Radio listening clubs in Malawi and Zambia: Towards a participatory model of broadcasting
Towards a participatory model of broadcasting
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- Submited: October 17, 2022
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Published: October 20, 2022
Abstract
This paper, based upon a field research project commissioned by the Panos Institute Southern
Africa, investigates the communicative efficacy of the radio listening clubs project implemented
by the Institute in Malawi and Zambia. The investigation takes the form of a ‘second-order
interpretation’ of the key findings of the field research. The findings are analysed in terms of the
participatory communication model of development communication. The paper argues that the
clubs live up to some of the ideal-typical attributes of participatory communication. This is evident
in the following areas: (i) a propensity for social mobilisation; (ii) acquisition of skills and knowledge;
(iii) communally induced motivation to listen to the radio; (iv) the possibility of interpersonal influence
within groups; (v) the benefit of being ‘organised’ structures; (vi) the ‘massive’ reach of the clubs;
and (vii) the dialogic interchanges between the rural-based groups and the urban-based policymaking elites.
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How to Cite
Radio listening clubs in Malawi and Zambia: Towards a participatory model of broadcasting. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 26(1), 130-148. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v26i1.1718
