Communications and Media

Radio Maria is a catholic founded station. Its mission includes Liturgy, Catechesis, and Spirituality, Spiritual assistance with everyday issues, Information, Music, and Culture.

Purpose and Objectives of the Study
This paper looks at the positive and the negative influence of radio Maria in Tanzania. Radio Maria is a Catholic Church Radio in the sense that their programmes are restricted within praying the rosary, Christian songs and other matters pertaining to their faith. The Catholic Radio Maria started its transmissions on April 26th 1996 and is mainly focusing on religious programmes. The station is operated by six volunteers who acquired their skills in short courses at RTD or Radio Tumaini (letter from Camilus

Nikata, September 29th 1996). At present, Radio Maria coverage includes the Catholic Dioceses of Songea, Mbinga, Njombe, Iringa, Mbeya, Mwanza, Geita, Arusha, Moshi, Mbulu, Same and Zanzibar (Pemba). Watu wa Tanzania (people of Tanzania) issues that they raise through this station have to be in a Christian manner. This paper will also examine other radio stations within the region of Africa. In order to fully analysis this station we will also look at the various cultural and religious changes in Tanzania. Radio Maria has been able to go online which means that people across the regions have great access to the programmes of this Radio stations. Most of its programmes are in Kiswahili as we will see later which means that for most of its online listeners have to know this language. Kiswahili is the official language of Tanzania with many schools and colleges teaching in Swahili. This language is also used across the East African Community.

McLuhan wished that media themselves, not the content they carry, ought to be the focus of study  popularly quoted as the medium is the message. McLuhans insight was that a means affects the society in which it plays a role not by the content delivered over the medium, but by the kind of the medium itself. McLuhan pointed to the light bulb as a clear expression of this concept. A light bulb does not have content in the way that a newspaper has articles or a television has programs, yet it is a medium that has a social effect that is, a light bulb enables people to create spaces during night time that would otherwise be enveloped by darkness. He describes the light bulb as a medium devoid of any content. McLuhan states that a light bulb creates a setting by its mere presence. (McGraw 1964)

Summary
Its first broadcast facility was originally parish operated, but was later re-formed as a separate entity outside its home parish as an association of lay people and priests in 1987 as Radio Maria Italia. In less than five years, it grew into a national Catholic radio network throughout Italy. Though not directly connected with the  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiRoman_Catholic_Church o Roman Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church, it was founded as an instrument of the Church, and as a tool for  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiEvangelism o Evangelism evangelization, implementing and adhering to the teachings of the Church. It was inspired by the Marian apparitions at  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiFatima,_Portugal o Fatima, Portugal Fatima, Portugal (and in more recent years in  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiMedjugorje o Medjugorje Medjugorje), pleading for worldwide conversion. As such, Radio Maria is not subsidized or funded by the Roman Catholic Church instead it is underwritten by listener contributions.

The World Family of Radio Maria was formed in 1998 out of its subsequent international growth in the 1990s, and following the 1987 speech by  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiPope_John_Paul_II o Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II in St Peters Square addressing the need for a new evangelization. Emanuele Ferrario (inspired by the Popes words to form that new evangelization) is the founder and president of Radio Maria Inc., which has since grown into an association of 40 multilingual broadcast operations in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. Overall, Radio Maria operates approximately 1,500 terrestrial radio transmitters worldwide.

Its mission includes  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiLiturgy o Liturgy Liturgy,  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiCatechism o Catechism Catechesis,  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiSpirituality o Spirituality Spirituality, Spiritual assistance with everyday issues, Information, Music, and Culture.

The World Family of Radio Maria is not to be confused with The  HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiRadio_Maryja_Family o Radio Maryja Family Radio Maryja Family a controversial religious movement in Poland.

Introduction
Pursuant to the Tanzania Communications Act 1993, The Broadcasting Services
Act 1993 and the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority Act, 2003. The
Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority on 28.06.2006 issued licences to
Content Service Providers according to the Converged Licensing Framework as Radio Maria Catholic Archdiocese  Songea 100

Understanding media history in any society is - in itself - understanding a societys political, economic and social history. It is due to this fact then, that we in Tanzania - particularly in the media industry - find it plausible to have such a work at this material time. This publication will be very helpful especially to students of journalism, media organs, university scholars, various researchers and even the general public. Although various studies had been carried out by Tanzanian scholars about media history, they were not as vast in scope, rich in content and analytic in nature as this one. It is therefore a mirror in which the media industry will see itself to determine how - too old or - old enough it has turned out to be. It is through this publication that Tanzanians will be able to judge - objectively - why the media in the country today behave the way is does. Through this publication, scholars will be able to analyze the relationship between politics and media. Above all, through this publication you will know your own history.

I recommend that the publication should be used as a reference text by journalism students in Tanzania. Ayub Rioba Tanzania School of Journalism (TSJ
Radio Maria, an international Catholic broadcasting service, is spreading Christian prayer, faith formation and human values throughout the globe. Father Francisco Palacios, editorial head of the World Family of Radio Maria, spoke with ZENIT in Rome. The directors were gathered close to the Eternal City this week for an international meeting on the theme Servants of the Church with Mary at the Shrine of Collevalenza. The priest explained that the network challenges the prevailing models of communication, because in an ever more secularized world estranged from God, Radio Maria practices and takes prayer everywhere. The service is currently present in five continents, with 58 radio stations in some 50 countries. It has an average of 30 million listeners daily, and it continually spreading to new areas.Father Palacios affirmed that the radio services work is not a unilateral action we pray and invite our listeners to pray and meditate with us.

Some 200 of the organizations leaders from around the globe gathered Wednesday in St. Peters Square, where Benedict XVI greeted them at the end of the general audience. The Pope encouraged them to continue their important work at the service of the spread of the Gospel.Father Palacios noted that each national association within the family has a priest as the editorial director and a layperson as the president. In this way, the priest guarantees that the programs follow the Churchs Magisterium, and the president organizes, promotes and manages the community that maintains the radio stations activities. He explained that the 24-hour daily broadcast is roughly divided into seven hours of prayer -- including the Mass, Eucharistic adoration and the rosary -- seven hours of Christian formation, seven hours of human formation and three hours of information and music.Global outreach in this way, the priest said, each station is an expression of an ever larger group of persons, united fraternally in an endeavor to improve the life of each one. Thanks to the power of prayer that has driven the global expansion, Father Livio Fanzaga, a presenter of Radio Maria Italy, explained that the program with the greatest audience is the celebration of Mass.Father Fanzaga said that in this meeting, he was very moved to see the growth in maturity and faith of the directors of Radio Maria worldwide, and stressed that the force and charism of this work is totally in Mary. He affirmed, The more we follow the Virgin, the more we will spread the Christian message in the world. Founded in Italy in 1983, the broadcast hit the United States in 2000, beginning in Louisiana. From there it has been spreading its multilingual stations throughout various states. The English broadcast is also present in Canada and the Philippines.The programs can be listened to through the internet by accessing the organizations Web page.

A look at Tanzania
Population39,384,223 note estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) Age structure0-14 years 43.9 (male 8,666,227female 8,624,387) 15-64 years 53.3 (male 10,330,727female 10,649,507) 65 years and over 2.8 (male 491,252female 622,123) (2007 est.) Median agetotal 17.7 years male 17.4 years female 17.9 years (2007 est.) Population growth rate2.091 (2007 est.) Birth rate35.95 births1,000 population (2007 est.) Death rate13.36 deaths1,000 population (2007 est.) Infant mortality ratetotal 71.69 deaths1,000 live births male 78.84 deaths1,000 live births female 64.33 deaths1,000 live births (2007 est.) Life expectancy at birthtotal population 50.71 years male 49.41 years female 52.04 years (2007 est.) Total fertility rate4.77 children bornwoman (2007 est.) HIVAIDS - adult prevalence rate8.8 (2003 est.) HIVAIDS - people living with HIVAIDS1.6 million (2003 est.) HIVAIDS - deaths160,000 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk very high food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease schistosomiasis (2007)

Disputes - internationalTanzania still hosts more than a half-million refugees, more than any other African country, mainly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the international communitys efforts at repatriation disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant Refugees and internally displaced personsrefugees (country of origin) 393,611 (Burundi), 150,112 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2006) Illicit drugsgrowing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African, European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for southern Africa money laundering remains a problem

Looking at these statistics, Tanzania is affected by HIVAIDS, refugee issues and many more problems. The Catholic Church Tanzania advocates for no use of birth control methods to it young followers. This is affecting the sexually active youth who due to shyness will offer not to use this method. Radio Maria which has its basis in the catholic beliefs offers little solutions to these problems.

Looking at this programming, it is clear that this stations preliminary focus personal salvation.
Problems in Tanzania and what Radio Maria offers as solutions

HIV AIDS
The church holds a belief that youth should practice abstinence as a means of sex control. Many of the youths are finding this not possible. Radio Maria offers the same measure of weight as the church does. As a matter of facts the programming of their 24 hour channel has very little to do with the youth issues. One of their most popular programme HYPERLINK httpradiotime.comProgramDetails.aspxProgramId147149StationId6424Maombi kwa Wote (prayer for all) is a session of prayers for the listeners for various problems that they are encountering. They pray for amani (peace) in the family, upendo (love), utukufu wa mungu (glory of God) and many other issues. Note there is very little matter of youths being dealt with here. As a result the HIV prevalence rate continues to grow. They seem to do very little on the matter of social activities. Different studies also describe them as socially marginalised youth who are at a double high risk of contracting HIVAIDS as they succumb to drug addiction.

Already Tanzania is among countries which have large numbers of HIVAIDS infected people across many groups in the population.

The countrys policymakers now seem to agree that whatever can be done to mitigate the impact of the AIDS epidemic on people and society should also take the drugs crisis on board.

Letting both AIDS and the drugs take their toll of the young population may lead to gravely disastrous consequences to the economy and the nations future in general.

On the other hand, this station teaches good discipline to the married person which is a good measure of mitigation of HIVAIDS. Its organized vipindi (programmes) have a great gain of measure in terms of respect to the people of Tanzania.

Crime and the media
Society beliefs about crime may be created by the media - newspapers, radio, television and advertising  which in turn reflect trends in society beliefs. It is impossible to say which influences the other most, but it is certain that if the information the media uses is wrong, or is misinterpreted, then this can lead to misconceptions about crime and justice issues. This is why it is so important to know where the information used in the media comes from and what it means. Society and media attitudes to crime and justice play a part in shaping the laws which define criminal activities. One example of this is the change in attitudes to homosexuality. Christian radio stations believe in total obedience towards their maker (Mungu) God as a way of following. It is the media that mostly brings out the issue that pertains to crime. Post election violence in Kenya for example was a major issue. Radio stations in Kenya majority of who were not Christian based were on the front line to bring up issues. Radio stations in the Christian foundations offered prayers, and the message of peace. Well, it is very good to talk about peace but if there is war then it may seem also appropriate to state the matters at length. It seems that many Christian based radio stations are out to advocate for oneness, family strength, peace, healing, shying away from daily struggles of people in Africa. Africa suffers from war which in turn creates instability in families as well as hatred in some areas. Majority of people are therefore looking for peace, encouragement as well as a stand in life.

Illicit drugs
Tanzania people especially the youth are affected by drugs. There is increasing public concern in Tanzania for young people who live in situations characterized by violence and distrust but are often reluctant to reunite with their families.

They spend most of their time on streets, now and then grouping at the so-called jobless corners, popularly known as kijiweni to compare notes about idle pleasures, smoke marijuana and fix deals for different narcotic drugs. Marijuana is the cheapest drug on the market. One roll costs about 1,000 Tanzania shillings (1 US dollar  800 shillings).

Kapuya describes them as youths who find themselves in a vacuum because the education they got at primary, secondary and even tertiary level has not prepared them for creative self-employment. Labour, youth development and sports minister Juma Kapuya said the rising wave of illicit drugs trade and consumption puts 33 percent of Tanzanias population at risk.

The countrys population is currently put at over 31 million with most of the people socially maturing without being economically independent. Times are changing for the young in ways that affect their lives both positively and negatively. The resulting confusion leads many of them to find peace of mind in drugs.

Our youthful population, aged between 15 and 35 years, accounts for 68 percent of the national workforce, but the swelling illicit drugs trafficking and consumption may be their death knell, Kapuya told participants at a workshop on drug law enforcement for policymakers. There is increasing public concern in Tanzania for young people who live in situations characterized by violence and distrust but are often reluctant to reunite with their families.

Experts at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam report of rising cases referred to the hospital from different regional hospitals for specialised treatment related to drug abuse. They include brain damage, heart problems and damage to lungs, liver cirrhosis, psychosis, impotence and weight loss.

Radio maria does advocate to the youth visit the church where they will find help and be in the right company. They have a time where prayers are offered to the youth through the parents. This sometimes does not encourage talk between the parent and child.

On politics
Embattled Radio Icengelo Station manager Fr Frank Bwalya has been fired from the Catholic-owned community radio station. And Fr Bwalya has accused Government of master minding his removal from the radio station where he had been serving as Station manager in the last eight years.

Fr Bwalya alleged that the MMD approached and requested Bishop Oregan to silence him, but said he was glad that the Church had fired him for telling the truth and speaking for the poor and under privileged in society.Meanwhile, Fr Bwalya accused Bishop Oregan of heeding to political calls and complaints from the ruling party to fire him from the station over anti-Government remarks he has been making on a bemba Radio Programme called Uleta Pabwingi Tonaula.

The Priest who started his address on air with the Zambia National Anthem, refused to give his full message on radio, saying he would only disclose the contents of his information to his followers and the Zambian people in the manner he wanted to and not dictated by the Police.

He added that while the MMD was celebrating his removal from Icengelo, he would stay quietfor three days after which he would rise and fight all the injustices and evils in society.

Radio Maria and communication
FRI is a Canadian-based, not-for-profit organization working with about 300 radio broadcasters in 39 African countries to fight poverty and food insecurity. FRI has partnered with Freedom Fone to engage our software in the support of small scale farmers in Tanzania. FRI have established 5 listening communities attached to 5 community radio stations in varied locations in Tanzania. These community radio stations broadcast programmes that assist farmers in achieving better yields as well as helping answer questions related to the various agricultural challenges they might be experiencing. FRI is currently exploring the  HYPERLINK httpictupdate.cta.intenFeature-ArticlesTalking-back-to-radio o ICTs t _blank use of information communication technologies to complement and extend the usefulness of radio broadcast programmes.

They selected  HYPERLINK httpradiotime.comstations_6424Radio_Maria_Tanzania_891.aspx t _blank Radio Maria, a Christian radio station based in Dar es Salaam, to deploy Freedom Fone. Three main reasons influenced their decision to do this
- Radio Maria is a well-resourced radio station both in terms of human resources with high technical skills and experience, and equipmentinfrastructure. - Radio Maria broadcasts some of FRIs agricultural programmes. - Radio Maria has very wide coverage in Tanzania.

FRIs listening groups with Radio Maria have expressed a particular desire for information about raising chickens. Local chickens are an excellent income source for small-scale farmers, as they have low input costs and high demand and a ready market. However, many farmers experience high chicken loss due to poor management not keeping the chickens safely, feeding them properly or looking after their hygiene sufficiently. Better information helps farmers lose fewer chickens, and thus make more money out of them. FRIs Freedom Fone deployment will draw on this desire for more information about chicken management, and their broadcast programme called, Heka Heka Vijijini (Busy Busy in the Village), will be adapted into short segment audio programmes using Freedom Fone software.

The Committee consists of 12 individuals, half of them from the countries within which AFRRI is being implemented. Members include
The Bill  Melinda Gates Foundation
International development research organizations  IDRC, North South Institute
Canadian International Development Agency
The Farm Radio International Board of Directors (up to two members)
Chairs of the National Advisory Committees for participating AFRRI countries

The farmers shared their problems with a local radio station, Radio Maria. This radio station is working with Farm Radio International on the African Farm Radio Research Initiative, or AFRRI. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, AFRRI aims to discover the most effective ways of using radio to improve food security. As part of the initiative, Radio Maria asked the farmers of Kitete village about the challenges they face. The farmers confront many issues concerning the production and marketing of crops and livestock, but Radio Maria decided to first address the problem of chicken loss.

Lilian Manyuka has volunteered with Radio Maria for more than five years. She now hosts a weekly program called Busy Village. Kitetes farmers say they always find time to listen to her show on Saturday morning. It has taught them some of the details of building chicken coops, such as what dimensions a coop should be, and how many chickens can be kept in a coop.

Mr. Msham was one of the first in Kitete to construct a chicken coop, at the cost of 50,000 Tanzania shillings (about 38 American dollars or 28 Euros). Other farmers are now building coops to protect their chickens.

Havintishi Salumu started raising livestock last year when she purchased one chicken. She now keeps about 12. It used to be difficult for Ms. Salumu to obtain meat, but now her family eats eggs twice a week and chicken twice a month. The chickens are an important source of protein for her family. Still, she is frustrated with having chickens stolen and baby chicks killed by birds.

Ms. Salumu built the framework of a chicken coop with sticks her oldest son gathered in the forest. She planned to complete the coop within two months. Her hope was that, with fewer chickens lost, she would earn enough money to send her oldest son back to school.

This story demonstrates the power of radio to support farmers in their efforts to maintain household food security.

Communication and church
Communication is a rare and precious resource in a land where phones lines dont exist and no one delivers letters.

Such lands exist in many parts of rural Africa. These are lands in which United Methodist bishops try to communicate with their district superintendents and pastors, and pastors with their members, but messages often dont get through. These are lands in which health information is hard to distribute, but misinformation travels easily in daily conversation.Effective forms of communication are powerful tools. They create a new reality in which coordination is possible, information provided, invitations offered and warnings delivered.

There are places in Africa where community radio has done all these things where radio reaches the ears of those who live in urban shantytown huts, and those who lie at night below grass roofs on vast, dry plains. There are places where the needs of poor people are heard and addressed by those who care where the community seeks answers and speaks them to itself through community radio.

In June, I traveled to several African countries to visit some of these radio stations. The trip was initiated by the Rev. Larry Hollon, the top staff executive of United Methodist Communications. Larry sees African United Methodist annual conferences yearning for better communication systems for evangelization, for education and for coordination. He sees that HIVAIDS is a major cause of death in Africa, and that malaria kills even more. He sees radio as one of the technological pieces that can address some of these needs.

South Africa
In Cape Town, South Africa, we encountered stunning contrasts seldom seen in other parts of the world. The beauty of the Cape Town peninsula is unsurpassed, with gorgeous mountains and tremendous views as the sun sets into the Atlantic over Robbens Island, where Nelson Mandela was jailed off the coast of the city for 18 years.

Not far from the beaches are the colored neighborhoods of small homes placed side-by-side. Also about the city are the black shantytowns of corrugated steel one and two-room houses tightly packed into fields between the main roadways. The people of these neighborhoods and townships listen to Bush Radio, a station of the people, created by the undisputed father of community radio in Africa, Zane Ibrahim.

From Ibrahim we learned a key concept Community radio is 90-percent community and 10-percent radio. Bush Radio remains an ongoing community event. Every Saturday, the Childrens Radio Education Workshop takes to the air. Children and teenagers from the community prepare programming and broadcast from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bush Radio personnel appear in the townships and neighborhoods regularly, bringing a meal and listening to the people. From the people come the issues and the programs that go on air.

When we were there, we traveled with Zane to the township of Khayelitsha, the third largest township in South Africa after Soweto and Sharpeville. On this Bush Radio workday, interns from the University of Southern California scampered across several rooftops in the township, fastening plastic tarps over the corrugated steel roofs, covering seams and holes to keep out the rain.

Uganda
Traveling in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, we found MAMA FM behind high walls on a residential hillside. This station was created in the late 1990s by the Uganda Media Womens Association. It was the first station in Africa to be initiated and created by women. Calling itself The Voice to Listen To, MAMA FM focuses on the needs of women and the poor, and addresses issues such as health care, legal concerns, land, economic empowerment, education, human rights, good governance, leadership, religion, agriculture, peace building, environment and politics. The women journalists bring in experts to speak about these issues. The station also holds public forums.

Also in Kampala, Radio Maria Uganda operates on a different model as a part of a project founded by the Roman Catholic Church in 1983. Radio Maria worldwide operates in more than 30 nations. Radio Maria Uganda also has the technical resources of the larger church available to it, and it extends itself to two repeater stations and two other studios in the country by a satellite link. Broadcasting from a total of five locations allows much better coverage across the country of Uganda. This station also focuses on the issues that face the communities.

The Seventh-Day Adventist Church runs Prime Radio high atop a Kampala hill. This station is funded largely by a successful communication school it operates in one section of its building. The remainder of the building houses the radio station and has space allotted for a future television station. Like the other stations visited, Prime Radio depends on volunteer assistance, but also employs 34 people, far more than other stations we visited.

Kenya
After arriving in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, another flight took us to Kisumu, a small city in Western Kenya on the shore of Lake Victoria. In a small house, with a yard populated by dogs and chickens, is RECA Radio. This station is an outgrowth of Relief  Environmental Care Africa, a nongovernmental organization based in Kenya that promotes environmental protection, sustainable development, literacy and health care.

This station is due to go on air this fall. Most of its programming will be locally produced, with a small percentage delivered by satellite from a health-focused agency in the United States.

As in several other locations, programming needs will be defined with input from the womens groups in the surrounding villages. Those groups are already involved in RECA projects for microfinance, agriculture, water and sanitation. The radio station is an outgrowth of the existing health and welfare programs and will be a way to extend the reach of these programs.

EcoNews Africa is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, but with radio stations also in Tanzania and Uganda. Ugandas station went on the air in 2000, Tanzania in 2002 and Kenya in 2004.

The programming of each station is determined with the support and direction of womens groups in the villages of the listening areas. These stations also focus on social issues and health, with an emphasis on the needs and resources of women.

Despite the significant use of volunteers, each station still costs the parent organization about 150,000 each year.

Looking ahead
Visiting community radio stations in Africa and the people who operate them yielded a number of common factors and truths. Among them are these
Radio reaches people wherever they live, in both urban shantytowns and in rural villages.
Radio communicates with everyone, even those who cannot read.
Radio needs to communicate in many languages, including the local colonial language (English, French, and Portuguese), Kiswahili and local languages.
Community radio needs to empower and use the collective power of womens groups in the region.
Radio is an excellent way to deliver accurate information on health care, and it helps to counter much of the misinformation commonly distributed in conversation.

Community radio in Africa needs money to maintain equipment and facilities, pay a few staff members, and purchase fuel to operate studios and transmitters when the power system fails.

United Methodist Communications is finding new ways to partner with other organizations to better bring health information to Africa. This trip was a significant step in learning how our annual conferences in Africa will be able to broadcast not only to spread the Gospel, but also to coordinate the work of the annual conference, serve the needs of the community, and improve quality of life in both city and countryside.

Community radio is just one possible component of the communication solution, and issues of staffing, financial support and sustainability must be addressed. Cell phones, ham radio, business radio, and the Internet may also be necessary pieces of the answer.

Other examples of Community Radio stations looking at Radio Mazabuka FM Zambia
Although there is no clear definition as to what constitutes a community radio station, there are more than ten radio stations that have been branded under community radio, namely Radio Icengelo of Kitwe town on The Copperbelt province of Zambia, Radio Maria In Tanzania, Radio Chikuni in Monze, Southern Province, Radio Mazabuka in Mazabuka, Southern Province and Mosi-o-Tunya radio in Livingstone, The tourist town of Zambia in the South. Others are Radio Lundazi in Lundazi, Eastern Province, Yatsani Radio in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia, Petauke Explores and Pasme in Petauke, Southern Province, Mpangwe, and Radio Mukushi in Mukushi, central province and Radio Mano in Kasama Northern Province.

All these radio stations broadcast within the range of 50 to 150 Kilometers and evidently cover all the corners of the country which consists of a total population of about 11 million inhabitants However, some people have their own definitions of Community radio stations and have identified common grounds that they think make up a community radio station.

To me a community radio is one that broadcasts to suit the needs of a particular community with the aim of fostering development through its programming. Ownership does not necessarily have to be by the community as long as the community has access to that media and issues are really taken from their needs says Maumbi Mwendalubi, operations manager at Mosi-o-Tunya Radio Station, a community radio station based in Livingstone about 500 kilometers South of Zambias capital city Lusaka. According to Mwendalubi, a community radio should also be affordable and diverse in that its got to cater across all age groups, cultural and religious differences.

Kelvin Chibomba is Station Manager at Radio Mazabuka FM another community radio station based in Southern province. To me a community radio station first and foremost is demanded, set up and funded by the community says Chibomba. According to Chibomba, It is the community which initiates the idea and they own it by funding it through community contribution. It must be non-profit whose interest is only to serve the community and addressing the concerns they are facing. It must be community driven, Accessible, Accountable, Affordable, Available and Acceptable. If a radio station has these features, then you can safely say it is a community radio station he says.

The impact of Community Radio Stations on communities
There is no doubt that since their introduction, community radio stations have played a vital role in the development of our country through their programmes. In Tanzania for example, the community radio station has introduced a number of programmes that are already having an impact on the lives of the people. One such programme is the one called community focus groups. Through this programme, farmers and other interest groups are asked to identify key issues, which are later aired on radio. Government officials are also invited to respond to some concerns raised by the various community radio focus groups. With support from the donor community, the station has distributed small radio sets to about 40 villages and people are able to listen to government officials responding to concerns raised.

Another practical example is the setting up of literacy classes for women who were unable to read and write. The women complained through the radio that they were unable to read and write and wanted government to help them by opening literacy classes. Government through the district administration responded by setting up literacy classes for women in Ndeka Township in Mazabuka. There are now 32 women attending literacy classes in the area.

A similar project is currently being undertaken by PANOS Southern Africa called Development Through Radio (DTR). The aim of this project is to promote the use of radio as a vehicle for increasing womens access to relevant information, encouraging debate, and thereby strengthening democratic and development processes. The project also aims at providing a network for the exchange of information, expertise and resources between women in Zambia and to break down the sense of isolation felt by many marginalized communities and in particular rural women. The project was established in 1998 and there are currently 13 listening groups divided into three groups each of them with a radio cassette recorder. They meet at a local venue on a weekly basis to listening to their programmes at 1330 hours and later record a programme.

Each week, listening groups of a particular community gather to listen to a programme based on issues that are relevant to them. Topics include the lack of clean and safe drinking water in villages and income-generating projects for women. The project coordinator then collects the recorded tapes on a weekly basis. The project producer from the national broadcaster, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) then arranges to record responses from relevant actors to the problems and issues of interest expressed by the clubs. Outside actors include government officials, health professionals, business executives, and local NGOs or international organizations. For example, an issue about safe and clean water would require someone from the Ministry of Energy and Water Development to respond.

Talking about the advantages of Radio Listening Clubs, Simon Mwila from ZNBC, who was also instrumental in establishing the project says, Radio as a communication medium offers greater outreach than any medium. Mwila feels that the high cost of radio sets makes listening clubs a cost effective way of gaining radio access. Its good because it involves people listening in groups, interacting, discussing and debating on everyday issues seen from their unique perspective, says Mwila. According to Mwila, Radio Listening Clubs empower people by creating awareness of how to exercise ones rights at the same time, breaking the sense of isolation often felt by rural people in many countries.

Another successful story of how community radio stations are helping the community is the one where farmers in Mazabuka are now able to receive their farming input on time because they are always in touch with government officials through the radio. Before the station was set up, farmers had little or no information about the availability of farming in-puts and were forced to travel to Lusaka to buy inputs. With the coming of foot and mouth disease in the area, through the radio, farmers are advised on how to look after their animals well.

Mazabuka being a transit point for those travelling either to Lusaka or Livingstone has attracted a lot of commercial sex workers and at one time, was leading with the highest levels of HIV infections in the country. As a way of contributing to the fight against AIDS, Radio Mazabuka has launch a lifestyle programme targeted at both youths and married couples. Mercy Kaboyi 25 of Spills Compound, who has benefited from the programme, testifies to how her marriage was saved from the deadly HIVAIDS. I had a problem with my husband. He used to sleep around with women, so I decided to write to the radio station, there is a lifestyle programme where they respond to peoples problems. The programme was aired and my husband listened to it. He has since changed his behaviour, and no longer comes home late. I was prompted to report because I was scared he might infect me with the HIV virus if I left the problem like that, she said. Kaboyi further adds that, The other programme I like listening to is on orphans, vulnerable children and widows. Before we had this radio station, we had a lot of property grabbing taking place. The Tonga culture is such that when a man dies, the family would come to take his properties. Through this programme, people have been educated to respect widows and where there is a will, to honour it.

Nasutu Nawa is a regular listener to Mosi-o-tunya Radio and admits that the community radio station is playing a big role in sensitizing people about the dangers of HIV and AIDS in Livingstone. Radio Mosi-o-tunya is trying, they have introduced a programme called the Quest, they play music and later a competition about HIV and AIDS messages, she says. According to Nawa, she has seen change among youths with regards to their behaviour although she cannot entirely attribute that to the radio station. There is change in the way people behave now, maybe it is because of the same programme because it is famous especially with the kind of music that they play, she says.

Challenges facing Community Radio Stations
Like any project, community radio stations have their own challenges that make it difficult for them to operate effectively. We would like to reach the entire Livingstone, but the biggest challenge we have is transport. Currently we only have one vehicle, which is not even in good working condition. Often time, we depend on companies to provide transport, although ethically that is not good, but we have no choice. The other problem is that we lack things like tape recorders, Internet and many other tools that would make our work much easier, says Mwendalubi of Mosi-o-tunya. The problems at Mosi-o-tunya radio are almost the same problem with other community radio stations. Our team cannot reach all the areas due to lack of transport. We only have one vehicle, which has to be used by the people in accounts, marketing and the newsroom. Our appeal to donors is that if they can help us acquire another vehicle, says Chibomba of Mazabuka Community Radio.

Since most of the problems that community radio stations face are similar, it is important that a common solution is found that would address some of the challenges. One such solution is Micro-link being spearheaded by Radio Yatsani. Micro-link is the networking of selected radio stations through the Internet. Through this project, 19 local radio stations will be linked together and be able to access programmes from another station. Although most of them are Catholic stations, a few commercial stations like QFM, Breeze FM, Mazabuka radio, Liyambayi and Radio Phoenix will be connected. The Catholic stations include, Icengelo, Chikuni, Mosi-o-Tunya and Radio Maria. According to Sister Celine, all participating stations will receive a computer each that will be used to monitor other stations.

Just like the Internet, radio stations will be able to monitor programmes being transmitted or aired by another radio station that is connected to the network. If interested in any of the programmes, any of the stations connected could either record the programme or transmit it live as being transmitted. The advantage is that there will be sharing of information on key issues such as HIVAIDS and many other issues. If there is any big news here in Lusaka that affects the whole nation and a community radio station in the rural area comes across that information, they can transmit it there and then. she said.

Sustainability
Setting up a radio station is one thing, sustaining it is yet another thing. Unlike commercial radio stations that depend on commercial adverts, community radio stations depends entirely on community contribution. But how is this issue being address by some of the community radio stations To start with, this building was constructed by the community. They have continued to help us a lot. We are also trying to raise a bit from advertising, but that is not enough, says Mwendalubi. The community is the backbone of this radio station, there is no question about that. Without them, we are nothing, adds Chibomba of Mazabuka. In the case of radio Mazabuka, management has targeted commercial farmers for sponsorship of community programmes. This is proving successful, as the station is now able to raise enough to sustain the operations of the station. Some NGOs are also coming forward to sponsor programmes on HIV and AIDS, Human Rights and other issues. he says.

Advantages of Community Radio
Although community radio is relatively a new idea in most African countries, its advantages surpass that of commercial and national broadcasters. This is because community radio is low cost, easy to operate, reaches all members of the community in their own languages and, as a local, grass-root media, it maximizes the potential for development to be drawn from sharing information, knowledge and skills within the community.

Legal Framework
Although there has been a number of a radio stations set up in the country, the lack of a clear policy on community radio stations and ICT has been identified as a major obstacle. For example, the ICT policy has been in draft form for a long time now, and yet this is the document that is supposed to act as a guide to all those involved in the use and provision of ICT services.

As observed by Chibomba of Mazabuka Radio, the lack of a clear definition about what constitutes a community radio station can be traced to governments failure to come up with a policy on community radio stations. Though there are guidelines on how to apply for a radio station, they do not make any attempt to distinguish among community, commercial and public broadcasting. Some might point to the 1996 Information and Media Policy paper issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services. While it does mention community radio, it does so in a brief manner, without any analysis of the context within which it can be carried on. No specific criteria are set, no definitions, no matter how problematic, are proffered and certainly no attempt is made to treat the community media sector as an evolving discipline finding its place side by side with other more entrenched forms of mass communication.

The Future of Community Radio
It is apparent that the impact and future of broadcasting in Africa and Zambia in particular lies in community radio stations. The country will continue to witness more stations representing interest groups in society and so benefit from experiences of such radio stations.

Conclusion
It can therefore be said that community radio, if well utilized to empower communities, can be a good tool to stimulate development in our country. For a long time now, radio has exclusively been in the hands of media professionals, who usually dont seem to understand the problems that the communities face.

The sector has great potential to grow but it is bedeviled by a lot of problems. They range from policy ambivalence to financial incapacity. In some cases the involvement of the community is not clear but could be attributed to the newness of the concept. The earlier the policy both on ICTs and community radio station is put in place the better because they will also address issues such as definitions and acceptable quotas of local content in any community radio station and many other issues that surround ICTs. It would not be far fetched to suggest that a deeper, more inclusive process of consultation is undertaken in order for the policy framework to be comprehensive.

CONCLUSION
Radio Maria in Tanzania offers a wide range of services from HIV awareness, government policies teachings, collecting and giving out most important information to the public. To me this radio station is a community radio. It continues to enjoy a wide covering as well as listeners in Tanzania.  It has worked with bill gates foundation on teaching farmers on projects in agriculture. This radio is good for the services it provides to its people in Tanzania.