Community radio stations’ production responses to COVID-19 pandemic in India

Broadcasting during COVID-19: Community language radio and listener well-being

“…Due to its ease of access, radio is well-placed to promote public health: broadcasting health messages and recommendations has been found effective in the context of heart disease, smoking behaviours and safe sex practices, amongst other issues (Smith et al 2011). Moreover, radio is an effective crisis communication tool during community emergencies, which call for 'access to reliable information in a language that is easily understood and culturally appropriate' (Hugelius et al 2019: 2;Laskar and Bhattacharyya 2021). For example, radio has been reported to play a crucial role during natural disasters as well as political crises (Hugelius et al 2016;Rodero 2020).…”

“…This suggests that radio may be helpful during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Indeed, findings from India indicate that community radio stations played a central role in exposing misinformation and providing health information as well as entertainment (Laskar and Bhattacharyya 2021). Furthermore, findings from Spain indicate that radio is perceived by listeners to be the most trusted medium that best deals with the crisis, and that radio consumption has increased during lockdown, with more listeners tuning into news and entertainment programs than before the pandemic (Rodero 2020).…”

“…All of this has been critical to ensure individuals can protect themselves from the disease. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an excessive amount of information and misinformation about the virus (Laskar and Bhattacharyya 2021), which has resulted in 'an anxious public [that] finds it difficult to distinguish between evidence-based information and a broad range of unreliable misinformation' (Naeem and Bhatti 2020).…”

Spatial Distribution Analysis of Community Radio Stations as Means for Promoting Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Agriculture under COVID-19 Scenario, Southern Province, Zambia

“…The dissemination of information on climate change adaptation measures is significant for small-scale farmers to adapt and build resilience. The channels for disseminating agricultural information for climate change adaptation are many, and one such approach is the use of radio broadcasts, especially in rural areas [3][4][5][6]. The surge in demand for CRS was also observed in India for broadcasting services on COVID-19, news, and health in a two-way communication approach [4].…”

“…The channels for disseminating agricultural information for climate change adaptation are many, and one such approach is the use of radio broadcasts, especially in rural areas [3][4][5][6]. The surge in demand for CRS was also observed in India for broadcasting services on COVID-19, news, and health in a two-way communication approach [4]. Prahmana et al [5] findings also reveal that CRS plays an essential role in ensuring blended learning models, especially in remote rural areas during the pandemic era.…”