I take it that you promote the health benefits of consuming rabbit and mushroom and consequently there is a market booming for the products Mushroom bread and rabbit steak. this in turn has resulted into farmers wanting to know how to grow mushroom and raise rabbits. Then you as a radio station provide training to them at a fee and your share the fee with the facilitators. Sounds very good for income of the station but as well as meeting farmers need. hope the radio programme also supplements the training.
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Thanks Jaspher. I got it now.
Hello @Mugwisagye
Can you explain this in detail?
I would also like to know how do you get current general adverts? Do advertisers approach the radio station and offer to advertise then the station decides to run the advert on a farmer program or the station approaches the advertiser?
I am asking this question because you mentioned that other ways you can generate revenue is to market the program to potential sponsors, so I assume that is not happening currently.
Thank you @Jaspher_Wit_Laurie
Maybe you can offer the farmers something in return - airtime! That could make them wiling to support the program. It is also important to educate farmers about the power of media.
Hello @rehema
Just like @MartinMwape I like the idea of having sponsors support a certain component of the program produced.
It is true that community radio stations fight over the one slice of bread, it is difficult to get funding. I am just surprised that in your area a listener could have access to about 200 stations at any given time. In South Africa there is competition but not like that. Licensing a new community radio station in an area that is covered by another is rare unless is it a community of interest.
Hello @eko
This is informative.
Is your station currently running a farmer program? How is the program sustained or sponsored?
Hello everyone,
Week 3 continues. It is all about how your farmer program generates revenue and also about ideas you might have. If you have not contributed yet, please do so. Also comment on other participants’ posts.
This is what is going on - on whatapp:
Christian Maduka Ray Power Fm: Because of stiff competition in the broadcast industry especially in a digitized era like now, radio program producers must diversity revenue source. In Programme design, they must move away from original convention of making radio contents into 15, 30 and 60 minutes. Some contents that may attract revenue may be the short and crispy ones made into 2, 3, 4 or 5 minutes or even more. Again radio contents are now consumed in varied media and platforms such as GSM phones, palmtops, laptops and desktops. We must diversify the contents to suit varied platforms so that sponsors will choose the platform that best meet their need. For instance a sponsor may prefer to sponsor streamed edition of Farmers Radio than the podcast version. The greatest challenge is that Station owners are not willing to fund marketing activities for Farmers Radio. Again most Farmers Radio producers are not trained and retrained as often as should be to enable them catch up with the trend of time. Every Radio Station must do extra work now to survive otherwise everyone will be doing same thing and nothing happens. Cheers
Immaculate Leenat: " In Programme design, they must move away from original convention of making radio contents into 15, 30 and 60 minutes. Some contents that may attract revenue may be the short and crispy ones made into 2, 3, 4 or 5 minutes or even more." 
@Christian Maduka Ray Power Fm kindly explain that part further, I don’t get it.
Christian Maduka Ray Power Fm: On radio conventional duration of programmes comes in 15, 30 no and 60 minutes. Making them in smaller durations may be another way to raise revenue in a diverse way
Jovine Johansen Radio Maisha: Am with you on this point. Nowadays advertisers desire to advertise with those sort sections, due to limited budget on radio & TV
Immaculate Leenat: Still confused. So does it mean the longer the period of the program, the higher the possibility that advertisers won’t patronise it and vice versa?.. I’m still trying to get it well😒
Jovine Johansen Radio Maisha: Yes you have said well, normally the longer the period, the higher the budget, because you medio experts always count the total number of spots and mentioning times price=total costs of ads. So to if the program has five minutes hope two mentioning +1 spot=total costs which ll not be too huge.
Jovine Johansen Radio Maisha: So many advertisers prefer minimal budget that ll allow them to advertise with different platform. Meaning that with fixed budget a company can advertise with radio+TV+ Sponsored social network ads.
Christian Maduka Ray Power Fm: We are talking about diversifying revenue, we are thinking of ways to do so.
Sarah Mawerere UBC: Mmm…Christian u really have strong points. I like yo input esp on the digital era. However, radio broadcasting will still remain traditional since farmers are put at the center of a farmer prog& are key yet they cant use digital hitech equip! Actually they matter a lot in a farmer prog! Anyway’, since we are on revenue generation, May b the sponsors can like live streaming of radio progs- call them podcasts. But even donors or sponsors have to b told well ahead that it’s a farmer program & farmers are key in this. More light on this pliz from colleagues here on this?
Immaculate Leenat: @Jovine Johansen Radio Maisha @Christian Maduka Ray Power Fm … I must say a big thank you for the enlightenment… I get the point clearly now. Actually over here, if you aren’t within the marketing department you can’t understand these tactics easily. But with your help, I’m getting this tactic for the first time.
Rehema Ndarige UBC: Grace, MTN and other communication organisation are potential sponsors of our farmers programs just find a way of showing them that your listeners use their services to call while participating in the program. Now that we use them for the internet also. Try your luck and good luck!
Jaspher Okello Shine Fm: Good morning team, MTN to Sponsor farmers program, i have not heard of may be big inputs dealers who care about giving back to the Community, and expanding their base in the Community. However it can work during Farm expos
Odongo Wendo Boniface Shine Fm: Haaahaa Members good morning! I cannot believe maybe MTN works better for people in Central Uganda but here in Northern Uganda MTN do not sponsor farmers program even if you write proposal no response is made over that. Their sponsorship is more in commercial radios not community radiosstrong text
@obolo I have liked your way of doing on 10 Minutes program that seems to generate revenue higher But I think it depends with the location of the station. To those Stations located at urban areas it can be a challenge to meet with Farmers, I don’t know if they join you to the studio for this facilitation? or how are you doing on facilitation & training to farmers?
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Week Three
Hello Everyone,
Currently we depend on announcements on Agricultural related activities and events like training.
Suggested ways to generate revenue include:
Government Ministries in charge of Agriculture have programs intended to inform citizens on issues relating to farming and they have a budget to conduct such activities including media-Radio talk shows and spots.
Partnerships with like minded civil society organisations working in the same thematic area-Farming are good sources of revenue for farmer programs.
Small and big Agricultural businesses in our communities.
Exhibitions conducted by the radio station for the farmers may also be a source of income. A fee is charged for those who would like to participate and also farmers can get the opportunity to sale their produce and market.
Challenges
Government ministries always want to broadcast with state owned media houses and so getting them to partner with a radio which is private is a challenge we continuously face.
Continuity of funding for the radio programs. Some advertisers choose to sponsor the program for three months and stop reason limited media budgets.
Agricultural businesses expectations and demands are very high and when they are not met for example farmers not using their inputs then the sponsor stops sponsoring the programme.
Catherine Apalat
Mama FM
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Thanks @MartinMwape Please help me understand this better in relation to farmer radio programs because i think it is a good idea and i foresee sustainability or continuity of the radio programs. I would like to suggest a component of video/visual messages besides audio for purposes of self explanatory messages.
Thank you Busi, Our station airs farmers programs, at first one of our farmers program was sponsored by Farm radio International, later IUCN took over though the sponsorship came to an end, and another one is sponsored by the local NGO called FAPAD and the sponsorship is still on. We have managed to sustain the program by involving the local farmers to be part of the program. We also make it clear to our listener that, it is our product meant for them, so that even after the sponsorship ends it remains running normally. The ownership of the program by the community is very important whether it is sponsored or not. We have a policy that, if the sponsor is coming to sponsor a program, we should maintain the program at it’s best during the sponsorship and after sponsorship to attract listener to stay with the program. By so doing we can attract another sponsor without loosing the listener ship for the same program.
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Thanks for sharing very useful ways of sourcing out for revenue. I found this part interesting and I will use it for my radio not only for Farmer programs but other programs too in a creative way depending on the nature of the program- The traditional unit of sale for a program is the Program Clock–.In here lies all the aspects that that attract revenue and i.e. The program slots each having a sponsor able item.
Thank you @DenisLindo for bringing out those important aspects. Personally, I believe in an interactive, lively program whether farmer program or not. The above aspects are important but are sometimes ignored by stations. For example, signature tunes are so important for any program because it is the first feel a listener gets before listening to the whole package so they should be alluring.
Another aspect i think we should consider is putting ourselves in the listeners shoes, and ask! Would i listen to such a program???
I still have an issue with a big audience I asked last week but didn’t get any response from the online facilitators. Let me ask again do numbers equate to impact? I relate this to community media where coverage is not wide but the radio has a “small” audience according to the advertiser who is looking out for big BUT the audience you have is very loyal, have been changed by your programming and they are a niche audience if I may put it that way.
You can not blame them because that is the more reason your radio is there to help them become better and move from being subsistence farmers to commercial or large scale, improve their livelihood and you never know also start sponsoring the radio programme, my simple take on it. Thanks for sharing.
Week 3
Hello Colleagues,
Mama Fm currently relies on adverts for farmer trainings and exhibitions, which we get through resource persons we host in the program.
We also collaborate with NGOs, they buy airtime for talk shows, where they discuss different programs they are implementing and how they benefit farmers. However, before selling the airtime, we first establish whether the information is relevant to our audience and if these are people genuine. Some farmers have been lied to by organizations, they end up buying fake seeds/ plants and pesticides, among others and because they got the information from your station, they will start talking ill about the program. For Mama Fm, It is not about the MONEY but the information we are providing to the audience.
- Are there other ways you think you can generate revenue for your farmer program? Please explain
Organizing farmer’s exhibitions for farmers to share their experiences and learn from experts. A reasonable fee can be charged for the stalls and entrance. This will help the station get content for the program and also the money can support operations of the station.
- What challenges do you face trying to generate revenue?
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Advertisers are more interested in entertainment programs because they have a bigger audience than our farmer program. They do not focus on the impact of the programs rather on the number of listeners.
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Potential advertisers for farmers programs want to sponsor such programs on commercial radio stations. They often tell us that our reach is limited compared to commercial stations.
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Even government programs on agriculture tend to give money to commercial radios, yet you would expect them to also support community radios, and if at all they do support they give little money compared to commercial radios.
Thank you.
Laila Ndagire
Mama FM- Uganda
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Because of stiff competition in the broadcast industry especially in a digitized era like now, radio program producers must diversity revenue source. In Programme design, they must move away from original convention of making radio contents into 15, 30 and 60 minutes. Some contents that may attract revenue may be the short and crispy ones made into 2, 3, 4 or 5 minutes or even more. Again radio contents are now consumed in varied media and platforms such as GSM phones, palmtops, laptops and desktops. We must diversify the contents to suit varied platforms so that sponsors will choose the platform that best meet their need. For instance a sponsor may prefer to sponsor streamed edition of Farmers Radio than the podcast version. The greatest challenge is that Station owners are not willing to fund marketing activities for Farmers Radio. Again most Farmers Radio producers are not trained and retrained as often as should be to enable them catch up with the trend of time. Every Radio Station must do extra work now to survive otherwise everyone will be doing same thing and nothing happens. Cheers
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My contribution to week 3.
(1) What source of revenue does your farmer program currently rely on?
To my station We don’t have a specific farmer program but what we have a Weekly farmer documentary which focus much on Agriculture & Agro industries. We don’t have any revenue from sponsors or advertisers but through proposals submitted to the Administrative Manager, The Station from its budget sponsor producers to go the field for the production of the content.
(3) Challenges do I face trying to generate revenue?
Till the time, we have been submitting different proposals to different companies doing the same business, but the reply is mostly negative,. Our country is passing on economic difficulties caused by economic revolution done by the presence Government, so many companies are not doing well on their business which increases the denial chance to those proposals.
With this challenge the management have decided to sponsor the farmer program, but when there is no money, means the production will be zero & the program is not aired.
Right I do agree with you on the above point and it calls for creativity/thinking outside the box. Thanks.
Thank you eko for your contribution to this week’s eDisccusion!
I like your primary and secondary revenue sources. However, i am wondering what happens if the sponsor does not look for you even if you stand out among all the radio stations?
I am mainly on your primary revenue source where you said that; if your programs are liked and listened to by a big audience, I can assure you that, it is one source of revenue that actually lasts longer. advertisers look for radio stations with big audience! How do the sponsors or advertisers know you have a big audience? And is it big audience? or good programme content? To me as we have been told here by the facilitators, the best radio is not only about big audience, but even small audiences can serve a purpose so long as you are unique and give what is needed or wanted by the people you serve.
I would suggest; if the sponsors do not come to you even if you are the best radio station, then interest them with your proposal- which proposal will tell them how big you are e.t.c… e.t.c…Do not just wait for them to come to you. I mean for purposes of having diverse sources of revenue than a one longer advert or sponsorship.
Regards,
Sarah Mawerere (smawerere).
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