Supporting Private Media to Boost Access to Information
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| A presenter uses new broadcasting equipment in the Radio King studio.
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"Knowledge is power"—so goes the famous quote, and an engaged media is a key resource in making this aphorism a reality. Radio in particular can be a valuable ally in rural regions like northern Uganda, an area that has limited access to information, even as long-term development efforts take root, and where decades of conflict have led to low literacy rates.
To help bridge the information gap in northern Uganda, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) provided three radio stations—Radio King in Gulu, Kitti FM in Kitgum, and Luo FM in Pader—with assistance through a $90,000 in-kind grant. The package provided essential broadcast equipment as well as training for station managers in organizational development mentoring and business skills. The assistance is intended to boost development activities by empowering rural communities with increased access to information.
"For quality programming, the cost of the radio production equipment is massive, especially for private entrepreneurs, so we are truly grateful that OTI stepped in at the right moment…to provide us with equipment and skills," said David Mwaka, managing director of Radio King. "The radio station is currently in the process of adapting to the new business management techniques."
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| Radio King's new booster transmitter has doubled the station's signal strength.
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Prior to issuing the awards, OTI supported a media and perceptions survey, which found that northern Ugandans preferred to receive vital community information via radio broadcasts. However, a separate analysis of local radio stations revealed that the majority of stations in the region lacked even the most basic equipment needed to produce professional-quality programs.
OTI's support for the private sector is also encouraging healthy competition, which, in the long run, should increase the quality of programming. Only a few months after the final installation and training on use of the equipment, Radio King set up a booster transmitter that extends the reach of the station's signal, sending it beyond the Acholi sub-region into Lango in the south and southern Sudan in the north. The improvement more than doubles the station's coverage area.
"Though this is providing a bit of a challenge now, I foresee Radio King having more useful programs, with the best quality programming in northern Uganda," Mwaka said.
For further information, please contact the USAID Africa Bureau.
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