The challenge of international radio broadcasting – what's in it for Africa?

“Radio France Internationale” and “Deutsche Welle” in Francophone Africa: International Broadcasters in a Time of Change

“…The question about international broadcasting—“What's in it for Africa?”— was raised in the mid 1990s by Wigston (). He concluded that “the prospect of using” international broadcasters “as an aid to development is paradoxical,” because their “output is framed and manipulated by the demands of foreign policy” (p. 66).…”

“…At the same time, the British launched their Empire Service (Chancellor, ). During World War II there was a battle for the airwaves and it was at this point that international radio broadcasting was established “as a key instrument in international political communication” (Wigston, , p. 56). General de Gaulle and his government in exile regularly gave speeches on the BBC and Radio Brazzaville .…”

“…One of the reasons for the perception of the station as a “companion” has to do with the fact that RFI acts like a “community radio” or “local radio” in some ways, said Max Bale, project leader at RFI Planète Radio . At the end of the Cold War critics blamed international broadcasters for having “no interest in grassroots communication for mutual understanding” (Wigston, , p. 66).…”

“…During the Cold War era the existence of international broadcasters was hardly questioned (Harranth, ), yet foreign broadcasters were clearly considered “instruments of public diplomacy” (Browne, , p. 30). On the African continent, international radio broadcasters were accused of being tools of Western imperialism and ideological weapons in the East–West conflict (Wigston, ). The fall of the Iron Curtain caused further controversy as Voice of America , BBC World Service , Deutsche Welle , and Radio France Internationale all had to argue against assertions that they had lost their “right to exist” at the end of the Cold War (Labonté, )—mainly because their broadcasts had “not led to any reduction in global animosity” (Wigston, , p. 66).…”

“…In other words: How have international broadcasters managed to adjust to the changing media environment in Africa while at the same time remaining competitive abroad and securing legitimacy at home? Certainly there is “prestige value” and the political mission that sponsoring governments attach to their overseas broadcasting ventures, a prestige that may be quite separate from their actual achievements in terms of audience (Wigston, ). Yet prestige itself is not a sufficient explanation, particularly not in Germany, where very little value is placed on external broadcasting in comparison with other European and non‐European States (Dörr, ).…”