“Ethiopia’s community radio landscape, with over 50 licensed stations and approximately 35 broadcasting nationwide, serves as a vital information source in rural areas, broadcasting in over 20 local languages. Despite their significance, these stations face challenges in governance, financial sustainability, and program quality.” This is from the executive summary of a media viability assessment on Ethiopia’s community radio compiled by Ethiopian media expert Asrat Seyoum through Fojo Media Institute. Ajenda spoke with Seyoum on the project and the initial assessment, aimed at understanding these challenges, prioritising them, and informing support activities.
Seyoum brings over a decade of experience from his tenure at The Ethiopian Reporter, a prominent newspaper in the country, where he served as editor-in-chief for most of his career. In his transition to media development consultancy, Seyoum joined International Media Support (IMS) and Fojo’s project partnership, which has since 2018 supported journalists, media houses and organisations in Ethiopia. “I’m hoping to work with them however long it takes,” asserts the media professional who is dedicated to his work on issues of media availability and development.
Media development consultant, Asrat Seyoum. Image via Muck Rack.
Seyoum clarifies that the project is a broad media support program, with community radio as one key component. “Radio is the most widespread media platform that we all grew up with,” he states. Despite the global shift towards digital media, community radio remains the most accessible medium in Ethiopia, providing a vital platform for information and public dialogue.
The assessment used online surveys, desktop research methodologies and expert interviews to pinpoint media viability challenges for community radios in Ethiopia. Radio managers and editorial leaders were surveyed, rating the importance of various factors to their station’s viability on a scale of 1 to 10. Factors assessed included governance, programming, financial sustainability, and technical issues of which many factors intersected. For example, reliance on voluntary labour due to financial constraints and limited technical skills resulting in low maintenance and thus frequent equipment breakdowns and limited technical skills. The consequences are high staff turnover, program instability, and prolonged off-air periods. Despite these challenges, there has been notable progress.
Previously, these stations were located in remote areas and focused solely on serving rural communities in local languages, often as the only source of information for these communities. “What’s interesting is that now they’re getting a lot of support, and the community radio media managers are coming out strong [and] articulating their interests [about] what kind of support they require. I think that’s a big step forward,” Seyoum notes.
Additionally, these stations have gained attention from both local authorities and international media development organisations, a shift, considering the essential role these stations play in rural and marginalised communities. This is not only a positive feat for the Fojo-IMS project but for all support programmes in the radio sector.
The project also focuses on training and further enhancements. Notably, there have been significant improvements in this space, with Fojo providing crucial material support to selected community radios. These radios have not only undergone capacity-building training but have also received technical equipment support, such as radio equipment and other equipment like solar panels. Seyoum says, “These are some of the significant things that stand out for me regarding the Fojo support program.”
Seyoum emphasises the evolving concept of media viability which was traditionally linked to financial sustainability but has been reshaped by the digital revolution. With the rise of digital platforms, the landscape has shifted, challenging traditional revenue streams like advertisements. “This shift has significantly dented the financial structure of the institutional media, both in Africa and around the world so there was a rethink of what viability actually means,” explains Seyoum. Today, managers recognise the importance of adapting to these changes and viability has become more holistic, encompassing factors such as content quality, local issues coverage, managerial skills, independence, objectivity, revenue diversification, and strategic leadership, all viewed as critical pillars for the sustainability and effectiveness of community radios in Ethiopia.
These priorities will guide Fojo’s support program, focusing on technical training and capacity building. Seyoum explains that sustained support is crucial for effective media engagement. Fojo’s approach involves in-house support programs where experts work directly with community radio staff in their own environments, at their workstations and institutions. This hands-on model allows for comprehensive training, mentoring, and problem-solving, leading to sustainable improvements in operational practices and viability.
While this model may limit the number of stations that can be supported at once, its long-term impact is significant. Although time and resource-intensive, the in-house support approach fosters lasting behavioural changes within radio stations, ultimately contributing to their viability and effectiveness, “It takes a lot of investment, a lot of time, and a lot of engagement, but it pays in terms of outcomes,” concludes Seyoum.