Proposal for Pre-conference Online Event

Abstract

Over the past ten years, access to new media, particularly internet and telecommunication resources, has improved in Nigeria. Today the usual encumbrances associated with access to broadcasting licences are absent in the new media/ internet sector. // Internet penetration increased to the extent that media sector and civil society professionals can have relatively easy access for exchange and dissemination of information. // Information exchange and dissemination through the internet, particularly social media platforms e.g. podcasting, videocasting, blogging, chats and forums are already becoming popular for community-building and advocacy in Nigeria. // Exchange and dissemination of ideas and resources often serve as open education resource platform. This widens the opportunities available for campus radio operators and intending community radio operators to harness the resources of social/new media to advance their community/grassroots engagement. // This activity will bring together campus radio operators, intending grassroots community radio operators, other civil society stakeholders, and academia, from Nigeria and other parts of the Commonwealth. The focus would be on generation of ideas on contemporary policy challenges in the development of grassroots broadcasting; opportunities available for stakeholders, and the strategies to engage these challenges and opportunities // The event will run for four weeks in the build-up to PCF7. It will be hosted via an online forum such as googlegroup. // Modality: IMESO will work with such organizations as MTC (South Africa) and HASDA (Sierra Leone) in facilitating this programme. // The outcomes: among other things, the participants will acquire understanding of issues affecting community radio development, the methods to engage them in the various countries represented. Participants would be well positioned to engage the main issues to be addressed during the main PCF7 event. // Paper ID: 392