Converged Radio, Youth and Urbanity in Africa: Emerging trends and perspectives

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Radio Convergence and Youth: An Overview on African Perspectives
	Introduction
	The Youth Factor in African Converged Radio
	History of Broadcasting in Africa
	Mapping Digitisation in Africa
	The Structure of This Book
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 2: Converged Radio, Youth, and Participatory Politics in Harare, Zimbabwe
	Introduction
	Brief Description of Power FM, Star FM, and ZiFM Stereo
	Theorising Converged Radio and Youth Political Participation in Zimbabwe
	Unpacking Converged Radio, Youth, and Participatory Politics
	The Intersection of Converged Radio, Youth, and Participatory Politics
	Methodology
	Findings and Discussion
	‘The Gadget Is the Media’: Devices Used to Listen to Radio
	‘Agents of Change’: Convergence Radio, Youth, and Participatory Politics
	‘It’s Elite-Centric’: Challenges Associated with Convergence Radio and Youth Political Participation
	Conclusion and Recommendations
	References
Chapter 3: An Alternative Arena for “Communities of Resistance”? Podcasting, Democratic Spaces, and Counterpublics in Zimbabwe
	Introduction
	Podcasting and Its Democratic Potential
	Youth, Social Media and Participatory Politics
	Theory
	Methodology
	Findings
		Podcasting as a Counterhegemonic Space
		Podcasting as a Tool for Enhancing Youth’s and Women’s Participation
	On Technical Issues and Trainings
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 4: ‘Mobile Radio’ and Youth Identity Formation on the Streets of Harare
	Introduction
	Mobile Radio, Identity and Self-management
	Mobile Radio and the Creation of the ‘Digital Cyborg’
	Methods
	Findings
		Experiencing a ‘New Kind of Radio’: Mobile Radio and Disaggregation of Audiences
		Competing Attention: Self-identity Meanings and Identity
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 5: Strategic Diversion and Commercial Exploitation: The Dumbing Down of Converged Youth Radio Programming in Zimbabwe
	Introduction
	Background and Context: Radio Broadcasting System in Zimbabwe
	Theoretical Framework: Radio Broadcasting in the Age of ICTs
	Dumping Down of Media Content
	Converged Radio
	Research Questions
	Methodology
	Findings
		The Nature of Youth Programming of the Converged Radio
		Creating an Apolitical Youth Through Dumbed-Down Programming
		Youths as a Market and Not Citizens
		The Implications of a Dumped-Down Programming on Converged Radio
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 6: Mis(Understanding) Youth Engagement: Role of Commercial Youth Radio in Promoting Political Engagement in South Africa
	Introduction
	Radio and Youth Engagement: A Review of Related Literature
	Conceptualising Youth, Media, and Citizenship
	A Note on Methodology
	The Personal Is the Political: Radio Personal Conversations as Political Engagement
	Creating Organic Conversations on Youth Entertainment Radio
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 7: Radio as Self-expression and the Limits of Public Debate
	Introduction
	Theoretical Framework
	Methodological Consideration
	Youth Participation in Boresetse and Tsele le Tsele News and Current Affairs
	Discussion and Findings
	References
Chapter 8: Youth Audiences and Social Media Integration in Community Radio Stations in South Africa: A Case Study of Zibonele FM and Bush Radio
	Introduction and Background
	A Brief Review of the Literature
	Radio Convergence in South Africa
	Conceptual Framework of the Study
	Method
	Findings and Discussion
	Social Media and the Reconfigurations of News Production in Community Media Space
	Digital Applications and the Reconfigurations of Relations Between Youth Audiences and News Producers
	From Passive Recipients to Agenda Setters
	Youth Audiences, Verification, Fact-Checking, and Media Accountability
	Reading Backwards and Some Contextual Reflections
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 9: Social Media Use and Maturity in a Youth-Orientated Community Radio Station: The Case of Rhodes Music Radio
	Introduction
		Community Radio
		Community Radio and Social Media
		Youth and Social Media Usage in the Context of Radio
	Models for Assessing Organisational Maturity and Social Media Maturity
		Operational Excellence and Organisational Maturity
		Organisational Maturity Models Incorporating Social Media
		Social Media Maturity Model (SMMM)
	Development and Application of an SMMM for Community Radio
		Five-Level Scale
		Organisational Spheres
		Data Collection
	Findings: Original Study
		Organisation-Wide Spheres: Policy and Monitoring
		Departmental-Level Operational Spheres
			Human Resources
			Programming and Production
			Technical
			Marketing and Branding
			Music
			Sales and Advertising
			Communication
			News
		Overall Assessment
	Findings: Five Years Later
		Progress
		Regress
		Overall Assessment
	Recommendations for Practice and Future Research
		Recommendations for Practice
			Policy and Strategy
			Organisation Capacity and Technical Skills
			Integration of Social Media into Activities
		Future Research
	References
Chapter 10: The Language of Audience Engagement in Converged Radio Through Facebook and Twitter: The Case of NRG Radio and Ghetto Radio in Nairobi, Kenya
	Introduction
		Radio Convergence and Audience Interaction: A Review of Literature
	Theoretical Framework
	Data Analysis and Discussion
		Collaboration Between Presenters and Radio Audiences
		Asserting Audience Power
		Social Networking Among Online Radio Participants
		Expressing Absolute Listener Loyalty
		Inclusivity and Collective Co-creation of Programmes
		Promoting Urban Youth Identity and Station Brand
		Creating Critical Audiences
		Promoting Youth Language Through Creative Styles of Expression in Urban Slang
	Discussion
	Conclusions
	References
Chapter 11: Audience Participation in Information Dissemination for National Renaissance: Nigerian Youths’ Engagement of Radio Contents Via Social Media Platforms
	Introduction
	Research Question
	Literature Review
		Radio and Social Media: Tools for Civic Participation
		Nigerian Youth’s Use of Social Media for Radio Participation
	Theoretical Framework
		Media Dependency Theory
		Democratic Participant Media Theory
		Methodology
			Methods and Materials
			Findings
	Discussion
		Radio Virility and Social Media Virality: A Requisite Media Convergence for Better Youth Engagement in Nigeria’s Renaissance
	Conclusion
		Recommendations for Media Practitioners and Further Research Directions
	References
Chapter 12: Campus Radio in the Digital Era: A Case Study of UNESWA FM
	Introduction
	Background of UNESWA FM
	Radio and Information Communication Technologies: Literature Review
	Radio and Convergence
	Social Determinism
	Research Questions
	Methodology
	Findings and Discussion
		Uptake and Use of the New Online and Mobile Digital Media Platforms by Young People in Eswatini
		Social Media Platforms as Tools for Democracy and Participation
		Combining Digital Platforms with Traditional Methods
	Conclusion
	References
		Websites
Index