Listener feedback shapes programming, policies at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation

| January 30, 2017

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For the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, the audience is important. UBC uses several strategies to hear from the audience and receives lots of feedback to improve their programming. With a broadcast reach that covers the entire country, this feedback benefits millions of listeners.

Listener clubs have been around for a long time in Uganda. These groups give broadcasters the opportunity to discuss programming issues in an organized way with their audience. Alex Wandeba is a broadcaster with UBC, and works on The News Hour program. He says, “These clubs have eventually become strong organizations with leadership, which once in a while organize functions in their areas of jurisdiction—which are always attended by UBC staff.”

Once a year, station staff meet with these groups so listeners can add their voices and opinions to decisions about programming and planning.

Listeners also contribute in other ways to many of UBC Radio’s programs. Talk shows are a great way for broadcasters to hear which issues are affecting their listeners most. UBC Radio also uses an SMS platform to collect feedback.

Feedback may touch on how to improve a program, but it’s also important to hear from listeners just to understand what is on their minds—which issues are affecting them, what their opinions are, and what experiences they have. Sharing these comments helps listeners feel connected to each other and to the program. And this information can be used to shape upcoming episodes.

This kind of feedback is used to fuel a UBC Radio program called Ground Zero. As Mr. Wandeba explains, this is an open forum held every Saturday, which is broadcast to the entire country on all UBC stations. The public discussion covers issues such as farming and the environment, with listeners contributing as well as a panel of experts.

In Uganda, farming accounts for 80% of the economy. So many UBC programs focus on farming, including On the Farm and the current affairs program, as well as programs about gender, education, environment, and health. These programs are broadcast in English and local languages.

UBC Radio features programs in 29 languages—plus English and Swahili. Its rural programming includes shows on agriculture, environment, health, education, culture, social issues, and politics. With stations based in several different regions, UBC programming reaches the whole country.

Mr. Wandeba contributes to many of these programs. He primarily works on the current affairs program, but when he travels to the field to collect material for this program, he sometimes contributes a story to other programs.

When there are important agricultural topics to cover, he features them on The News Hour. For example, Mr. Wandeba visited Bushenyi, one of the regions in Uganda where matooke (cooking banana) is grown. He talked to farmers about how they are battling bacterial wilt, and about issues of processing and marketing.

Mr. Wandeba has seen the impact his programs have on the listening community. He says: “Broadcasting is interesting because it connects one to the people. No matter what, broadcasting is influential in the community, and it has a very big impact shaping and improving society.”