STAFF Few if any community radio sta-

tions can afford to pay staff, beyond perhaps the station manager if they are lucky. Thus, most community radios rely extensively on volunteers as programme producers, reporters, and studio technicians. However, the use of volunteers is not simply to get cheap labour for a poorly funded opera- tion. On the contrary, volunteers give a special and positive character to community radio, creating an image of goodwill, commitment, and service for the common good. Those same characteristics are required in the community at large for it to change and develop along democratic lines.

SUSTAINABILITY Generating Income While many community radios in

developing countries are launched

with support from some outside donor - national or interna- tional - anyone plan- ning and promoting a community

radio

should bear in mind, from the very begin- ning, how to sustain the service once it is up and running.

There are several options for raising revenue to cover running costs, as follows:

• Commercial adverti-

sing, when this is allowed under existing national legislation;

• Sponsorship, which may also be

debarred by national legislation; • Donations; • Fees for private announcements

made over the radio as ‘the people’s telephone’;

• Membership fees paid by listeners. The Advertising Issue: In many

countries that have recently intro- duced legislation for non-profit community radio, the commercial media are so strong and influential that they have succeeded in ensur- ing that community radio is prohi- bited from accepting advertising, thus preventing it from infringing

on their lucrative domain. But des- pite the revenue problem that this may present, it may have some advantages for the image and cre- dibility of community radio; for community radio is essentially public-service broadcasting, and it should be seen to be free from commercial

interests and

influences. Thus, even where advertising is

allowed, careful thought should be given to the type of advertisers that would be acceptable within the character of a community radio service. These would normally only

be local providers of goods and ser- vices: the multinational soft drinks industry and goods that are dama- ging to health, such as tobacco and alcohol, should be avoided.

A Conversation with the Manager of a Community Radio about Sustainability

During the preparation of this handbook, the authors telephoned the manager of a successful community radio station in one of the poorest parts of Colombia. Towards the end of a long conversation about the radio’s character and operations, the authors asked, ‘How do you sustain the radio? How does it survive?'

The lady burst out laughing, and then said cheerfully ‘By miracle, or rather by one miracle after another!’

This same manager had the clever idea, when the radio was started, to organize a party to which people were asked to bring cassette tapes or records of their favourite music. These were played at the party. She then asked to borrow then so that she could make copies for use by the radio. In this way, she started the station’s collection of popular music. 7

On the Government of Ecuador’s Ban on Advertising by Community Radio

“We are not for profit, but we are not for bankruptcy either!” 8

The carabo, or water buffalo as it is known in most parts of Southeat Asia, is a precious animal. It ploughs the field, it transports goods, it provides music and community programmes through the radio strapped to its horns. Some people call this ‘car-abao stereo!’

On Keeping Staff - the Case of Crispin Zarate, a Liability Turned to an Asset in the Philippines

“Crispin was a farmer’s son, an unemployed school dropout. Pinny, as he was familiarly called, could usually be seen hanging around in his neighbourhood bar. He would invariably go home drunk. His lifestyle and drinking habits hardly made him an eligible bachelor. Nor could anyone consider him handsome. The only talent that Pinny exhibited was playing the guitar well.

When the training for volunteers for the radio station was announced, Pinny was among those to sign up. Since he was jobless, he fitted the criterion that trainees should be available for a three-week crash course.

Pinny was an ardent trainee and became a dedicated volunteer broadcaster. People expressed admiration for his voice. Indeed he had a knack for radio, and his innate good nature came to the surface.

His friends would tease him, alluding to his looks. ‘You sound like a real human being when you go on the air, Pinny’ He would take the teasing with a proud smile.

Everybody was struck dumb when they heard that Pinny was getting married, and even more so when they learned that it was to one of the most amiable teachers on the island.

I was delighted about Pinny. Radio work had turned a derelict into one of the most appreciated and loved persons in the community.

Then I received the bad news: he had left the non- paying job in the station to find work in a construc- tion project on the mainland. His wife was expecting

a child, so he could not afford to be jobless. But perhaps the loss to the station was a gain to the

community. We had converted a liability into a useful family man.” 9

Conflicts of Interest: Sponsorship can also be plagued by problems related to conflicts of interests, especially when the sponsors are commercial organizations.

On the other hand, sponsorship from community-based associa- tions, say of women, farmers, or fishermen, can be extremely important, and so can sponsorship from development organizations and NGOs. The same applies to donations from similar associa- tions or organizations.

In the long term, however, reliance on outsiders will always put sustainability at risk. Thus, sustainability should be seen as the ultimate res- ponsibility of the community itself, and the challenge to the manager of the station and to his team of producers, reporters, and technicians is to make the service so enjoyable, useful and valuable to its listeners that they will be willing to support it through sub- scription fees, voluntary donations in cash or kind, and the like.

Keeping Staff Sustainability is not only related to

funding; the sustainability of staff is equally important. Most person- nel working with a community radio are volunteers, and the men

volunteers are usually unemployed and looking for a paid job. Thus, high staff turnover is a constant concern. Training, which gives people job satisfaction and career prospects, is one inducement. (For volunteer work on a community radio, see Chapter 7 on training.) Having women on staff may also help reduce turnover because they are less likely to be looking for jobs outside the community.

An innovative idea used in the UNESCO/DANIDA-supported Tambuli project in the Philippines was to include livelihood-generating activities for the staff of the radio stations. The principle was to

provide small credits that would allow staff to start some commercial activity to support themselves while they continued to work as volunteers with the radio. In some stations, this idea has worked well, but in others it has been more dif- ficult to put into practice.

C ommunity

R adio

The radio station is excepted to address, with

integrity and fairness, the main issues and problems in the community. Sponsors and

donors, with vested

interests, may potentially draw away the station from its avowed directions or unduly

sway its programming decisions.

STAFF Few if any community radio sta-