June 2009

Diversifying Newsrooms, Expanding Coverage

Strengthening Local Media in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's media have a key role to play in the difficult process of building democracy and development in this volatile region. Internews has been working in Afghanistan for the past seven years to support and empower local media here, from building a network of Afghan-run radio stations to ensuring production of quality news and information.

In this e-newsletter, we highlight Internews' diversity training for community radio stations and the expansion of Salam Watandar's programming service. We also feature an inspiring story about Afghan women running for office and celebrate a milestone for Afghanistan's Pajhwok Afghan News, an award-winning news agency.

Charmaine Anderson
Country Director
Internews Afghanistan

In this issue:

• Radio Stations Study Equal Employment Opportunity
• Salam Watandar Radio Service Adds Stations, Listeners
• Salam Watandar Expands Elections Coverage
• Pajhwok Afghan News Celebrates 5th Anniversary
• Radio Programming Inspires Afghan Women to Run for Office
• Other News from Internews Afghanistan

Strength in Diversity

Radio Stations Study Equal Employment Opportunity

Community radio station managers attend a session on equal employment, conducted by Internews. (Nilab Habibi/Pajhwok Afghan News)

Over 35 community radio station managers explored the importance of diversity in the workplace at a training seminar in Kabul hosted by Internews Afghanistan in May. One day was devoted to equal employment opportunities in community radio; for many participants it was their first exposure to the benefits of employing women and ethnic minorities.

According to Humaira Habib, manager of Radio Sahar in Herat, "As a female-led organization, we already know the benefits that women can bring to a radio station. We hope other community radio stations in the country can follow our lead and realize the value in employing women and minorities."

The three-day seminar also focused on business development and marketing. Key international and local organizations made presentations at the seminar, including the International Labor Organization (ILO), BBC World Service Trust, Roshan (a leading local telecommunication company) and Rana Technologies (a local IT services company).

Hello to More Countrymen

Salam Watandar Radio Service Adds Stations, Listeners

Three station managers are welcomed into the Salam Watandar radio service − Rona Sherzai from Radio Qoyash, Yaseen from Radio Pashtoon Ghag, Assim from Radio Armanghan. (Internews Afghanistan)

Listeners in three new cities will be able to tune into original news and cultural programming from Internews’ production house, Salam Watandar. The programming service, whose name means "Hello, Countrymen," recently added three new affiliates to its nationwide network of community radio stations: Radio Quoyash in Maymana, Faryab Province; Radio Pashtun Ghag in Sharana City, Paktika Province; and Radio Armaghan in Shebirghan City, Jawzjan Province.

The new stations will benefit from high quality news and current affairs programming, a share in the advertising revenue and technical support.  In return, Salam Watandar will broaden its reach into three new provinces and increase the number of potential listeners - making Salam Watandar more attractive to advertisers and development organizations seeking to increase their visibility in the country.

Yaseen, manager of Radio Pashtoon Ghag in volatile Paktika Province, says, "I was an employee of another radio station that aired Salam Watandar. When I started my own station I knew I wanted to air Salam Watandar programming in addition to our own locally produced programs."

Yaseen says she likes being part of a larger network of community radio stations. "Money can be tight at times.  A share of advertising income from Salam Watandar will help Radio Pashtoon Ghag become financially sustainable and help keep us on the air in the future."

The stations will begin airing Salam Watandar broadcasts once satellite-receiving equipment is installed and tested. The addition of the three stations will bring the total number of radio stations airing Salam Watandar to 40. Salam Watandar’s broadcast can now be heard in 26 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.

Full-Time Elections Reporter Hired

Salam Watandar Expands Elections Coverage

In order to expand its coverage of the August 20 elections, Salam Watandar recently hired a full-time elections reporter, Najib Sadaat. Sadaat, who previously worked at Radio Television Afghanistan and the Afghan media NGO Nai, covers Independent Election Commission media conferences and other elections-related events, producing at least one news story or package a day.  

Among the major stories he covered in the past two weeks were the release of the preliminary list of presidential candidates, the formation of the Electoral Complaints Commission and ongoing voter registration efforts around the country.

In addition, Sadaat and Salam Watandar staffer Mojtaba Qayoomi have interviewed major presidential candidates, including Ashraf Ghani, Ramazan Bashardoost and Dr. Frozan Fana, one of two women running for the presidency, as part of a series to be aired in the coming weeks.

Pajhwok Afghan News Celebrates 5th Anniversary

Pajhwok Afghan News, an Internews-supported news wire and photograph service, recently celebrated its fifth birthday. Danish Kharokel, Pajhwok’s Director and Editor-in-Chief, hailed the achievements of his Pajhwok team. "We are happy to see Pajhwok make it to this milestone. Afghanistan is a focus of much world attention at the moment and we are pleased to be at the forefront of reporting timely and accurate news from this sensitive region of the world." The award-winning Pajhwok Afghan News is the country's only independent Afghan-run agency.

A Woman’s Place Is in the Council Chambers

Radio Programming Inspires Afghan Women to Run for Office

Alarmed by an Independent Election Commission report on May 1 that not a single female candidate had registered for provincial council elections in eight provinces, with the registration deadline just a week later, the Internews-funded radio programming service Salam Watandar quickly produced a number of stories and interviews to highlight the issue.

In addition, Salam Watandar created an outreach campaign targeting potential female candidates in five key provinces. The message told women that it was their duty to run for provincial council.

The result? On May 9, the IEC announced that a total of 342 women had registered for 124 seats on provincial councils around the country. (More)

Other News from Internews Afghanistan

• Extending the Airwaves in Remote Farah Province
• Internews Launches Risk Management Toolkit for Radio Stations
• Over 100 Reporters Benefit from Internews’ Voter Registration Training
• Code of Ethics Developed for Afghan Journalists

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