Improving the financial sustainability of community radio stations in Kenya by collective marketing

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KCOMNET, Nairobi, Kenya

Partner

Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET) is a non-profit organisation and the national networking association for community media sector in Kenya. KCOMNET supports community radio stations in Kenya to address pressing socio-economic and local governance issues at the grassroots communities. These issues include community health, education, development of independent and progressive civil society, alternative media, human rights, justice and peace, and local governance. KCOMNET supports community radios in Kenya to effectively address these issues through four programmatic areas: networking, capacity building, content development and policy advocacy.

Project

The proposal is the follow-up to a previous project conducted in 2014/2015 by KCOMNET through the financial support of HIVOS/Kenya Media Programme (KMP).
This one-year project intended to improve the generation and production of social quality content and programming of community radio in Kenya. The project reached out to ten community radio stations in eight counties in Kenya. A total of 110 community radio volunteers and staff members (37 female and 73 male) were engaged in various capacity-building programmes such as understanding community radio concept, identity, principles and ethics; quality community radio programming and assessment; presentation and production skills, and on social media engagements.

Direct beneficiaries

• Four community radio (CR) stations in Kenya and their listeners. (Koch FM/Nairobi County, Mang’elete Radio/Makueni County, Ata Nayeche Community Radio/Turkana County, Ekialo Kiona Community Radio/Mfangano Island/Homabay County). Each of these stations has a specific focus group, such as youth, women, marginalised pastoralists/refugee communities and fishing communities.
• It is expected that the marketing strategies worked out and tested (the lessons learned of the project) will later be shared with the other CR members of KCOMNET, as well as in the region.

Expected results

  1. By the end of the project period, the four participating community radios will have developed and operationalised various key areas on community participation.
  2. By the end of the project period, the four participating CR will have improved income through enhanced community participation.
  3. By the end of the project, KCOMNET will be actively engaged in collective marketing of CR in Kenya.
  4. By the end of the project period, the income of CR in Kenya will have improved through the enhancement of collective marketing.

Main activities

  1. Three-day seminar for 25 broadcasters and selected stakeholders. (UNESCO’s IPDC)
  2. Two-day in-situ workshop at the locations of the four participating stations.
  3. Accompanying and monitoring of the four CR in the implementation of the key areas on community participation.
  4. Two-day mid-term project reflection and capacity building workshop for representatives of the four participating community radio stations and facilitators from KCOMNET.
  5. KCOMNET’s engagement in collective marketing of community radio stations.
  6. wo-day final evaluation seminar involving 25 community broadcasters and media stakeholders.(UNESCO’s IPDC)