Sharing the results of our latest survey

| February 17, 2020

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A few months ago, we asked our broadcasting partners to fill out an online survey about FRI’s radio resources, including Barza Wire and our Farm Radio Resource Pack items: interview scripts, drama scripts, and backgrounders. The survey also asked about our training resources: Broadcaster how-to guides, e-discussions, and online learning modules. (To learn more about these resources, read our Guide to Resources, available at www.farmradio.fm.)

We heard from 180 broadcasters across Africa, including presenters, hosts, reporters, station managers, directors, and CEOs working at community radio stations, private radio stations, religious stations, and public broadcasters.

Two-thirds had used one of our resources in the last two to three months. And 54% said they use our resources in their radio program at least once a week. Nearly two-thirds had used Barza Wire, more than half had used our radio scripts and other resource pack items, and one-third had used our Broadcaster how-to guides.

We asked broadcasters why they use our resources, and many said:

  • the resources help with program planning / preparation;
  • the resources are useful for their own professional development and learning;
  • the resources help to improve the quality of their radio program;
  • the resources are easy to read, use, and adapt.

Many broadcasters found the Barza Wire Farmer stories to be the most useful of our resources, saying they are relevant to their audience, share practical advice or success stories for farmers, and are interesting to them and their audience.

We particularly wanted to know how broadcasters are using our backgrounder documents, which share key information on a particular topic. Most people said they read the document to better understand the topic, or use it to develop interview questions for farmers and resource people. Half of the respondents said they summarize key information from the document and share it on air.

For those who find backgrounders to be our most useful resource, they said these documents are informative, easy to use and adapt, and detailed. Many broadcasters said they would like us to improve our backgrounders and suggested that:

  • we provide additional information on how to use and adapt these resources;
  • we share shorter documents that are easier to download, read, and adapt.

We also asked broadcasters what topics we should cover in future resources. The topics selected were similar to previous years. We hear that climate change, environmental issues, soil health, and post-harvest activities are common concerns throughout our network.

We also asked broadcasters to tell us what topics they would like covered in future training resources. The most common response was journalism skills, such as hosting or managing a program, or editing. Many also suggested topics related to generating revenue for your program. If these topics interest you, check out the following Broadcaster how-to guides:

We learned that Broadcaster how-to guides are our most popular training resource, mainly because they are a practical way to learn new skills and are clear and concise. However, some respondents said they preferred the interactivity of e-discussions.

We will continue to share a variety of training materials in the coming year in various formats, including online learning modules, Broadcaster how-to guides, and e-discussions. We are hosting a Farmer program e-course in March for Anglophone partners and in September for Francophone partners, which is a great opportunity to learn many journalism skills.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey. The winners of the three prizes of $50 CAD mobile airtime are:

  • Zekarias Fikru of OBN in Ethiopia
  • Diaha Sanogo of Radio Kourykan in Mali
  • Rosemond Oteng of Today’s Radio in Ghana