PARWAN AND KAPISA RADIO: OPPORTUNITIES FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003381

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM
STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA
USFOR-A FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL OIIP PROP KPAO AF
SUBJECT: PARWAN AND KAPISA RADIO: OPPORTUNITIES FOR
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

REF: KABUL 3376

Classified By: Interagency Provincial Affairs Deputy Coordinator Hoyt Y
ee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) Summary: An initial assessment of the media
environment in the eastern Afghan provinces of Parwan and
Kapisa reveals a thriving radio community with remarkable
outreach capabilities with the local population, operating in
the midst of an ever-present insurgency. Two local radio
station owners in particular rely on prominent community
figures to disseminate progressive ideals. Both benefit from
family roots to uphold their credibility with the population.
These stations are making great strides in serving their
communities, building respectful relationships with US
partners and providing a counter-balance to extremist ideas.
Department of State officers working with Task Force Cyclone
are working to identify opportunities to connect through
these radio outlets with their provincial audience,
especially younger listeners and women. End Summary.


2. (C) While many Afghans in Parwan and Kapisa Provinces
listen to national radio broadcasts, two small local stations
- Peace Radio (Parwan) and Nijrab Radio (Kapisa) - have
carved out a loyal following and benefit from deep roots in
their communities. The two stations received their initial
support from Internews, a USAID-funded international NGO that
works to empower local radio stations around the world. They
now receive funding from a variety of sources including local
donations, advertising, NGOs, paid programming (including
U.S. military messaging) and personal funds. They employ
internal and external (Internews and Equal Access) surveys to
assess their listenership and each claim to have a wide
audience in their coverage area. The station owners maintain
a close relationship with each other and regularly share
information about their activities. They also join forces
with local and national associations of journalists and media
personalities to support independent journalism in
Afghanistan.


3. (C) The stations each have 20-30 different programs on
education, women's issues, legal rights, Islamic law, local
history, war stories, youth, news, religion, poetry, music,
community awareness and call-in shows, with the majority of
programming done in-house by both male and female
journalists. Existing programs also include dialogue with
local officials, where the stations collect inquiries and
complaints from the community and relay these complaints to
local officials or, if relevant U.S. military commanders, for
a response. No independent, reliable data has been collected
on the coverage or listenership of each of these stations,
but military psy-ops officials are currently working to send
teams to conduct accurate assessments.


4. (C) The two station owners (whom we visited separately)
attribute their success to the fact that their work is for
the people and by the people. The stations have played an
important role in empowering their local communities and
strengthening ties between different groups, with particular
attention being paid to women and youth. Both stations
engage in grassroots community organizing by working with
civil society members, Shura members, women's groups, lawyers
and doctors to improve local conditions. This direct
involvement in the community gives them constant insight into
public opinion and local grievances. The owner of Nijrab
Radio, Dr. Abdul Mutalleb, told us that his father is a
leading member of his village and he sees himself as
following in his father's footsteps by acting as a cultural
communicator through radio. The Peace Radio director in
Parwan, Abdul Ahad Rangbar, said that young people call in to
his station with two main complaints: problems associated
with Afghanistan's educational system and government
corruption. The station owners cited jobs and education as
the overall issues of importance to their local audiences.


5. (C) Both radio station owners have been threatened by
insurgents. The Radio Nijrab owner indicated that he has
received threatening phone calls from the Hezb-e-Islami
Gulbuddin and night letters from the Taliban. He believes
the Taliban threats are in response to the Taliban,s
distaste for gender programming, Provincial Reconstruction
Team (PRT) messages (relating to PRT development projects)
and music programming. The station owners are careful not to
discuss specific issues related to security or the insurgency
on the radio, but aside from this, the threats they face have
not steered them away from providing meaningful programming
to their communities.

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6. (C) Given the often negative attitude nearby residents
have towards Bagram Air Field (dating back to when Bagram was
a Soviet base),Peace Radio's owner sees himself as providing
vital communication aimed towards improving the relationship
between the U.S. military and the local community. In
addition to information campaigns, the military uses PRT
funds to make improvements to station infrastructure. Both
stations were receptive to programming that might forge
closer bonds between Americans and Afghans, including by
connecting USG civilian representatives and local community
groups, as well developing joint programs focused on cultural
exchanges and educational opportunities between the U.S. and
Afghanistan.


7. (SBU) Peace Radio was initially run by Zakia Zaki, one of
the first female radio broadcasters in Afghanistan. In 2007,
she was brutally murdered in her home by the Taliban for her
women's rights activism. Her murder was widely reported,
both in Afghanistan and internationally. Zakia Zaki,s
husband took over the station and runs it in her honor. He
has maintained the focus on women's issues and continues to
play her archived programs, as she is still seen by local
women as a philosopher and hero. Women working at home, who
are often illiterate, are a key audience of both radio
stations since they are able to listen from home during the
day while the men are at work. Asked about the status of
women in Parwan, Peace Radio's owner responded that the
condition of local women has improved in the last several
years. Women can now be seen shopping in bazaars, attending
vocational training, traveling for work and educational
purposes, and even participating in voting activities that
were unheard of during the Taliban era.


8. (SBU) Comment: Strengthening our efforts to support
Afghans who work under extremely difficult circumstances to
bring positive change to their communities must be part of
our counter-insurgency strategy. The owners of Peace Radio
and Radio Nijrab are two such positive influencers. These
active members of Afghan civil society risk their lives on a
daily basis to address the most important issues in their
communities, even as they grapple with the deterrent effects
that poor security, frequent insurgent threats and the sway
of extremist propaganda have on their work. In the months
ahead, we will work with the Embassy Public Affairs Section
to seek out opportunities to assist, e.g., through cultural
exchanges, training for local journalists and technical
staff, help with content development, and participation in
the International Visitor program.
EIKENBERRY