Very detailed. Looking forward to Week 4 
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 a different minutes. 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. Every Radio Station must do extra work now to survive otherwise everyone will be doing same thing and nothing happens.
Thanks.
Sources of revenue
It is largely funded by the station itself but of course this leaves a lot desired since there are so many demands for other activities that need to be facilitated. This has therefore made it so irregular for the farmer programs to attract the eye of the management who from time to time claim they have other immediate priorities to deal with first. So it bothers me when am told that your trip to the field will be catered for when such and such an activity is handled.
But also due to the fact that farm programs do not attract much sponsorship, so there is little or no external revenue for the program. Sponsors I have observed want to associate themselves with majority. Big advertisers and sponsors had rather go in for sports which has many people than farming.
Ways to generate revenue
I also agree that good programing is key coupled with presentation skills. So training is needed for program presenters to provide good speech while on air ( artistic element of speech) to help attract good comments for the program to win funding both from the station and as well sponsorship and adverts.
Challenges
Of course like it has been said there is stiff competition in the industry, although this is a challenge to all of us. How do we then tap from that? I think to stand out from the crowd of competitors we need now to be innovative like I have seen many stations doing similar things but you realize one goes an extra mile to perform better than the other and has more listener ship and sponsors.
Then we also have the technical staff ( finance) who are not of the profession and have little understanding and interest hence bound always to frustrate the program at the expense of other needs simply because they do not see the value attached to farmers program.
Thanks
Thanks Busi for the support you provide for this forum.
In addition, here as follows;
Week 3: What are the best sources of revenue and how to diversify revenue?
In this week that we have just ended, we have primarily concentrated on Sources of Revenue and diversifying revenue sources. This was a build up from Week 2 where the emphasis was Audience / Listenership issues.
I want to thank the following;
• _Christian Maduka _
_• eko _
_• Emmanuel Asamoah _
_• Immaculate Leenat: _
_• Jaspher Okello _
_• Jovine Johansen _
_• Jovine_Johansen_Joel _
_• Laila _
_• Odongo Wendo Boniface _
_• Petronillah Simwenyi: _
_• Rehema Ndarige _
_• Sarah Mawerere _
• Hajji Kawenja
……………………………………for making a lively and informative debate about the subject.
Some of the issues you raised bordered on;
• Stiff competition:
I believe that competition is everywhere. In whatever business one is planning to engage in, competition shall come from the new entrants and the old alike. The Key to containing competition is to be “SMART” in whatever we do on air or in business. The beginning point is to answer and meet our listener’s needs. We cannot get to know the needs unless if we continuously interact with the listener in this case, then tailor make our programmes to meet that intrinsic need. The listener needs keep on shifting from time to time and therefore the reason we must keep a tab on what they need. Above all, we must meet this need in the best way possible better than anyone else on the market.
• Creativity in shorter programs
The issue of creativity in designing shorter program content has come to the fore as a result of the changes in technology. Listeners can reach any program content at will and in the shortest time and possible convenience. This liberty is sovereign however, we can cause each listener to super glue with our station if we meet their needs as stated above but also deliver the solution to their needs in the most effective way and manner. If it means digitalization of content, so may it be. The online versions of the program content have become preferable to some listeners because they can be accessed anytime even after the program has already gone off air. At the listeners leisure such content can always be accessed at will. The competing priorities in the listeners’ courtyard and life dictate that the easier the listener is able to get to us the more likely we shall retain them in our audience as a target. Keep it simple, relevant and easy to get your airwaves even if it means applying technological advances in your programming.
• Advertisers prefer minimal budget
The world we live in has changed and so are the economic times and challenges. Few resources chasing too many goods or wants and the resource envelope may not always meet each need and want.
Advertisers may also be experiencing such economic challenges necessitating that budget cuts become the order of the day.
As Radio owners we are challenged with the affordability of our products. This is in contrast with the prevailing competition as well. So we may need to cut our advert product offer according to the cloth of the advertiser. Can we have smaller but informative segments or slots for whatever that we offer?..Can we reduce the cost of production so that we ca also leverage on affordability of our services?..can we offer un-precedented service delivery and customer care to retain the few clients we have as well as our listeners? This way we shall attract both the big and small advertisers like MTN
• Station location Vs farmers location
Most community radio stations are located favorably near farmers in the regions that they serve. There is both physical and airwaves reach. We should take advantage of both to deliver what we deliver best. The closer the station us to her target audience farmers the better. But with airwaves crossing and extending further than the immediate community nearer the station, efforts must be made to develop listener clubs /associations and group memberships to effectively galvanize the body listenership into a meaningful value to deliver to potential advertisers and sponsors.
• Creatively generating Revenue in diversified efforts
Traditionally the program clock and station format would be what many stations rely on for revenue. However, the clock has been competed for by other stations in their numbers targeting the few advertisers and sponsors we all have. The Unique selling point for every station in this case determines the unique attractions to the potential advertiser. As the space becomes narrower to attract sponsors traditionally, the station MUST look into other creative ways. I mentioned some already. By the way, there is no harm in generating massive revenue elsewhere and part of it is used to support a farmers’ program at your community station. Some communities may not be economically viable for any advertiser to try and reach. But the station may have or should have that unique bit which could be used to tap into other non-traditional sources whether farmer oriented or otherwise. The bottom line is cash flow!!!
o Agricultural Exhibitions/Expos
_o Farmers Contests _
o Farming/Agriculture related competitions in schools, communities
_o Direct Product Promotions _
o Events like Farming Week in a Monthly , Quarterly, Yearly Manner
o Farmers Quiz ( Could be regional in Nature)
o Farming Demonstration Activity/Zone/Location
o Improved Farming Techniques and Extension Services-( The Radio Teams Up with Technical agencies to deliver this at a fee)
o Etc, etc
In all that we do, the Farmers’ involvement must be top priority. All that we do should be in the guidelines laid out in the Station’s advertising policies. Certainly, we cannot produce radio contents or out of studio activities that are repugnant to our station’s policy and regulations.
• To Have Presenters as Farmers
This position would be a desirable one. However, it is one aspect to have a a good presenter and another to have a good farmer. Many a good farmer would probably have no enough time to juggle farming and presenting because both require a lot of time and probably, good farming affords more freedoms and liberties that most likely presenting would never afford. Freedoms like “Financial Freedom”. However the miracle would be if it were possible to have both in the personality one man/woman. We can concentrate on having goods presenters that are farming oriented in some aspects then we could identify several good farmers whom such presenters could work with as resource persons for our different aspects of the farmer programs that we air.
Our programs should not only target practicing farmers but also bring about awareness in non-core farming sections of our communities like schools with or without Agriculture a component. This should serve to bolster interest in the increment and adoption of farming as a business. Similarly, teachers would also have opportunities to validate their Agriculture theories by getting opportunities to interface with farmers on ground via our community radios. The long and short of this would ensure sustainability of both interest and practice in the communities the radio serves near and beyond and thus the relevance of both the station and the farmer program….and the bottom-line translation should be KWACHA!!! Or USD!!!,……name it!
Thank You!
Denis Lindo
Resource Person
Farm Radio
Generating Revenue
E-Discussion-2018
Thank you very much Denis.
Sarah.
Week 3: What are the best sources of revenue and how to diversify revenue?
Hello every one
My suggestion on this week`s discussion on generating revenue and the best sources of revenue and how to diversify revenue.
- What sources of revenue does your farmer program currently rely on?
Our farmer programs were relying on the sponsorship from Farm Radio Trust which was funding at least two farmer programs of Ground Nuts and Soy beans and the one of productive agriculture which takes on board any agricultural related issues
The sponsorship now has phased out and we now only rely on adverts and sports from interested organizations.
The programs also survive by getting some funds from other programs and projects and use them in the agriculture programs by funding field recording trips and allowances - Are there other ways you think you can generate revenue for your farmer program? Please explain.
The other ways which we community radios can use when we want to generate revenues are as follows:
By engaging these mobile service providers like in my Country we can engage Airtel and TNM sponsor farm programs like doing adverts and spots. These mobile services can easily be willing to sponsor since they may need customers to use their line. So this can our cleverness to link them with famers by enticing them by telling them that farmers may need their line to advertise their farm produce so let’s invite more farmers to by your line for their easy access to markets with buyers
Another means of revenue generation is by engaging Banks to sponsor farm programs, remember many banks provides some agriculture loans to farmers so for easy pay back of loans to them, farmers needs to be sensitized fully and frequently.
Because Farmer programs always works with farmers in clubs/groups, its then easy to involve any company and organization to do adverts within the program since messages will reach more farmers within short period of time. So we can entice them to even sponsor five minutes’ spots and even quiz and they shower some awards inform of T-Shirts, Caps, Seeds and even some fertilizer and some manure/Tobacco pellets for farmers to use in their fields - What challenges do you face trying to generate revenue?
Like in most Community Radios esp in Malawi we face the common challenge of overcharged rates by other service providers since many community radios in Malawi doesn’t have their own Tower to mount in our antennas, frequency charges by Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority, plus other Bodies like NGO Board and congoma. You will find that the money that you could use to meet those that can sponsor your farm program instead due to some intimidations has been paid to these service providers for fear of disconnection. This may force your station to suffer a lot since the marketing team might not move to get sponsored due to limited finance at hand.
The other challenge is lack of confidence by some advertisers to we community Radios. They sometimes think that we don’t work the same as National and private Radios do. For this reason, you will find that they shun working with rural radios and flock into urban and national RADIOS.
Since community radios charge them less, they thing with the low charges which we give them, then they underrate us thinking we don’t have capacity to produce quality materials for their satisfactory.
This then needs all community Radios to form a network where they can come up with uniform charges for programs and even adverts.
I agree with Christian. Every one seems to be on the fast lane now. Not the conventional radio scheduled times. I also think once you have a good listenership base, clients will key in. Nigeria is currently adjusting its source of income from oil but the herdsmen manace has seriously thwarted these efforts, especially in my home state, Benue.
@DenisLindo and @Busi_Ngcebetsha thank you for your facilitation and for a very informative discussion which has really enabled me to know more about the operations of radio stations all over Africa and more so I have learnt how farmers programs can best be presented and even how to generate money for the same. I particularly like the part where you @DenisLindo said that “The Key to containing competition is to be “SMART” in whatever we do on air or in business. The beginning point is to answer and meet our listener’s needs. We cannot get to know the needs unless if we continuously interact with the listener in this case, then tailor make our programmes to meet that intrinsic need. The listener needs keep on shifting from time to time and therefore the reason we must keep a tab on what they need. Above all, we must meet this need in the best way possible better than anyone else on the market.” This goes with out saying that once you meet the listeners needs they will remain faithful and cling to you as if they were your baby clinging/holding on your legs as you try to walk away! But this does not mean that we take them for granted, let us try all means to satisfy their needs in order to retain them since we have found out that they are the revenue generators without their numbers no sponsors.
Challenges are everywhere with community radios since they deals with only communities. Like here in Uganda most radio stations are commerciallily, advertisers and sponsors value their services than community radios
I know but at times when one is not the manager there are many constraints and obstacles before one does what is necessary. What is priority for a program presenter might not be for the financial controllers of the station.
Kudos.
My radio station being a government owned one, depends heavily on the allocation fron the government. A couple ofs adverts are placed during prime times too.
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Yes, i believe sponsorhip, partnership and advertising can be sought especially through our marketers or the producers who know the content and viability of the programme better.
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It means time off your production, Most people prefer Television ads, Most of our airtime is taken up by Government programmes, religious personalities and tools, inadequate power to monitor and certain about production time is another challenge faced when trying to market a programme
I thought this problem was peculiar to my station alone. Sometimes you would want to invite resource people to the station to speak to matters. It would be right to give this person something (transportation or honorarium) to show the resource person how pleased you are.
But you would send the budget earlier to the financial controller and the feedback would be that it was not factored into their plans.
ohhhhh thanks for the presentation. Very interesting
True Rehema, if you were to take any of them for granted then that would be the start of a situation leading to a degeneration of customer care. One by one would result into the bundle that would have crossed over to other stations. LISTENERS ARE SOVEREIGN!
Thanks
Welcome Emmanuel …kindly share with me what you understood or learnt
Thanks
@Jovine_Johansen_Joel Thank you for the advise, that is how it is supposed to be, but where you are not in position of dealing with funds, you have to accept whatever comes or whatever is done.
Thanks Mawerere …please share with me what is you learnt or your take home on this
@krizo, thank you for you post
There is need for creativity by producers and presenters to overcome the above challenges above.
Thank you Denis for this question!
Actually i have learned a lot in your resource or submission. These include;
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Being “SMART” in whatever we do on air or in any radio business. In doing this, we are able to compete with the rest. Giving what the listeners want to hear in the program or what they need is part of being SMART and puts us in a position to be able to compete.
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Creativity. This is something i have really grasped here in your contribution! In fact, this is something serious that i am going to do. Even right now i am trying to package some recorded material for the On The Farm Radio Programme. It is about new technologies for dealing with citrus fruit concentrates being experienced in eastern Uganda. I am trying to put ingredients like; sound effects of farmers spraying their orchards, some effects of water being pumped for irrigating the orchard, then i am linking the citrus to the nearby Juice factory that has been constructed by the Korea government. Farmers very soon will be taking their citrus fruits directly to the factory who have set a fair price than the middle men who have been exploiting the farmers.
I am even writing proposal to the in-charge and the Korea project seeking sponsorship for this programme.
- Have also learned that if our radio teams took part in promotions, extension activities, farmers’ gathering and other events that can benefit farmers, the programme or station will gain fame and stand out among the many.
Thank you Denis.
I am continuing reading and learning more.
Sarah.