STArTInG A LOCAL RADiO stAtiOn - Nai

Section 5: Creating Powerful ProgramsnGap-e dehqan (Dari) or Deh Bazgar Khabarah (Pashtu) is a 30- minute program on Salam Watandar.This program combines humorous discussion between a farmer and an agronomist with audiencecall-in. The half-hour show features five to six audience questions and a short, funny song aboutfarming and rural life played at mid-program.4. The station is proactive and uncovers local issues that affect the lives of local people. Uncoveringissues is part of a longer process. Follow-up stories can promote accountability and long-term solutions,and let listeners know that their concerns matter. One vital role of media is to create a bridgefor dialogue between community members, local officials, policymakers and other stakeholders.This bridge is necessary to build sustainable social change.nnKhalk aw Wakmany (“People and Local Authorities”) is a weekly program on Radio Soley Payghamin Khost. This program investigates solutions to local problems. Tipped off by callers, the producertravels to a district, interviews local residents and local elders and then gets government officials andcommunity leaders to respond. It often takes more than a few shows to get the authorities to addressa problem. One of the program’s success stories involved the construction of a bridge linking two communitiesthat were separated by annual floods.Fix-It. “Chaarah Joyee” (in Dari) “Laarah Chaarah” (in Pashtu) is a weekly community initiative programlinking citizens with local authorities and community leaders. This is a collaborative effort betweenSalam Watandar and its partner stations to find solutions to community problems. Fix-It highlightsthe issue and gets the authorities or other stakeholders to pledge to fix it. There are regular follow-upson the issues until the problem is fixed. Salam Watandar produces a national version of Fix-It; nine localstations produce local versions that are then packaged and aired on the national network.5. The community makes program recommendations and/or provides content such as creative shortstories, poetry, jokes or song requests through letters to the station or live or pre-recorded calls.nRadio Amoo in Badakhshan has a program called Jawab bah Naamahaa (“Answer to Letters”). Lettersfrom listeners contain poems, humorous sketches, song requests and personal memories. Roughly10 letters are read on each show. Letters are dropped in letterboxes placed in various locations aroundthe community and collected by the radio station staff. Sometimes the station invites its most prolificcorrespondents as guests on the show.6. An organized listener group involves the community in programming. This group can offer recommendationson how to improve programming and make it more relevant to the needs of the community.50 STARTING A LOCAL RADIO STATION: A MANUAL FOR AFGHANISTAN