Rural Broadcasting began in October 1962. From that date, broadcasts to the rural people took on a new character. Programmes designed to educate, inform and entertain the rural people were mounted in the Ghanaian Languages. Special programmes for rural women were also broadcast. These programmes became very popular with the listeners as reflected in Listener Research Reports.
In rural broadcasting, not only do the active and energetic staff of the Rural Broadcasts Department broadcast special programmes to farmers, fishermen and other specialized groups, but they go to the people to ensure that they practice what they hear on the air and that the programmes achieve the desired result. The programmes feature agricultural news, interviews with successful farmers, talks by experts on new methods of farming, nutrition, child-care and market reports.
An important branch of Rural Broadcasting is the Rural Radio Forums. This was introduced in 1964 following a successful pilot project in Rural Radio Forum (the first in Africa) undertaken by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. Through the Rural Radio Forums, a series of listening groups of farmers are formed in different parts of the country. With the help of GBC, farmers are encouraged to listen to broadcasts on improved methods of farming and to adopt the methods for their own use. With the availability of adequate transport and portable tape recorders, the rural broadcaster maintains close and regular contact with the rural listener, thus helping to solve social and economic problems. Staff of the Rural Department gives listeners on-the-spot advice and assistance with the collaboration of Regional Agricultural Extension Officers.
Rural broadcasting is one of the most important aspects of broadcasting in Ghana, in view of the fact that the rural people who form the greater part of the country's population are mainly engaged in agriculture; the backbone of the country's economy. Broadcasting-radio and television is a vital medium of public information. The most effective of them is television broadcasting because it combines picture and sound which makes it more interesting and attractive. However, radio remains the most popular, as it is comparatively cheap and can operate easily on ordinary dry cell batteries; therefore without electricity. In Africa, there are estimated to be about 100 radio receivers per 1000 people, whereas there are no more than 10 television receivers for the same number, and even those are concentrated in the towns. The picture is not different in Ghana where there are about 219 radio receivers to 1000 people versus 13 TV receivers for the same population; and they are mostly found in the cities and urban areas.
Rural Broadcasting began in October 1962 after a Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Official had received training in rural broadcasting in Australia.
Before this, that is at the time of Ghana's Independence (1957), regular talks on Agriculture had been introduced on GBC, but these broadcasts were purely academic because they were given by University lecturers in English, and could not reach the peasant farmers who needed them most.
From 1962 broadcasts to the rural people took on a new character. Programmes designed to educate, inform and entertain the rural people were mounted in the Ghanaian Languages.
Special programmes for rural women were also broadcast. These programmes became very popular with the listeners as reflected in Listener Research Reports.
In rural broadcasting, not only do the active and energetic staff of the Rural Broadcasts Department, broadcast special programmes to farmers, fishermen and other specialized groups, but they go to the people to ensure that they practice what they hear on the air and that the programmes achieve the desired result. The programmes feature agricultural news, interviews with successful farmers, talks by experts on new method of farming, nutrition, child-care and market reports.
An important branch of Rural Broadcasting is the Rural Radio Forums. This was introduced in 1964 following a successful pilot project in Rural Radio Forum (the first in Africa) undertaken by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
Through the Rural Radio Forums a series of listening groups of farmers are formed in different parts of the country. With the help of GBC, farmers are encouraged to listen to broadcasts on improved methods of farming and to adopt the methods for their own use. With the availability of adequate transport and portable tape recorders the rural broadcaster maintains close and regular contact with the rural listener thus helping to solve social and economic problems. Staff of the Rural Department gives listeners on-the-spot advice and assistance with the collaboration of Regional Agricultural Extension Officers.
Rural broadcasting is one of the most important aspects of broadcasting in Ghana, in view of the fact that the rural people who form the greater part of the country's population are mainly engaged in agriculture; the backbone of the country's economy.
This paper on rural broadcasting in Ghana will look at the rural broadcasting, particularly rural radio forum, and their contributions to the development of the rural areas in Ghana. I will identity some problems facing rural broadcasting and touch on training for the rural broadcaster. Finally, I will attempt suggestions to serve as `food far thought'.
Broadcasting-radio and television is a vital medium of public information. The most effective of them is television broadcasting because it combines picture and sound which makes it more interesting and attractive. However, in developing countries television receivers and TV programme production is expensive. Lack of availability of electricity in most rural areas limits access to television, thus making it an urban-centred medium. The average rural dweller therefore has no access to it. On the other hand, the transistorised radio is comparatively cheap and can operate easily on ordinary dry cell batteries; therefore lack of electricity does not affect its use. In Africa there are estimated to be about 100 radio receivers per 1000 people, whereas there are no more than 10 television receivers for the same number, and even those are concentrated in the towns. The picture is not different in Ghana where there are about 219 radio receivers to 1000 people compared to 13 TV receivers for the same number of people; and they are mostly found in the cities and urban areas. Comparatively, there are over 3 million (3,078,000) radio sets with an estimated audience of 8.2 million compared to 199,000 television sets with estimated viewers of 4 million in Ghana.
So far, radio is the most useful and efficient medium available to our rural population, who is scattered over a wide area and has no accessible roads. Radio broadcasting can therefore be seen, as one of the vehicles through which national aspirations can be pursued since it is financially accessible to both government and people.
Several efforts and attempts at rural broadcasting were made in Ghana (then Gold Coast) through the broadcast of agricultural programmes in the late 50's. For example in 1956 a weekly serial "The Cocoa Family" was introduced, and in 1957, a regular talk programme on agriculture offered by University lecturers in English took the air. However, the latter was above level of the peasant farmer.
In 1962 the Rural Broadcasting Department of the GBC was established with the sponsorship of the Colombo Plan, the United Nations, Special Commonwealth African Assistance Programme and the Australia Broadcasting Commission, which had earlier sponsored people working with radio far training in rural broadcasting in Australia for the some purpose.
As a nation, which had gained independence five years earlier, and was trying to transform society, broadcasting was charged with the important role of fostering a sense of national identity, by making people aware of national goals and progress. Moreover, it helped people develop a spirit of enquiry to new knowledge and come to form an opinion about social, cultural, political and economic issues.
To support these aspirations, rura1 broadcasting was seriously supported to reach the majority (about 70%) of the population living in the countryside and to catalyse attitudinal and behavioural changes. It had as its motto: "He who serves the farmer or fisherman serves mankind". It was aimed at supporting rural development as a sine qua non to agricultural development and the raising of the national economic level. For example, rural broadcasting contributed in promoting the national agricultural campaign of `Operation Feed Yourself', in the early 70s. Currently, the GBC Rural Broadcast Department is helping to promote the national tree planting campaign.
In Ghana, women play a major role in all spheres of national life. In the rural areas, their role ranges from household chores, work on the farm, visits to the market. They cannot therefore be left out in any serious programme geared toward national development. Not long after the introduction of rural broadcasting, a special 30-minute daily programme was addressed to the rural women.
At present, Rural Broadcast Department of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts programmes, which have over the years made appreciable impact on both rural and urban listeners.
Stressing on the message of "Dignity in Labour", staff of the Rural Broadcast Dept. broadcasts special programmes to the farmer/fisherman and other specialised groups. They follow-up with visits to ensure that the target groups practice what they hear on the air, and that the programmes achieve the desired results. Such programmes feature agricultural news, interviews with successful farmers and fishermen, talks by experts on new farming and fishing methods and techniques, nutrition, child-care and market reports.
These programmes motivate the rural dweller to carry out social developments in his community. For instance, a study carried out by Anim And Dua in 1985 on "Rural Dwellers: Attitudes to Ghana Broadcastings (GBC) and Rural Community-oriented Programmes" at Amasaman and Kwashiekuma - Ardeman (in Ghana) found that 100% of the respondents were motivated by the GBC rural programmes, to farm more food, undertake communal labour, work harder and learn new farming methods. Development responses collected in the study show that the rural programmes motivated them and benefited their villages through development projects like the digging and construction of pit latrines and the sinking of wells.
Programme producers also meet forum members at their discussion meetings, record what they say and play back for everyone to hear, thus providing the 'talk back'. In addition, once a week Forum Secretaries write to us (Producers) about subjects that have been discussed in relation to our broadcasts. This enables us to keep all our listeners informed of what project each forum has undertaken and to motivate others to emulate it, thus setting the stage for healthy competition.
Such broadcasts result in impacts and developments in the forum communities far example in the study mentioned earlier, respondents from the Kwashiekuma-Ardeman village (where they have a radio forum), reported that, through the help of their forum, they had achieved access to bank loans to finance their farms thus increasing farming activities in the village. In the final analysis their purchasing power was increased which enabled most of them to afford radios and other basic needs.
Also studies have shown that the Worsum clubs (these are radio forums) organised by the school of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Agona Swedru and surrounding villages in the central region, have made a lot of impact on the villages.
To enhance and promote rural broadcasting in the country (Ghana) more effectively,
the Upper Regional Administration (URA) FM radio station at Bolga, Ho, Bawku, and another at Apam have been established. These stations broadcast a series of programmes to farmers and fishermen mostly in the language and dialects commonly used in the areas. They broadcast rural programmes based on policies set up by the GBC, but also take into consideration the economic, social cultural and religious lives of the people.
As a developing country with over 40 languages spoken, and facing language barrier, Ghana uses six languages (Akan, Dagbani, Ewe, Ga, Nzema and Hausa). Therefore, some rural programmes are broadcast in the evening when the targeted rural listener is likely to have retired to bed after a hard day's work. This obviously happens because most rural areas have no electricity and as such they go to bed quite early. An example of a late evening rural programme is the Women's Programmes, which are broadcast at 8.30pm from Monday to Friday. All other FM stations are for commercial purposes except the Radio Ada, which is community based.
However, these issues can easily be solved if the plan to establish FM radio stations in the regions, throughout the country in place of the relay stations materialises. This is because such stations can broadcast rural programmes in languages commonly used in their area.
Lack of adequate funds to support most rural broadcasts, as well as non-availability of transport for the rural broadcaster to maintain close and regular contact with listeners are some of the issues influencing and affecting rural broadcasting. Furthermore, inadequate portable tape-recorders have forced the rural broadcaster to produce programmes which are more urban-oriented than rural-oriented and meant for rural listeners.
Another issue lies with recruiting and supporting field staff in rural areas; providing them with the transportation needed for their work and rewarding them for good performance.
The question of radio ownership is also affecting rural radio forums. As noted by Colin Fraser, "The advent and proliferation of the cheap transistorised radio receiver has made radio ownership widely possible even in poor rural societies".
So unlike the 60s when it was reasonable to expect people to make a 5-6 mile journey on foot to join a radio forum listening group, it is now not feasible to expect them to walk such distances. This is because they prefer listening nearer to home, thus killing the group listening and discussion idea.
Lack of regular maintenance and repair of forum radio receivers is also contributing to the "Killing me softly" situation facing forums in the country. A forum will most certainly disintegrate beyond spontaneous revival if is without a radio for weeks, or months on end.
These problems need serious attention and must be supported by production and broadcast of `irresistible' radio programmes to arrest the situation. Otherwise one cannot but agree with Brian Hungerford, a well-known rural broadcaster who has successfully carried out a number of assignments for FAO, who wrote an article on radio forums "My serious advice is to devote all energy to producing irresistible radio programmes. Forget the forums'.
Co-operatives, fishermen/farmers association, religious teaching groups and women's groups are just some of the organisation that frequently exist in rural areas. If such groups are encouraged to meet, listen and discuss a regular broadcast output, designed especially for them, and to send their comments to the radio stations, the same results, which could be even better than those attained by the radio forums, could be achieved. This is because it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that, programmes creatively tailored to the needs of groups are most likely to be listened to with special interest by those groups. Moreover, broadcasting to existing groups eliminates much of the organisational work involved in setting up special radio forums and allows those responsible for rural broadcasting to rely on existing field level staff, to the mutual benefit of all concerned.
There is no doubt that rural forums, as a support to rural broadcasting, is still viable in most countries including Ghana, but as Colin Fraser suggested, "Every possible effort should be made to create groups that go far beyond merely sitting together to listen to the radio and discuss programmes". Well-organised and creative rural broadcasting to radio forums could ultimately lead to the transformation of the forums into village-level co-operatives and fishermen/farmers associations. If this is achieved, they can afford the maintenance and repair of their radios, and support regular feedback communication with the rural broadcaster in the station and other activities that will sustain the group and the broadcast.
Let me also touch briefly, on a very important issue, which more often than not is ignored - training. The rural broadcaster's inadequate knowledge and training on the rudiments of agriculture and the problems of the rural farmer hampers his efforts. It is necessary that the rural programmer has a prior knowledge of the occupation of his target audience to be able to deliver the goods. This is possible through short courses seminars and workshop. Such courses can arm the producer with progress and improvements being made in the field of agriculture, rural development and communication, which can enhance his/her programme's production.
It is obvious that looking back at the development of rural broadcasting in Ghana, we have got to a stage where we need to revolutionise and transform our strategy. Serious research on the attitudes of the rural dweller needs to be carried out and utilised.
Also, serious considerations need to be given to the mode of organising the radio forums in line with modern trends and standards.
The rural radio programme producer need to be given adequate facilities - transport and portable recorders, Wellington boats etc. and training on the rudiments of agriculture to enable him/her to perform well the task facing him/her.
And when much attention is paid to this issue, the rural programme producer will lead to greater improvements and the farming community will get aware of the need to improve its agriculture and its standard of living.
