Multimedia Training Kit Introduction to Audience Participation for Community Radio Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org Session overview Participation of the community in programming Who participates? Levels of participation Steps towards ensuring community participation Knowing your audience Data about the population Data about audiences Audience research methodologies Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Participation of the community Community radio based on community participation Should be “owned” by the community and accountable to it Community should benefit from station’s resources Community “ownership” and participation ensures sustainability The community itself is community radio’s most important asset Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org Who participates? Community members As individuals Through local organizations Through listeners clubs etc. Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Levels of participation Decision making Day-to-day operations Influencing programming Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Levels of participation (cont.) Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Ensuring community participation Ensure members of the community are aware of the role they can play at the station Ensure programming emphasis is on issues close to the community Continuously engage the community Conduct audience surveys Record all information and suggestions put forward by the community Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org Knowing your audience In order to respond to community needs you must know Who is listening When they listen What they listen to What they want/need to hear Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org Types of data required Data about the population in general, e.g. Socio-economic characteristics Social organization and particular challenges Demographic data Data about your audience, e.g. Audience size Demographic profile Listening habits and preferences Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Audience research options Buy a syndicated survey Commission research on your station Undertake your own research Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Audience research methods Seven day diary Telephone interviews Mail / postal surveys Feedback: listeners’ calls, listeners’ clubs and community organizations Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org Seven day diary Respondents keep a diary of listening habits for a week: what they listened to, when, where… Advantages Doesn’t rely on long-term memory Cumulative information Comparable data for each day of the week Disadvantages Respondents have to write down listening correctly and promptly “Atypical” events can affect listening Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org Telephone interviews Advantages Cheaper than face-to-face interviews Can be completed in a short time Disadvantages Respondents must have telephones Relies on memory Interviewers may be biased Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org Postal surveys Advantages Relatively inexpensive No interviewer bias Can reach large geographic region at same cost as smaller area Disadvantages Low response rate Respondents must be literate Misunderstandings can occur Relies of efficiency of postal service Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org

Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org Audience feedback Audience feedback from Listeners’ calls Listeners’ clubs Community organizations Advantages Allows you to get a better sense of your audiences Helps to implement social change goals Represents community to your station and your station to the community Disadvantages Not always representative Not on its own enough to determine needs Thursday, December 27, 2018Thursday, December 27, 2018 Multimedia Training Kit www.itrainonline.org