Radio & ICT Regional TrainingArusha, Tanzania. May 21st – June 2nd, 2012

Notes and Workshop Report

Zahir Koradia, lead developer and trainer of GRINS radio automation software shows ICT officers (Left to Right) Philip Chinkokhwe (Malawi), Mika Achanyi Fontem (Cameroon) and Yaw Nkrumah (Ghana) how to setup the mixer with the software

Note: This training workshop was hailed by the nine individual participants as one of the most unique and useful trainings that they have participated in – largely due to the balance of hands on practical elements combined with bigger picture thinking and strategizing. A complete evaluation of the two week training by the participants can be found at the end of the report in Annex B and Annex C.

Contents:

Introduction ................................................................................................................. 3

Goals of the training..................................................................................................... 4

Participants ................................................................................................................. 5

Freedom Fone: Week one highlights and observations .............................................. 6

Radio 5: Station visit observations .............................................................................. 7

GRINS: Week two highlights and observations ........................................................... 8

Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................................................. 9

ANNEX A: Workshop programmes: Freedom Fone (week one) and GRINS (week two)

ANNEX B: Workshop evaluation forms by participants

Attendance sheets

Contact details of participants

Introduction:Following the successful Radio and ICT experiments conducted between 2009 and 2011 at 25 radio stations as part of the African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI), Farm Radio International concluded that modern ICTs indeed enhance the effectiveness of radio as a communication development tool1. The technical support of Radio and ICT officers in each of the five countries AFRRI operated in, was intrinsic to the success of these experiments which explored new ways that modern ICTs such as mobile phones, digital recorders and the internet could be leveraged to make radio more interactive for its listeners.

To build on the successful model of building the capacity of “in country” ICT officers to be able serve radio stations as well as to coordinate with the macro level regional plans of Farm Radio International’s Radio and ICT agenda – it became clear that a regional workshop to bring together these Radio & ICT officers under one roof was the way forward.

The workshop was prompted by two new technologies of relevance to radio stations – particularily those serving a rural audience with agricultural radio programming:

Freedom Fone – is a free software that creates interactive, voice based communication services for organizations seeking to engage with communities across mobile networks. In the context of radio stations serving their listeners: Voice menus can be used to share audio information “on-demand or off air” with listeners. SMS polls can be used to organize opinion surveys with listeners in real-time. Listeners can call and record voice messages for broadcasters or send SMS to the station.

GRINS – is a radio automation software designed for community radio stations that includes features such as: Playlist scheduling, content management and statistics, Telephony integration, SMS integration and Internet streaming.

The training was financially supported by bother Farm Radio International and Freedom Fone as a continuation of the collaboration between the two organizations since 2009. The Commonwealth of Learning (CoL) has expressed interest in supporting the training as the capacity of the Radio & ICT officers in commonwealth countries can be seen at an early phase to a larger three year collaborative project between Farm Radio and CoL in supporting community learning projects in Africa.

1

1

See http://bit.ly/farmradioioicts for the complete report published online

http://bit.ly/farmradioioicts

Goals of the trainingAlthough the majority of the training focused on equipping the ICT officers with the knowledge to promote, plan, purchase, deploy, train and provide support to radio stations on these two technologies, the workshop had several other objectives.

Learn new technologies – The focus of the training was on equipping the ICT officers with the knowledge to:

• Understand the technologies so as to better promote and integrate it with the needs of the radio stations

• Understand the hardware components related to each technology so as to be able to setup and deploy

• Train station staff on the use of the software

• Help the station plan their first usage of the technology at their station

• Provide technical support and troubleshooting

Prepare for research activities – we want help from the ICT officers to monitor and evaluate the various GRINS and Freedom Fone deployments at radio stations. The training should help prepare the officers to provide the following responsibilities:

• Coordinate research experiments with radio stations to follow a common research design

• Administer and collect research tools from radio station stakeholders

• Be main point of contact for Farm Radio in countries where no FRI office exists

Explore business models – we were interested in consulting with the participants to see if we could discover potential business models that could sustain these technologies.

• Are these technologies valuable enough for radio stations that they are willing to pay something for them?

• How much would an ICT officer charge for their services?

• What equipment in available locally and is it compatible with the software?

Practice at the radio stations – We wanted to give the ICT officers a chance to visit local radio stations. During these station visits, we wanted to practice the following hands on exercises:

• Learn and listen about the needs of each radio station to help decide which technology is most suitable

• Introduce and demonstrate the technologies to station staff, including key players and station management

• Be prepared to propose a price for the equipment and ICT officer services if it is an entrepreneurial visit

Establish a community of practice – The training will bring these nine individuals together under one roof for two weeks – this will help them establish the early connections which we hope will be nurtured through online communication. The creation of google groups, facebook pages and other social media can help keep this community of practice alive.

Participants

Philip ChinkhokweMalawi,Farm Radio Malawi / Nkhotakota Radio

Seta James MagabeArusha, TanzaniaFarm Radio InternationalTanzania

James KimaroKenya,FIT Resources

Mike Achanyi FontemCameroon,Camlink

Thomas EngidaEthiopiaFarm Radio International

Vedaste UfitabeRwandaRadio Uzima

Evan KinyanjuiKenyaFIT Resources

Daniel NinsiimaUgandaMakerere University

Daniel Sniper MteiArusha, TanzaniaHabari Maalum

Yaw NkrumahGhana,Farm Radio International

Week one - Freedom Fone: Highlights and observations

Brenda Burrell and Tichafara Sigauke of Freedom Fone, Zimbabwe, led the training session for the first week of the workshop (The five day workshop programme is attached in Annex A).

Hands on with equipment – Enough equipment was brought to ensure that all participants had a chance to experiment and practice handson as early in the programme as possible. This set the tone for a very participatory workshop.

High uptake of knowledge – The officers were quick to pick up the new techniques including the configuration of the two hardware devices: Mobigater (single SIM version) and Office Route (4 SIM version)

Ubuntu introduction a challenge but successful – For many of the participants this was their first foray into the world of Ubuntu (an open source Unix based operating system – alternative to Windows). They expressed concern that they would fall behind, but by the middle of the week with practice, they managed to keep up and learn to use the command line interface called terminal.

Experience sharing – Several of the participants (Daniel Ninsiima, Yaw Nkrumah and Seta Magabe) had experience with Freedom Fone and were able to share with the group from time to time.

Exploratory and experimental – In the spirit of growth and adaptation, many participants aksed about things that had not been already integrated into Freedom Fone: cloud based version with remote login access, skype access to Freedom Fone, Dial out version to allow call backs. These possibilities were explored “after hours” by those interested

Community of practice – A google group called the “Radio & ICT officers” was set up to allow the continuation of the exchange between all ICT officers, Freedom Fone, GRINS and Farm Radio international. There is also talk of setting up a facebook page.

Way forward – On the final day, all participants came together to discuss the feasibility of being Freedom Fone technicians for hire in their countries, not only to radio stations but to other interested parties including NGOs, community organizations, small businesses and others. Each participant felt positive and optimistic that they could get engaged with some clients upon returning to their countries

Station visit – On day five of the training, the team spent one morning visiting Radio 5 - a local private FM station. All participants were able to get a tour of the station, asked questions of the management about their technological needs and finally – each group was given a chance to present Freedom Fone and its capabilities to a group made up of station staff of broadcasters/producers/marketing and management. A blog entry about the visit can be read at http://www.freedomfone.org/news/radio-5-hosts-freedom-fone-fighters-in-arusha A short analysis of the positives and negatives of the station visit follows. This is useful because it is a culmination of the week’s work and highlights where some of the challenges may fall when the ICT officers are working on their own, back in their countries.

http://www.freedomfone.org/news/radio-5-hosts-freedom-fone-fighters-in-arushahttp://www.freedomfone.org/news/radio-5-hosts-freedom-fone-fighters-in-arusha

Notes on Radio5 station visit

View blog entry: http://www.freedomfone.org/news/radio-5-hosts-freedom-fone-fighters-in-arusha

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

• Staff was amazed by the technology • Technology fits well with future growth

plans of organisation • Interest was shown in the product • Product was easy to demonstrate • We had a chance to test ourselves on the

understanding of FF • We learnt to plan • Showed interest in investing in the

technology • Involvement of entire Radio staff in the

presentation • Youthful positive audience who are

positive about technology • Examples relevant to their work • Management was engaged in the

presentation • Quick learners • Participative, Eager to listen, • Presence of all levels of staff • Officers able to demo • Staff had ideas immediately • Started with learning about radio station

first

• Give station staff a brief explanation before visiting so that they know what to expect

• Be prepared to demonstrate • Duration of presentation was short • The format should be PowerPoint • demonstrate all the tools • Where to buy equipment • Spent too much time on the station

intro • They did not value farmers as much as

other listeners • Clear timetable/schedule was lacking • Need to be clear about what you want

to communicate • Language barrier • no preparation of key points • Relevant demo content • Do not go too much into the technical

staff • We left them empty handed • We had no commitment

http://www.freedomfone.org/news/radio-5-hosts-freedom-fone-fighters-in-arusha

Week two - GRINS: Highlights and observations

(note: Many of the highlights and observations from week one, equally apply to the second week)

Hands on with audio, a bit perplexing for some – Week two took more of a dive into the realm of audio including audio cabling, mixer configurations and soundcards. For some, especially those with no radio experience, this was a challenge to learn about. The GRINS team prepared a series of exercises that stretched the participants but utilmately helped them better understand the theories behind audio configuration before diving into the hands on audio setup.

Local market availability – One month before the training, The GRINS team endorsed three soundcards and two GSM devices that could work with their software – since none of these devices were readily available in loca African markets, Farm Radio asked if they could modify GRINS to support locally available varieties. The Huawei E173 was added (GSM device available for approx 30$) and the Soundblaster internal card was tested and added to the list of soundcards that work. If GRINS continues to work in this spirit it will surely increase the chances that their software can be deployed at more stations in more countries in Africa.

Hands on with mixers – Halfway through the workshop it was decided to purchase an audio mixer that the ICT officers might find in a radio station. This helped the participants put theory into practice and they were able to confirm that they understood how to configure GRINS in a radio studio.

Sunrise FM: Station visit – As with the previous week and Freedom Fone, the team got a chance to practice their skills at using GRINS by going to a different local FM private station and present to them the possibilities of this new software. There was instant interest – largely based on the possibility of receiving SMS from listeners and putting phonecalls through to the on-air. The participants got a chance chance to negotiate a bit with management as they discussed pricing options around installation, training and service contracts.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Sense of comraderie and purpose – On the last evening of the workshop as the participants were preparing to return home, there was a unbounded sense of excitement about going home and getting started. This spirit has since carried on in the life of the google group created to keep in touch. >> Recommendation: Keep the spirit of the group alive using online tools!

A bit exhausting but mission accomplished – Ideally the workshop would have been split into two separate workshops for each technology but since the distance traveled was so great, it made financial sense to do them back to back. As a result though, people were exhausted by the end.>> Recommendation: Next time, aim for a one week workshop or a bit more relaxation time between

Equipment available on hand for sale or locally available – We preordered the specialised equipment the ICT officers were to use in their countries and made it available for sale at the end of the workshop (at a discount). This was done to help make it easier to get started installing when they returned to their countries. >> Recommendation: Strive with technology partners (GRINS/FF) to design their systems to work with locally available hardware products to reduce financial burden on Farm Radio to buy and ship etc.

Design research / M& E tools ahead of time – The original idea was to turn the ICT officers also into research coordinators so they would have tools to capture usage of the new ICT technologies being installed at the stations. >> Recommendation: Design the research before the workshop to avoid needing to train/coordinate this phase online later (can be challenging)

Plan for station vists – All participants valued the visit highly as it was a chance to put into practice all the theory. A cross section of management/technicians and broadcasters being present was helpful.>> Recommendation: Work with a station ahead of time and confirm that station management can be present.

Further recommendationsfrom the participants themselves as well as their evaluation of the two weeks of training can be found in ANNEX B.

ANNEX A: Workshop programme - Week One: Monday May 21st – Sat May 26

FREEDOM FONE TRAINING FOR TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATORS

MORNING1 MORNING2 AFTERN

OON1 AFTERNOON2 AFTERNOON3

(9:00- 10:30) (11:00-13:00) (14:00-14:30) (14:30-15:30) (15:45-17:00)

Mon

Intro to FF and IVR (equipment already set up)

CHP1 Installing FF (standalone, side by side, changing default settings)

Yow (Ghana) presentation

CHP2 Network Configuration

CHP3 Twinkle & SMS script

Tue

CHP4 Telephony 101 / MobiGater

CHP5 OfficeRoute

Daniel Nsiima (Uganda) presentation

CHP6 Freeswitch Client CHP7 Dispatcher

WedAudio Cookbook

Reporting Formats

James (TZ), GRINS arrive Creating audio

Editing Audio with Audacity & Hindenburg

Thur

CHP8 Configuring Gateways

CHP10 Backup, Restore & Patching

James (FIT, Kenya), Mike (Cameroon) Building ISO

Building ISO / How to introduce FF to radio stations

FriTrip to radio station

Debrief trip to radio stn

Ideas/plans for rolling FF out

Sat

Gateway Troubleshooting

CHP12 Troubleshooting Tips/Remote Support

Vedaste (Rwanda), Thomas (Ethiopia)

CHP11 Increasing FF efficiency

Workshop programme - Week Two: Monday May 28th – Sat June 2nd

GRINS Training Plan

Session Activity Person Incharge

Resources Needed

Day 1Morning

0. Expectations discussion1. Disucssion of how a radio station works2. GRINS introduction presentation3. GRINS demo video4. GRINS basic usage training

Zahir Computer with GRINS (and dongle), projector, speakers, vmplayer, vm with GRINS, sample audio files

Day 1Evening

1. Practice of using GRINS features2. Introduction to participatory program homework3. GRINS installation4. GRINS configurationExtra Session: Exploring GRINS installer script

Kapil Computer with GRINS, free partition on server, free partition on participant laptops/bank vm

Day 2Morning

1. Understanding audio routing in GRINS2. Introduction to an audio mixer3. Connecting GRINS to a mixer

Zahir GRINS audio routing diagram with animation, Audio mixer, Manuals/images of MG82CX, MG122CX, Soundcraft EPM mixers.

Day 2Evening

1. Break-out session: connecting GRINS to different mixers.2. Discussion on break-out session.3. Homework: Group 1Extra Session: Turning mixer inside-out

Kapil/Zahir One computer per group, manuals of four different mixers, circuit diagrams of two mixers.

Day 3Morning

1. Understanding soundcards2. Understanding connectors and cables3. Connecting GRINS to a mixer (with connectors)

Kapil Photographs of soundcards, Delta44 card, local cards, Info from wiki: stereo-mono, balanced-unbalanced, connectors: TRS, TS, XLR, RCA

Day 3Evening

1. Break-out session: connecting GRINS to different mixers.2. Discussion on break-out session.3. Sourcing cables and connectors4. Homework: Group 2Extra Session: DJ Evening --- Phoa

Kapil One computer per group, large speakers, good music, drinks?

Day 4Morning

1. Training plan in India2. Training videos

Zahir Training videos, Presentation of training

3. Discussion on experiences, potential challenges

plan.

Day 4Evening

1. Testing GRINS2. Troubleshooting GRINS3. Homework: Group 3Extra Session: Feedback – What else would you like to know.

Kapil List of tests for GRINS. Troubleshooting document.

Day 5Morning

1. Troubleshooting exercises: on teamviewer, ssh, and phone

Kapil/Zahir Identify faults to be introduced.

Day 5Evening

1. Homework: Group 42. Practical experiences with GRINS in India3. Discussion on training material4. Setup of mailing list. Skype id exchange. Distribution of training material, GRINS software, and ubuntu 10.04.5. Plan for Day 6

Kapil/Zahir Presentation of practical experiences.

Day 6 GRINS installation at a radio station / GRINS sales exercise

All A computer for GRINS installation, soundcard, audio cables, dongle, a willing CR station.

ANNEX B: Workshop evaluation: week one – Freedom Fone

ANNEX C: Workshop evaluation: week two – GRINS

Radio & ICT Regional TrainingContents:Introduction:Goals of the trainingParticipants

Week one - Freedom Fone: Highlights and observationsWeek two - GRINS: Highlights and observations

ANNEX A: Workshop programme - Week One: Monday May 21st – Sat May 26thWorkshop programme - Week Two: Monday May 28th – Sat June 2ndGRINS Training Plan

ANNEX B: Workshop evaluation: week one – Freedom FoneANNEX C: Workshop evaluation: week two – GRINS