Building local capacities to measure and understand audiences

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UMWA/Mama FM_ Kampala, Uganda

Former and current projects with SvA

• Increasing knowledge and skills building for community radio staff /volunteers in sexual and reproductive health reporting (SHR) (Mama FM and Radio Apac). Project duration: 2013-2015.
• Enhancing access to sexual and reproductive health information and services among grassroots communities (Kawempe Division) through improved radio programming and production (started January 2016).

Project

Between July and November, 2014, twenty radio practitioners representing twelve community-oriented radio stations in Uganda participated in a three-stage capacity building programme financed by Stem van Afrika. After the end of the first project phase, Mama FM realised that there are still a number of gaps and challenges in view of developing and implementing reliable audience research. It also turned out that the two participants per station involved in the training offered in 2014 were not always the “right” choice, and faced difficulties in sharing their gained knowledge with colleagues at the stations. The follow-up project therefore considers lessons learnt from the first project phase, and tries to fill existing gaps, such as expanding the knowledge on audience research to a broader basis at the radio station.

Objective

The general project objective is to deepen and expand the results of the project implemented in 2014, and build upon existing achievements. 

Activities

  1. Hold a two-day reflective meeting for Mama FM staff on action areas taken in 2015
  2. Conduct a five-day tailor-made training sessions in audience research at Mama FM
  3. Identify and implement two kinds of audience research at Mama FM
  4. Compile reports of the research and share with a wider audience
  5. Conduct a dissemination workshop on audience research results for potential advertisers / sponsors (Women NGOs – in the case of Mama FM)
  6. Conduct annual individual audience surveys in 2017 and 2018