Little is known about the economics of rural radio programs and projects in Africa. This is largely because start-up and operating costs have been difficult to measure for radio stations of different sizes operating under different models (that is, public stations, commercial/private stations and community-based stations).
This study has three specific objectives. The first is to identify the costs incurred at radio stations (start-up costs, operating costs— including production costs—and the cost of programming with community involvement). The second is to identify and analyze the revenue streams available to radio stations, including loans, airtime sales, donors, classified ads and fundraising events. The third is to understand the basic technological, human and financial investment needed to sustain radio stations according to their size and type of station.