Making Waves: RADIO SAGARMATHA
Stories of Participatory Communication
for Social Change
TITLE: Radio Sagarmatha
COUNTRY: Nepal
MAIN FOCUS: Environment, health, community issues
PLACE: Katmandu
BENEFICIARIES: Rural and urban communities
PARTNERS: Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ), Nepal Press Institute, Himal Association, Worldview Nepal
FUNDING: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC)/UNESCO, UNICEF, DANIDA, Panos, Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation(CECI), Öko Himal, CAF and others
MEDIA: Radio
We know it as Everest, the highest mountain in the world, but Nepalese people call it Sagarmatha: "forehead of the ocean", a reference to a time long ago when Nepal was under the waters of the ocean. Who could tell it now, standing somewhere in the Kathmandu Valley at 1,300 meters of altitude.
Sagarmatha is also the name and symbol of the first community radio station in South Asia, the forehead of independent broadcasting in this country long ruled by a monarchical nonparty system. Radio Sagarmathas three-story building emerges in Patan, a city adjacent to Kathmandu, signalled by the long mast of the antenna. In 1999 they increased the height of their tower, which held that antenna, by 50 percent.
Not long ago, there was no building, no antenna, just a few enthusiastic journalists struggling for the right to communicate, playing hide-and-seek with the police. Upendra Aryal was the technical director when Radio Sagarmatha finally went on the air: "I thought it was a big fantasy to transform an outfit with a single mono Sony EV500 compact cassette recorder into a sophisticated FM station, the public radio station of Nepal. It was very difficult to even get a building for the proposed station. People were reluctant to allow the radio to transmit from their house, as it still had no license to run. Finally the station was in my house, and I was ready to rent out the land and the building for the next fifteen years. Even though we had successfully tested the signal from there, we had no license and officials from the Ministry of Communications were tracing us at that time. I had the transmitter hidden in my residence and at night kept it as if it were my pillow".
The dream of Radio Sagarmatha (RS) came true, and its example in Nepal has opened the way for newer community radio stations.
Radio Sagarmatha is the first independent station in South Asia. It took five years to hit the air: The story of Radio Sagarmatha is interwoven with the gradual loosening of government control over the airwaves in Nepal, wrote CECI's Ian Pringle. Even after 1990 the government was slow in relinquishing control of its monopoly over radio broadcasting. The Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ), was granted the first independent license in 1997, and this feat brought to life Radio Sagarmatha
A seven-member autonomous board of directors constituted by NEFEJ as the broadcast license holder heads the station. Through NEFEJ by-laws, the board has representation from all four partner NGOs and meets monthly to review and plan activities, set policy, and provide broad direction for the station.
Since May 22, 1997 (Buddha's birthdate), Radio Sagarmatha has been broadcasting, through its 500-watt transmitter, a daily programme service on FM 102.4 in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. The station is non-commercial, community-based and dedicated to public interest broadcasting.
Radio Sagarmathas programming is oriented towards the exploration and discussion of issues related to Nepali culture and environment. The primary language of broadcast is Nepali, and with the exception of traditional music from other regions of the world, the music is also Nepali. Community groups and NGOs are involved in programming.
The programme grid starts every day with one hour of music followed by national news and Radio Talk Mornings also include a BBC news service in English. The afternoons include social-oriented programming such as Health Diagnosis Clean Air Campaign Folk Tales Action & Ideas Today's Concern When Our Grandfathers Were Young Public Platform and Community News And lots of music: Musical Wave Musical Dialogue Our Music Golden Oldie and Eastern Pop Saturday morning features a programme on human rights education.
Radio Sagarmathas goal is to evolve as a self-sustaining "public radio" station: a source of high-quality, informative and cultural broadcasting and a conduit for the plurality of voices in the community. More specifically, the station aims:
- To facilitate democratisation and pluralism by increasing people's access to information, and by continuously advocating a freer and more responsible press;
- To set standards for public interest broadcasting in Nepal by programming to address the information needs of all sections of the listening audience, but especially marginalised groups such as women, children and the very poor;
- To produce a cadre of journalists sensitised in community and public interest broadcasting and provide them with a forum to sharpen their skills;
- To establish Sagarmatha as a national and regional resource centre for community-based and developmental media by building in-house capacity for regulatory and licensing consulting, training, programming and management.
International cooperation agencies provided equipment (UNESCO, Öko Himal, CAF), training (UNESCO, Panos, Radio Nederland), or technical assistance (DANIDA, CECI, International Non Governmental Organisations (INGO)). Local resources have been present from the outset of the campaign for Radio Sagarmatha through co-productions, production services and sponsorship.
Much has changed in Nepal during the last decade of the past century. A civilisation which existed for a thousand years has gone through political changes that transformed its social landscape. Prior to 1995 radio broadcasting was the exclusive domain of Radio Nepal, the state broadcaster established in 1951. It reached about 6 percent of the country through its medium and short wave services. Established in 1984, Nepal Television (NTV) was the sole TV station until the late nineties when more than seventy cable and satellite operators came into being. Four commercial FM frequencies were granted by 1999, driven by advertising.
By 1990 Nepal had witnessed the culmination of a people's movement for democratic freedom that ended almost 40 years of monarchy. The new constitution of 1990 guaranteed the right to freedom of expression and opened the path for the first democratic elections of 1991. In 1992 a National Communications Policy was approved, followed by a National Broadcasting Act in 1993 and Broadcast Regulations in 1995.
From the outset, the Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists, an NGO and an association of journalists, was the main organisational vehicle for Radio Sagarmatha NEFEJ not only worked to establish a licensed radio station, it also works in a variety of different media focusing on environmental, developmental and human rights issues. Other three organisations joined later: Himal Association, Worldview Nepal and the Nepal Press Institute.
Radio Sagarmathas programming has given thousands the opportunity to have their opinions heard in a public forum. On a daily basis, the station takes listeners into the streets and into locations of everyday life. The variety of voices gives the station a very different tone from other broadcasters in this part of the world, one of real life as lived by real people and ultimately programmed by real people. Interviewees and people profiled on the station come from a wide array of backgrounds and occupations.
One of the most successful programmes of Hamro Khaldo (Our Valley), has tackled problems such as prostitution, AIDS, pollution, abortion, child labour and consumer safety. The topics are explored not only through investigative journalism, but also by interviewing a cross-section of characters from local society.
An important aspect of the station's community access exists in co-production and collaboration with local groups. Weekly and monthly programmes by local NGOs, special interests, and arts and community groups are produced with technical assistance from the radio station.
Volunteers are playing an increasingly valuable role, and as awareness of the station has grown, so have the number of groups interested in and open to collaboration. New equipment, such as telephone interfaces for live phone-ins, along with expanded facilities, and the development of training programmes, offer many possibilities for audience and community participation in the near future.
Radio Sagarmatha has opened the path to new ventures in participatory communication. By the end of 1998, two new radio licenses were granted outside the Kathmandu Valley: Radio Madan Pokhara in the Palpa District and Lumbini Cooperative in the Rupandehi District.
Radio Sagarmatha identifies itself as a "public" rather than "community" radio, that is, a responsible spokesperson and facilitator, rather than a vehicle for open community participation. The mainstays of production have been through paid journalists, and programming that is centrally planned, organised and directed. RS has brought investigation, opinion and discussion onto the airwaves.
The station has worked to present listeners with a human package, a combination of issues and entertainment, social discussions and music, as well as to provide a vehicle for the variety of voices and opinions previously unheard on Nepal's radio channels. The station's difference from the state broadcaster and the growing number of Western-style commercial stations is most clearly visible in its programming content.
Public affairs journalism and broadcasting are at the heart of Radio Sagarmathas mission and vision for a more responsible press and a more pluralistic society, but with a long and powerful tradition of folk media and a rich musical heritage, cultural programming is also prominent in the station's daily broadcasts.
Immediate priorities for the station include the development of training programmes, building partnerships with local and international groups and providing much needed support to Nepal's emerging community radio sector.
Mass media in Nepal face formidable barriers. Low literacy levels and widespread poverty limit access to television, newspapers and even radio. The mountainous geography of the country is ill-suited for mass circulation of print media and coverage by electronic media. Only 15 percent of the population have access to electricity.
When Radio Sagarmathas license was finally granted, it came with a series of fourteen conditions and restrictions. Prominent among them: no commercial programming, no political commentary or news on political events, broadcasting was to be limited to two hours per day, weekly reports to the Ministry were required, news from Radio Nepal must be rebroadcast. Most of the restrictions were eventually lifted.
Annual license fees established by the government can be as high as US$1,500 for a 100-watt transmitter, thus limiting the possibilities for community radio stations to operate.
Men dominated operations and programming during the first years. Gradually women are playing a more visible and "audible" role as staff producers and volunteers.
Most of the information for this chapter has been taken from Radio Sagarmatha: A Case Study in Community Radio (August 1999) written by Ian Pringle (CECI) and from the Radio Sagarmatha Web site.
A shorter version of the document appears in Community Radio Handbook (1999) published by UNESCO's IPDC.
Additional information obtained through interviews in Kuala Lumpur and e-mail exchanges with producer Madhu Acharya.
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