First published in Aurora’s November-December 2004 edtition.

When the Citizens’ Media Commission convened a roundtable on community radio in Quetta in July 2003, the subject was particularly relevant for Balochistan, which has the largest land area of the four provinces. Settlements are scattered in remote places; therefore, the province requires low-cost means of communication to connect the far-flung communities and enable immediate communication within local districts. A sense of the scale and distance in Balochistan comes from the fact that one district, Chagai, is bigger than the whole province of NWFP!

The subject of the Quetta roundtable was “The foremost need in 2003 for media development in Pakistan: licences for community radio stations.”

This writer presented nine issues which require consideration in this context. The participants represented a cross-section of civil society and development activists, as well as media specialists. There was a unanimous endorsement of the need to accelerate the issuance of licences by PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) for community radio stations.

While viewership of TV has grown and listenership of radio has declined in recent years, the popularity of FM radio symbolises the still untapped potential of this powerful medium. It is also relevant to remember that radio remains a popular medium in the very society where TV dominates, i.e., the USA. New digital satellite technologies have also raised the quality of broadcasts to new levels.

For Pakistan, with a population that is still more than 60% illiterate and 40% below the poverty line, radio deserves the highest priority. Pakistan requires an electronic media system comprising four segments:

1. Public sector media: Serving especially, if not exclusively, the public interest. This may be state-chartered with autonomy, on the lines of Britain’s BBC.

2. Commercial media: Operated by the private sector primarily for commercial profit but also required to serve the public interest where possible.

3. Educational sector or campus media: Based in university campuses, serving students and academia, as well as neighbouring communities.

4. Community-based media: Specific to a particular part of an urban or rural area, and operated on a non-profit basis, exclusively in the local public interest.

Here are the nine issues that require reflection.

1. Ownership of community electronic media: The word ‘community’ requires shared and collective participation. However, it needs to be determined whether the eligibility for licences of such community media should be restricted to collective entities (local organisations and associations) or whether even individuals who wish to render public service and use their own funds on a philanthropic, no-profit basis should also be eligible to receive a licence.

During the discussion, the eligibility of Union, Tehsil and District Councils was acknowledged, as these are elected forums representing the community at the most basic levels. There was consensus on the need to restrict eligibility to collective entities with a credible track record of public service.

2. Duration of licence: Should it be for an initial, ‘probationary’ period of one year or (in view of the scale of investment required), given outright for a minimum of three years, a duration over which, the actual performance of the licensee would remain subject to continuous appraisal and to the Code of Conduct? It was agreed that the licence should be for a period of at least three years.

3. Licence fees: Many countries grant licences for electronic media through an auction-like process to the highest bidder. However, it was noted that as community electronic media are specifically to be operated on a non-profit basis and in the public interest alone, the licence fees should be a nominal amount easily afforded by local organisations.

4. Financing:
• Complete or partial funding support, through outright grants from the Federal and Provincial Government or local elected bodies. At the same time, such funding contains the potential for undue interference and control by the official institutions concerned, as there is a lack of respect for principles of autonomy in Pakistan when one institution funds another.

• Subscription or voluntary contributions by citizens and beneficiaries of the media, because they have a duty to demonstrate a practical commitment to the responsibilities that arise from the right to have their own local media. However, by itself, this source cannot be relied upon to meet all the needs. It was pointed out that there are various new technology options available by which, say 100 to 500 households can be made part of a local broadcasting network at extremely low prices, ranging from under 100,000 to one million rupees. Nevertheless, recurring costs will remain a constant requirement.

• Advertising revenue from local traders and manufacturers.

• Sponsorship of programmes, with brief announcements about sponsorship, rendering such support in the public interest without conventional ‘spot’ advertising by corporations or organisations.

• Grants from multilateral aid agencies or single overseas countries. Given the requirement to fulfil transparent record-keeping and the conduct of audits on a periodic basis, the receipt of such support from a ‘foreign’ source should not be disallowed, especially in view of the fact that every Federal Government of Pakistan seeks and receives aid from foreign sources.

• Support from Pakistani philanthropists or organisations.

5. Training in broadcasting skills: This is particularly relevant in view of the localised nature of the media unit. While recognising the requirement for proficiency in the technical aspects of broadcasting, it was also pointed out that community electronic media (being so close to the people) need not pursue the level of gloss and finesse in presentation and quality, which are present in mainstream and commercial media. However, training remains a key requirement.

6. Content – Political, partisan, or non-political? While priority is placed on local developmental needs concerning governance, education, health, employment and similar issues, the view was that community electronic media should not be partisan or reflective of a particular viewpoint, as that would run the risk of polarising the community at the local level and deepen differences instead of reducing them.

The view was expressed that, as all development and governance issues are affected by political policies, it would be impractical and unfair to prohibit political content in community electronic media. While political parties should preferably not be given licences to operate their media (this was likely to aggravate partisan schisms), it was stated that adequate faith and trust should be placed in the people and in their maturity and capacity to listen to contrary points of view on a given subject and then make up their minds without allowing their perception to become negatively ‘politicalised’.

The crucial question was the responsibility of each radio station and TV channel to ensure balance and fairness in projecting viewpoints and in ensuring accuracy of the reported news. A complete ban on the freedom of community stations to take a political approach to issues would ‘sterilise’ the output and be tantamount to de-politicising public discourse.

7. Safety and security of community electronic media journalists: This is in the context of the probability that the local media may sometimes be required to report illegal or offensive actions by people of power and influence residing in the community. Going by the tragic experience in which print media journalists have been killed or assaulted due to the reports they have filed, community-based electronic media requires adequate protection by local law and order authorities as a deterrent against possible attacks, apart from taking their private measures for security. The community, too, has a major responsibility to ensure the safety of local journalists.

8. Area of coverage: Should the terms of a licence for community electronic media specify the area to which the broadcast signal is restricted, or should there be a flexible approach, allowing the licensee to maintain or expand the area of coverage over a certain time period?

9. Exclusivity of licence in an area: Should the number of licences issued for a particular community, comprising a specified set of neighbourhoods in an urban area or a settlement in a rural area, be restricted to one, or should there be no restrictions in the interest of free competition?

The apparent virtue of pluralism, being reflected through more than one electronic media unit being present in a community, could also become a potent source of conflict if contrary and opposite viewpoints were broadcast regularly in a hostile and provocative manner by two or more units. In that case, however, provisions in the Code of Conduct could deter such potential excesses.

In addition to the above nine issues, there are also other aspects that require debate and determination at the earliest time.

The Chairman and the Executive Members of PEMRA participated in the roundtable, stating they would take note of its recommendations in preparing a policy framework for community media. However, the people and media also need to make an active contribution to the public debate to ensure that the most appropriate decisions are taken.

Javed Jabbar is the founding convenor of the Citizens’ Media Commission and former Federal Minister for Information & Media Development.