Giving Radio Listeners a Voice

Building on the core FrontlineSMS platform, FrontlineSMS:Radio will optimise the software for community radio stations, helping them to interact dynamically with their listening audiences. An increasing number of stations across the world are already using FrontlineSMS to receive and manage messages on issues such as health, politics and the environment, allowing them to wave ‘hello’ to two-way radio \~/. Now, FrontlineSMS:Radio’s targeted pilots will run alongside research conducted by Cambridge University, allowing us to understand the impact of interaction.

Amy O’Donnell has recently joined the FrontlineSMS team, working specifically on the radio project and here she shares her ideas about the power of coupling SMS with radio and her expectations for the project.

“When I spent some time in Mchinji in Malawi, I had to walk for an hour from the village to the boma (town) and pay 200 Kwatcha only to spend an hour clicking ‘refresh’ on a dial up internet connection. In contrast, my telephone signal was mostly fine and alongside the eggs, bread and bottles of pop I could always buy Celltel credit at the small village shop. Most people I met had a mobile and it wasn’t email which people swapped on their business card, but their phone number.

This is exactly why I’m so interested in how common sense technology which utilises existing tools and structures can offer appropriate and simple solutions. With over 5 billion global mobile phone connections and a mobile phone penetration rate of 52% across Africa (Source Wireless Intelligence) , the tools are already in peoples’ hands. FrontlineSMS helps people to manage and organise text messages in their own projects to facilitate communication and interaction with their communities.

Meanwhile, 90% of African households own a radio, and the medium is widely accessible. With an explosion of wind-up radios which negate the need for electricity, farmers can listen while they are in the field, meanwhile drivers can tune into in-car radios. Barriers of illiteracy are mitigated as people don’t need to read significant amounts of text to understand key messages.  FrontlineSMS is being used in the context of radio beyond Africa, in countries including Mongolia, Uruguay, Indonesia, Cambodia and Australia.

Amy in Mchinji Boma, Malawi, 2007

The significance of radio cannot be underestimated and it represents the predominant media source and connection to a wider community for millions of people worldwide.  Many do not have access to a television and encounter major challenges accessing print news in rural areas, which is further compounded by charges to use post boxes based in distant towns and little chance of having a newspaper delivered. Despite the prevalence of radio, in many contexts communication and interaction between radio stations and communities is limited. In many areas, phone calls are expensive and require someone to operate a phone line while others are on air, and internet penetration may be sparse or unreliable.

What makes this unique from other FrontlineSMS projects is that radio is an outreach source in itself and a medium for free outgoing messages. DJs and radio producers can promote and encourage feedback and facilitate debate, using SMS to contribute to content.  With significant network competition, texting is a cost-effective communication thus reducing the barriers to interaction.  Amazingly, every phone in Africa benefits up to 10 people on average and community members who borrow mobiles to send a text don’t need to be near it to get response – rather all they need to do is tune into their radios. For radio stations, the volume of incoming SMS can be overwhelming to deal with. FrontlineSMS:Radio aims to offer a simple solution to manage text messages and help facilitate radio programme planning; to both receive text message input and send out reminders or alerts. An interesting consideration for users of this project is the opportunity to generate income, for example by charging companies to append adverts to outgoing texts.

A DJ at Pamoja FM, Kenya. Photo by Emil Græsholm

This project brings together a number of diverse stakeholders; from parties interested in ICT for Development such as the Indigo Trust, to the locally-based Developing Radio Partners; from media development agencies including Internews to academic institutions. Academic study will form an intrinsic part of the deployment process, as FrontlineSMS:Radio is working with Cambridge University’s Centre for Governance and Human Rights. Research will monitor how new communication technologies are integrated into local communications and how they contribute to innovative forms of governance and political participation. The unique collaboration combines multidimensional interests to ensure that the impact of FrontlineSMS:Radio is well documented.  We are looking forward to trialing FrontlineSMS:Radio in a small pilot with stations based in Kenya, Zambia and Sierra Leone due to take place at the end of May 2011, with an open trial over the summer.

Since I started at FrontlineSMS, I have become addicted to using Twitter (@smsradio) and I have come to appreciate how much we are used to being able to share our opinions at the click of a button. Today’s audiences do not expect to have to listen silently or be passive absorbers of current affairs any more. Instead, the media is a platform for people to hear about a story and contribute to debate while it is fresh, examining solutions and influencing change. FrontlineSMS can take its place in a technology toolkit that helps extend this power to underserved populations, facilitating interaction via text message.

Amy O’Donnell is working on FrontlineSMS:Radio

It continues to amaze me that FrontlineSMS has been downloaded 14,000 times but, with little invested in outreach, this growth has impressively been based on word of mouth. It is a challenge for users themselves to promote their services to wider communities. I value the user-driven ethos of FrontlineSMS, as it works to equip people with tools they need. Our textable logo embodies this ethic, as we imagine someone empowered by raising their arms \o/. The  FrontlineSMS:Radio replaces the head with a radio wave \~/

It is exciting to see how FrontlineSMS:Radio will be used and I can’t wait to see its potential develop. Our new website will become a central place for community radio stations to meet and share experiences and resources, particularly regarding the interaction with audiences. For the most recent information, check out our new website – http://radio.frontlinesms.com – where you can read blog posts and quotes, see a user map and learn more about the status of the software.”

FrontlineSMS:Radio. Giving Radio Listeners a Voice.