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RNW Media provided the
equipment and the training, with
assistance from IMS, a Danish non-
profit media support group. This
enabled the Aleppo Media Center
to broadcast news and information,
and beam a message of hope to the
people who have stayed behind in
the ruined city.
PARTNERSHIPS AREKEY
Local and international partners are
key to making these projects work. In
recent years, RNWMedia has teamed
up with various organisations to
produce radio broadcasts in several
troublespots, including Libya,
Yemen and Central Africa.
These programmes fill an acute
information vacuum. They reach a
wider audience than our usual
target group of 15 to 30-year olds.
But the objective remains the same:
providing a reliable and independent
news source that can contribute to
better living conditions.
In most of its target countries,
RNW Media reaches the young
generation through online
platforms such as social media. But
in areas of conflict or disaster
where connectivity is low or non-
existent, radio remains by far the
most effective and powerful tool.
SOCIAL CHANGE
Radio is also one of the media that
RNW Media uses to promote social
change in countries where freedom
of speech is restricted. Radio is a
direct and powerful tool for
communication, particularly in
areas with little or no connectivity.
RNW Media is the successor
organisation to Radio Netherlands
Worldwide, an international
broadcaster with a heritage
stretching back almost 70 years. We
use its expertise to reach our young
audiences in the Middle East and
Africa through radio. We do this in
close collaboration with local
partners, who know best what our
target groups need.
SYRIA
One of our projects is Ma3akom,
the only dedicated independent
satellite channel broadcasting to
Syria and millions of Syrian
refugees in surrounding countries.
Ma3akom offers reliable, objective
news with a focus on freedom of
expression, human rights and the
personal stories behind the conflict.
Our main partner is Radio
Rozana, an independent
broadcaster based in Paris, which
has a network of around 40
reporters in Syria. These local
correspondents zoom in on the
daily lives of ordinary Syrians, who
regularly join our shows to have
their say.
More than 95 percent of the
Syrian population have access to
satellite TV and thus are able to
receive Ma3akom. The same goes
for three quarters of the millions of
Syrian refugees in surrounding
countries. Ma3akom gives them
access to an alternative perspective.
LIBYA
Another successful RNW Media
project is
Huna Libya
, a live one-
hour magazine programme
broadcast to Libya every Monday
via satellite, FM and Livestream. It
is an interactive radio show
catering for a young audience, who
contribute through phone-ins,
Facebook posts or WhatsApp and
Viber voice messages.
Huna Libya
has a fixed format,
featuring reports, vox pops and in-
depth interviews with politicians,
including government ministers.
Launched in May 2015 in
partnership with Al-Wasat and
other local media, the programme
has been a major success, hitting
100K likes on Facebook and
winning nominations for two major
international awards.
FRANCOPHONEAFRICA
One of the RNW Media evergreens
is
Rencontres & Profils
, an evocative
interactive radio programme made
in Africa by young Africans. The
15-minute show is in-depth,
interactive and incorporates social
media. Its storytelling formats
include interview, discussion and
testimony.
Rencontres & Profils
is broadcast
by around 200 stations in
francophone Africa each week.
That number has remained steady
over the years. Coordination is in
the hands of seasoned Benin-based
radio producer Razzack Saïzonou.
RNW Media is always looking
for innovative ways to help
transform societies and improve
lives. In a closed society like Cuba,
for instance, we make up for the
lack of connectivity by distributing
audio items on external hard drives
and USB drives which are passed
from person to person. The audio
contains personal stories of young
change-makers discussing sensitive
issues as well as the future of their
country.
RNW Media works with people
aged 15 to 30. The reason is simple:
if you want to change society,
young people are the ones who
make a difference. But to shape a
better future, they need information.
So we help them get access to
independent journalism and media.
Drawing on local expertise to co-
create content, we build and
connect communities. We use
various types of media, often
simultaneously or mixed. Radio is
one of them. Avery important one.
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Main Image
Despair in Aleppo
Top right
Karima Idrissi,
presenter on
Huna Libya
Bottomright
Daniel Maissan
training a Radio-
in-a-Box user
www.rnw.org
PROMOTING CHANGE
|
THE BUSINESS OF RADIO
CELEBRATING RADIO
|
WORLD RADIO DAY 2016
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