Using Communicationsfor Development

19 May 2006

Reach and Scale

• International NGO established by the BBC in 1999

• Access to skilled BBC staff, transferring broadcasting expertise globally in TV, Radio and Online Production with development focus

• Distribution: Potential 163 million through BBC World Service in 33 different languages and 85 million through BBC World TV. Greater scale through national and local media partners

• Working in 40 countries worldwide

• US$28 million from DFID, EU, UN Agencies and Foundations in 2006/7.

What Role Can the Media Play in Development?

• What is the role of the media in stimulating national debate and creating a demand for change?

• How can media form part of national information strategies? (provide communities with health, livelihoods and education)

• How should the media in developing countries be

strengthened to enable it to play a more effective role?

How to Measure?

• Formative research to identify the parameters of viable media interventions

• Qualitative research methods to pre-test media and communication materials

• Continuous feedback research to monitor the audience reception to media outputs

• Audience-based qualitative and quantitative methods to measure reach and impact of media interventions

Formative

Primary & Secondary

Data

• Values, Tastes• Habits, Rationales• Context Epidemiological, Behavioural• Situation, Context Analysis• Media Consumption• Ethnography

R&L Research and Evaluation Cycle

Pilots Pre-Testing

Focus GroupsCommunity-Based ‘Rapid

Feedback’ In-Depth

Interviews

• Formats• Content • Scripts• Characters• Attributes• Production Quality• Branding• Message Clarity• Accurate Targeting• Cultural Suitability

Impact Evaluation: Quantitative Surveys and

Qualitative Studies

KAP Surveys, Skills Assessment, Pre/Post Tests, Indices

• Knowledge, Attitude, Practices/Behaviours Baseline• Barriers, Facilitators Midline• Refine ObjectivesTracking• Set Priorities Stages of Change

• Identify, Profile Target Endline Audiences, Partners, Participants

Content Analysis, Pre/Post Tests Follow Up Interviews, Policy Analysis

• Journalistic Principles• Scenario Exercises• Professional Norms, Standards

Statistical Analysis• Trends• Relationships between Exposure and Outcomes

Audience Feedback

Letters, Texts, Follow-Up

Studies, Panels, Contests

• Reactions• Interpretation• Message Delivery• Viewing/ Listening Context • Characters, Presenters• Story Lines• Update / Reformat• Extension• New Developments

Mechanisms of Effectiveness

Focus Groups, in-Depth Interviews, Statistical Analysis • Intensity of Exposure• Combinations of Outputs, Multiple Platforms• Use of Animation• Humour• How Audience Relates to characters• Branding• Predispositions• Profiling• Shared, Associated Attributes

National Debates - Calling Government to Account - Bangladesh

Bangladesh Sanglap

Cambodia – promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS through popular TV drama

Cambodia – promoting maternal and child health messages

India – PSA’s challenging stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS

How to Strengthen the Media?

Al MirbadBasra Based, Iraqi managed, independent regional

broadcaster

African Media Development Initiative

Conclusions

• Integrated, targeted, culturally appropriate, entertaining programmes, based on research add value to strategies to fight poverty

• With support, local media can be used as a tool for development and can be used effectively to promote accountability

• Challenge is to strengthen local media and make the case for mainstreaming the role of the media/comms in development strategies