The Media for Development Initiative continues the co-operation and partnership between the National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea (NBC), AusAID and ABC International Development.
Over the next two years the project will focus on communications for development content with a focus on the key areas of health, education and gender. As well as generating content through outside broadcasts and visits to remote areas, NBC is developing a television program focusing on development issues, due to launch in January 2013.
NBC staff will have the opportunity to develop their skills through a broadcast journalism certificate and through competitive selection for attachments both within Papua New Guinea and with Radio Australia’s Tok Pisin service in Melbourne.
At the same time the MDI project team are working closely with NBC to restructure the broadcaster, with a major review of provincial stations designed to get more content to and from rural audiences which make up 85 per cent of the population of the country.
MDI is also supporting NBC’s training and research functions, helping to protect its archive of historical recordings, and assisting with the creation of a disaster broadcasting plan.
Recent Activity
Use Your Voice campaign
Since July 2011 the MDI project has increased its focus on assisting to create communications for development (C4D) content on the NBC. This has included a few content development strategies: The Use Your Voice campaign, a partnership between AusAID and NBC radio, focused on Gender Based Violence (GBV) in PNG.
Over 12 weeks, the NBC produced more than 30 hours of radio programming on the topic, including interviews and talkback with GBV experts in PNG, and discussions with all levels of PNG society. The talkback programming included around 14 provinces in PNG. Nearly three-quarters of the callers were men, ringing in to say “it’s time to stop violence against our women NOW”.
With help from AusAID, the NBC made TV spots with Mal Meninga and Nathan Hindmarsh with the message “strong men don’t bash women”. As part of the Use Your Voice campaign, Digicel allowed the project to use their client base of more than 1.4 million mobile phone users, to send text messages that we can all use our voices to end violence against women in our communities.
The campaign received applications from people across the country with innovative ideas to communication the anti-GBV message; and the NBC has also been engaging with NGOs to produce various public service announcements around GBV.
NBC staff hone talkback skills
National Broadcasting Corporation staff members have marked the end of an exciting Talkback Workshop by graduating at the NBC headquarters in Port Moresby. News journalist, on-air presenters and producers took part in the two-week workshop, which was aimed at developing talkback radio skills at NBC.
Their graduation ceremony on February 12th, 2010 was attended by the Australian High Commissioner, Ian Kemish, as the guest speaker; PNG’s Chief Ombudsman Commissioner, Chronox Manek, and other guests.
Graduation Day in PNG
Senior staff from Papua New Guinea’s National Broadcasting Corporation recently completed an intensive leadership training program, supported by ABC International Projects. Their graduation ceremony was covered by The National newspaper.
