequacies plaguing developing countries. Poor countries do not have access to the Internet (and water, sanitation, education, etc.) because they are poor. Raw investment in any of these areas will improve lives. However, that investment has to be accompanied by local participation if projects designed to improve access to ICTs are not to become another of the many “white elephants” that litter the development arena.

Despite some efforts, trends show a growing inequality between the info-rich and the info-poor. But, the expectation can also not be to provide the developing world with the same level or structure of service seen in the developed world. New models are needed, both to address issues of connectivity and to address the much more challenging issues of illiteracy, language, and content that impede Internet take-up. Girard notes that “while technology is important, escaping from poverty requires knowledge, and knowledge does not come from technology but from experience and relevant and meaningful content, digital or not.” Successful uses of the Internet for development will build on existing systems and utilize community intermediaries that will allow the average person to contextually appropriate knowledge.

Radio has such an important role to play in bridging the gap primarily because the direct access common to the West is simply not feasible. Radio is characterized by low production and distribution costs, and is able to interpret the world for, and respond to local communities. Most importantly, radio is widely available, with far more receivers per person than telephone lines or any other ICT device. In many rural areas, radio is the only form of communication, and has often been observed to fulfill the personal messaging role oft expected of the telephone.

The four most important characteristics behind radio's success as a development medium are: (1) its pervasiveness, (2) its local nature, (3) it is an oral medium, and (4) it has the ability to involve communities and individuals in an “interactive social communication process.” This last feature is different from the interactivity of the Internet that is primarily oriented towards links exogenous to the community. What is beginning to emerge is a series of new models that attempt to link these separate qualities so that the community can be in touch with both itself and with the vast knowledge of the outside world.

As noted above, there are three main streams that Internet/radio projects have taken, in the article, each category description is followed by a series of examples.

Networks – These numerous radio stations can become linked to one another using the Internet and can gain economic advantages offered by increased economies of scale – production costs can be shared and materials can be exchanged. These linkages also provide a more complete service for listeners, combining opportunities for access to local, regional, and national information through one access point.

Gateways – These projects are the reverse of placing streaming radio broadcasts on the net, they use the radio to extend the reach of the Internet. The radio station acts as an intermediary for the community, accessing the information they need and then a making it widely available through broadcast. This form of “radio browsing” makes the station part “search engine, part librarian, part journalist and part translator.” Many of the barriers to access that prevent the effective use of the Internet (infrastructure, language, etc.) still exist for the radio station, but they are much easier for an organization to overcome than an individual.

Communication with Migrants – While gateways are focused on expanding the reach of the Internet into traditional communities, there is also a demand to connect the new communities emerging as a result of a more globalized workforce. There are an estimated 75 million short and medium term migrant workers in the international labour pool and they are a vital source of foreign funds for developing countries. Allowing these workers to stay in touch with their homes is important, and the combination of radio and the Internet can facilitate the maintenance of these links, with the migrant workers accessing the station through the Internet and the station communicating their messages with the home neighbourhood in a two-way feed.

In concluding, the author suggests that the new challenges involve the development of strategies to make information both available and meaningful. Technology is not necessarily the most significant barrier, ingenuity and an appreciation of local capabilities can overcome many obstacles, and Internet/radio projects should not attempt to fit into a single mould but rather to remain flexible and adaptive to the needs of the areas in which they serve.

Source: Bruce Girard. “Radio and the Internet: Mixing Media to Bridge the Divide” in The One to Watch: Radio, ICTs and Interactivity, Rome, FAO/FES (May 2003). For more information email 1-2-watch@comunica.org

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