LIBERIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM: SUPPORT BY RADIO CHINA

UNCLAS MONROVIA 000469

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

AF/W-JBUELOW/PDAVIS, EAP,
INR/AA FOR PGRAVES
USAID FOR AFR/WA-SSWIFT, DCHA/OTI-DKERNER/KHUBER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PGOV SCUL PINR LI PREL CH
SUBJECT: LIBERIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM: SUPPORT BY RADIO CHINA
INTERNATIONAL


1. (SBU) Summary: John Langlois, Senior Media Advisor for USAID's
Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) visited Liberia from February
28 - March 21, 2007. The purpose of his visit was to follow up on
OTI media-related activities and to assess OTI's media strategy in
light of new Chinese involvement in the sector.


2. (SBU) Background: In mid-2006, USAID/OTI provided over $35,000 in
studio and broadcasting equipment to the Liberia Broadcasting System
(LBS),and specifically to its radio service, known as ELBC FM. The
materials restored minimum capabilities to ELBC for basic radio
coverage of government activities and events. The decision to
provide studio and outside broadcasting equipment was in part based
on political transition needs. USAID and other donors have been
working closely with the Government of Liberia (GOL) to enhance its
capacity to govern the country. Public expectations and need for
coverage of government decisions and activities, combined with a
public that still trusts the national broadcaster to provide much of
this type of information, created the basis for the assistance
provided. Operationally, the LBS radio service and its Director
General provided key support to early GOL, USG and international
community priorities as it worked to publicize and promote the
re-electrification of Monrovia.


3. (U) USAID/OTI began working to build a national network of
public service oriented radio stations in late 2006, focusing on
independent Star Radio in Monrovia and selected small, community
oriented radio stations located in major towns outside the capital.
Star Radio is a non-profit, news oriented radio station initially
established through USAID and the work of Swiss NGO Fondation
Hirondelle to support the Presidential election process in 1997. The
station was shut down by Charles Taylor's government in 2000, but
was reestablished with European donor funds in 2004. Most of the
rural, community radio stations now operating in Liberia were
created through a USAID supported program began in 2003.


4. (U) USAID/OTI is working with Star Radio and six priority
community radio stations to help the rural stations provide superior
local news and programming in addition to a real time, networked
news operation that will allow the rural stations to broadcast news
and other programs live from Star at times throughout the day. The
system will be the first true affiliate radio network to exist in
Liberia, either pre or post-war.


5. (U) The affiliate network stations currently receiving support
through the grant to Star Radio include: Radio Bomi 98.9 FM -
Tubmanburg, Bomi County; Radio Gbarnga 96.5 FM - Gbarnga, Bong
County; Radio Gbezohn 106.3 FM - Buchanan, Grand Bassa County; Radio
Harper 89.8 FM - Harper, Maryland County; Smile FM 98.6 FM - Zwedru,
Grand Gedeh County; and Radio Voinjama 93.5 FM - Voinjama, Lofa
County.


6. (SBU) Chinese Media Sector Support: According to Charles Snetter,
the Director General of the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS),the
GOL and People's Republic of China (PRC) signed an agreement in
Beijing during the November 2006 state visit of President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf for the operation of Radio China International (RCI)
on FM in 7 cities in Liberia. RCI will provide upgrades to the
operation of LBS as part of the agreement. As reported by Snetter,
the following will be installed, beginning in April 2007: two 10kW
FM transmitters (one RCI relay and ELBC-FM) in Monrovia, and twelve
1.5 kW FM transmitters (six RCI relay and six ELBC-FM) in
Tubmanburg, Gbarnga, Voinjama, Zwedru, Harper, and Buchanan.


7. (U) At each site, a generator with possible backup generator
sets will be installed to power the transmitters and all supporting
equipment including satellite relay equipment. RCI will relay ELBC
programming via satellite in addition to the RCI program stream.


8. (SBU) This will be the first time that RCI has broadcast in
Liberia, and the first time any international service will be
broadcast on dedicated transmitters outside of Monrovia. Some
international services have been available on dedicated transmitters
in Monrovia, and the BBC established an affiliate broadcaster in
Buchanan.


9. (SBU) The genesis of this arrangement was the visit by the
Chinese Ambassador to Liberia to the studios and transmitter
facilities of LBS in Paynesville, Liberia. The Chinese Ambassador
noted the presence of FM transmitters for Radio France International
and the BBC and inquired whether the RCI would also be welcome. An
RCI technical team was sent to Liberia following the visit to LBS by
the Ambassador, and as reported by Snetter, an agreement for the
Liberian President's signature was presented during her state visit
in November 2006.


10. (SBU) The estimated value of all installed equipment through
RCI will be $54 million yuan, or roughly $7 million USD.


11. (SBU) Analysis: While FM radio stations broadcast in Monrovia
and on low power outside the capital, with the exception of UNMIL
Radio, there is no national retransmission or network of FM
stations. The new Chinese support to ELBC promises to provide the
national broadcaster real national coverage, but will do so through
a system of repeater transmitters that only rebroadcast the program
stream produced in Monrovia.


12. (SBU) While this OTI supported program to assist local
broadcasting in Liberia was established to provide independent,
national coverage of Liberia's rebuilding process, it will have the
effect of also providing some balance to the initiative of the
Chinese to create RCI presence and ELBC presence throughout the
country. Because the USAID effort relies on local radio stations
that are fully integrated and supported within their communities,
despite the fact that Chinese assistance will vastly exceed USAID
investments, it is believed that the Star programming and its
affiliates will provide effective competition to RCI and ELBC in all
the towns in which they will be operating.


13. (SBU) Follow-up actions: USAID/OTI has not elected at this time
to provide any additional support to LBS, especially with the new
Chinese support forthcoming. However, LBS Director General Charles
Snetter, who is a US citizen, remains a close point of contact to
USAID/OTI staff and is considered very supportive to US interests.


14. (U) In terms of the affiliate network of independent community
radio stations, Star Radio staff have provided training and
maintenance support to three of the radio stations, and have
installed new equipment at Radio Gbezohn in Buchanan. Equipment
installation will proceed in Gbarnga and Tubmanburg in April and
formal association through a structured memorandum of understanding
between Star and the community stations in Harper, Voinjama, and
Zwedru will take place in May. OTI has provided support to Star
Radio to move to a more cost-effective location in order to promote
longer term sustainability of the studio and affiliate network, and
equipment procurement for the stations in Harper, Voinjama and
Zwedru is underway.

BOOTH