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DIFFERENCE
DW radio programming for sub-Saharan Africa is bridging
the gap between shortwave and Facebook, say
Philipp
Sandner
and
Claus Stäcker
. And in Afghanistan, DW radio
is reaching those in greatest need of basic education,
explains
Florian Weigand
in to DW on shortwave.
In a digital world DW radio is
much more than just radio.
Interaction with users on the
Internet and via mobile phones is
part of the game. Various services
regularly include live feedback in
their shows, mostly generated via
social media. The Kiswahili service
has set the pace by including SMS,
WhatsApp messages and Facebook
posts on air. A question to users
generates an average of 300 posts.
The Hausa team received a lot of
recognition when they started to
incorporate Facebook and Twitter
comments in their live coverage of
last year's historic elections in
Nigeria. Young people are Africa's
‘makers and breakers’ - and they
have a say at DW.
Reaching out to Africa's youth
and encouraging them to take their
fate in their own hands, DW
reporters cover success stories of
young role models all over Africa.
With the multi-media feature series
Africa on the Move
, DW has
extended its successful English
radio and online series to include a
TV format and five languages.
Airing these much-needed positive
stories seems to be a success story
DW radio
ismuch
more than
just radio
as inter-
action
with
listeners
via the
Internet
and
mobiles
becomes
part of the
game
“
”
here she goes! She's
trying to run away!
Get her!" You are
listening to
Crime
Fighter
s – the latest
in DW's portfolio of
radio shows for
Africa. Hundreds of thousands of
youngsters follow the weekly crime
fiction series via radio and mobile
phones, which is also broadcast in
five languages by 250 radio stations
in sub-Saharan Africa. As the story
evolves, listeners start to disentangle
the mystery surrounding Lucy's
attempted flight and her husband's
violent death. But they also learn
about poaching and the threat it
poses to African wildlife and their
own future.
AFRICANAUTHORS, ACTORS
Crime Fighters
is more than just
fiction. It is educational
entertainment – the latest season of
DW's award-winning
Learning by
Ear
series. Authored by Africans
and voiced by actors across the
African continent, the series is
cherished by young people and
DW's partner stations for its
relevance and authenticity.
What goes for fiction also holds
true for DW's news reporting. Its
African and non-African producers
and presenters can rely on a tightly
woven network of around 250
reporters from various parts of
Africa. In live debates, experts and
ordinary citizens add their voices.
Pooling the regional expertise of its
African services in six languages,
DW is in a strong position to
provide comprehensive and
authoritative reporting – even in
times of crisis.
When President Pierre
Nkurunziza's decision to run for a
third term sparked violent conflict
in Burundi and led to the shutdown
of radio stations, DW was there and
extended its reporting in French
and Kiswahili. Likewise, in its
Portuguese-language radio
programming, DW speaks up for
17 Angolan activists arrested on
charges of preparing a coup.
More than 300 local partner
stations rebroadcast DW's radio
programmes – 10 hours daily in
Amharic, English, French, Hausa,
Kiswahili and Portuguese. Where
restrictive laws make the
cooperation with partners virtually
impossible – as is the case for
Angola or Ethiopia – listeners tune
T
MAKINGA
16
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WORLD RADIO DAY 2016
|
CELEBRATING RADIO
THE BUSINESS OF RADIO
|
AFRICA & AFGHANISTAN