CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Introduction

This chapter tackles the introductory elements of the study. It contains the background of the study, objectives of the research, research questions, scope of the study, significance of the study and the problem the researcher seeks out to investigate.

Background to study

Community radio has played and is still playing major roles in the communication of countries today. It mainly serves a definite community and is another form of public service broadcasting. It reflects the culture, ideology and thoughts, norms, and values of a particular community. Community radio as the media of citizens of a particular community has become a popular and new opportunity for both the media practitioner and grassroots people (The International Technology Management (2017). The provision of information and skills has gained popularity in the quest to empower communities with Community Radio as a unique and effective tool. Chapman et al (2003) reported that the growth of rural radio stations reflects both the improvements in information technologies and the shifting of development paradigm towards a more participatory style of information and knowledge transfer. Kumar (2004) identified radio as an avenue for participatory communication and as a tool relevant in both economic and social development.

Community radio is a type of radio service that offers a model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial and public service. Community radio broadcasting serves geographic communities and communities’ interest. Muyanga (2015), refers to it as that kind of radio which is owned and controlled by a community and always broadcasts programs that are related to that community’s interest. It helps to ensure people’s right to information and community participation by expressing the voice and thoughts of grassroots people in the development process. The content of broadcasting is largely popular and relevant to a local/specific audience but which may often be overlooked by commercial or mass-media broadcasters. Community radio stations are operated, owned, and driven by the communities they serve. Community radio is not-for profit and provides a mechanism for facilitating individuals, groups, and communities to tell their own diverse stories, to share experiences, and in a media rich world to become active creators and contributors of media. In many parts of the world today, community radio acts as a vehicle for the community and voluntary sector, civil society, agencies, NGOs and citizens to work in partnership to promote community development. By the core aims and objectives of this model of broadcasting, community radio stations often serve their listeners by offering a variety of content that is not necessarily provided by the larger commercial radio stations. Everitt(2003)

Community radio can play a significant role at the grass roots level for rural development. For instance, issues of poverty, agriculture, gender inequality, education, social problems among others could be the focus for programming. In exploring the importance of sharing information locally and the opening up of wider information networks for farmers in Northern Ghana with reference to vernacular radio programmes, Chapman et al  (2003) found that rural radio is effective in improving the sharing of agricultural information by remote rural farming communities. Radio in this regard provides a set of participatory communication techniques that support agricultural extension efforts by using local languages to communicate directly with farmers and listeners’ groups. Using the Most Significant Change (MSC) process, Walters et al (2011) assessed the impact of community radio in Indonesia and concluded that effective radio activities can make a significant change in a community’s life. The MSC methodology has its origins in community health development debates. It has recently been applied to community radio impact evaluation. By the MSC process, community members provide feedback in the form of stories describing the desirable change in their life as a result of the activities of the radio.

Through media skills training and access to the airwaves, a community radio facilitates a number of capacity building activities. The exchange of information, networking of groups, the provision of skills and training and these undoubtedly are key elements of developing a community. Again, a radio facility for a community facilitates the promotion of awareness of community groups and facilities in the area as well as providing the avenue for the empowerment of these groups to use radio to promote themselves and to speak directly to the community. For its proximate location to its clients a Community Radio serves a local community of its interest.

Community radios therefore, by communicating with people in large numbers, can have a huge impact on the public’s knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors, not only as individuals but also as families, communities, and wider society (Khan, 2014). The power and reach of community radio can influence all aspects of people’s lives, including health and well-being, and can be harnessed to promote health by informing, motivating, and empowering people to change behavior and providing a platform advocating healthier policies and civic action. The mass media in the form of radio and television is an important way of reaching out to the targeted publics. Besides informing the public about new diseases, and where to get help, they also keep the population updated about health campaigns. Community radio can empower the rural population on how to fight against some diseases which can be prevented through vaccinations, inform about the availability of a new product or service, teach new health skills, promote new health behaviors, organize listening groups and increase community acceptance of health workers. The interest of this study is to carry out an assessement of community radio as a facilitating tool to access health care in Nkambe Sub-Division, Donga Mantung Division.

Statement of the problem

Objectives of the study

1 To investigate the contributions of community radio stations in the health life of Nkambe people

2 To examine some of the radio programming patterns that contribute to access to health care in Nkambe?

Research questions

1 What the contributions of community radio stations in the health life of Nkambe people

2 What are some of the radio programming patterns that contribute to access to health care in Nkambe?

3 what efforts have been made by the government to ensure there is access to health care in Nkambe