edition-dw-akademie-in-the-service-of-the-public-functions-and-transformation-of-media-in-developing-countries-pdf

Status of Radio SagarmathaCharacteristics Status Changes/Advancementsover the past yearsChannels, distributionRadio Sagarmatha was established in 1997 as the first communityradio station of Nepal and in South Asia. Since thenit broadcasts programs on 102.4 MHz. It reaches today some4.5 million people in the entire Kathmandu valley. 2.5 millionpeople tune in to Radio Sagarmatha on a regular basis.Radio Sagarmatha broadcasts 18 hours of program daily from5 a.m. to 11 p.m. It uses a one Kilowatt (1,000 Watt) transmitter.When Radio Sagarmathastarted its operations itwas allowed to broadcast 2hours of programs using a100 Watt transmitter only.These conditions were partof 17 conditions that RadioSagarmatha needed to adhereto in order to receiveits license. Others were, forexample: not to broadcastnews and current affairsprograms, that governmentofficials would monitorthe programming andwould be informed aboutthe content among others.Legal FrameworkThere is no legal framework that would give Radio Sagarmathaand the community radio sector in Nepal a separateidentity. The Radio Act of 1957 (amended many times),the National Broadcasting Act of 1993 and the Right toInformation Act (2007) were important milestones. Butthe differences in mandate between commercial andcommunity radio stations in Nepal are not very clear. Thegovernment established a working group to draft a bindinglegal framework for the community radios as there are nowhundreds of stations spread over all districts of Nepal. Butdespite continued discussions and a working group it isstill unclear if such a framework will be there in writing asbinding legislation.–Public service remit(officially defined)There is no official defined law for the community radiosector. The Association of Community Radio Broadcastersin Nepal that was established in 2002 - has come up with itsown “constitution,” a set of criteria its members should adhereto. This includes that “at least 60% of the programmingshould be localized.” The programs of this category shoulddeal with local issues of the communities the concernedstations are serving or should be in the local language togive the communities a platform and support dialogue.The other 40% of the programming can deal with issues ofnational interest, can be rebroadcasts from other stations orcould be entertainment based. Besides that the station mustserve a defined community and must be 100% non-profitmaking.–218