BACKGROUND

Chanco Community Radio is owned and run by the University of Malawi and is the first environmental radio station in Malawi. The radio station was established by the University of Malawi with funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy through the Lake Chilwa Basin Climate Change Adaptation Program (LCBCCAP), which was run by the Department of Forestry through the Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM), WorldFish, and Leadership for Environment and Development – Southern and Eastern Africa (LEAD-SEA).

Chanco Community Radio went on air on 6^th July 2013 but was officially launched on 22^nd July 2013 by the then Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Halima Daudi together with the then Norwergian Ambassador to Malawi, His Excellency Asbjorn Eidhammer.

LIVE STREAMING

Please find the live streaming link below

LOCATION

Chanco Community Radio is located at 12 Malemia in Mangasanja, at the foot of the majestic Zomba Mountain. It is about 1.5 kilometres from the Zomba District Commissioner’s offices.

VISION

To be a leading community radio station in development content, and training and capacity-building for other community broadcasters.

MISSION

To provide information on climate change adaptation, natural resource management and other developmental programmes; capacity building for other community radios and training of University of Malawi students and radio listening clubs in broadcasting skills.

CORE VALUES

Environmental stewardship, audience-first, creativity, excellence, innovation.

CONTENT

Chanco Community Radio’s broadcasts are mainly about environmental management and climate change adaptation. The radio station also broadcasts content on education, social development, good governance, health, entertainment, and other general interest topics. Apart from specific environmental programmes such as Zachilengedwe, Mavuto Odza Kamba ka Kusintha Kwa Nyengo, Chilengedwe Lero, and Zausodzi, the radio also mainstreams environmental management and climate change messages in all its programmes. For instance, the radio station also covers environmental and climate change issues in programmes such as Ticheze Achinyamata (a programme tackling various issues affecting the youth), Mchezo wa Alakatuli (a poetry programme), and Bwalo La Amayi (a women’s programme tackling various issues affecting them). Even in such programmes like Zamaphunziro (a programme about educational issues), Zaumoyo (a programme about health issues), Kwacha Bwanji? (a wake-up-and-go programme) Chitukuko Cha M’madera (a programme about developmental projects in various areas), the radio station relates such specific issues as per a particular programme to environmental management and climate change adaptation. This helps in motivating various demographics to take part in environmental management and climate change adaptation measures.

AUDIENCE

Currently, Chanco Community Radio broadcasts on 107.6 FM. Its catchment area is the Lake Chilwa Basin, which includes the districts of Zomba, Phalombe, Chiradzulu, Mulanje, Machinga, and surrounding areas. Chanco Community Radio’s main target audience are the members of the community and duty bearers in the Lake Chilwa Basin. Due to its captivating and audience-engaging programmes, the radio station enjoys a majority stake of the listenership in the areas it reaches. A 2019 National Survey on Access and Use of Information and Communications Technologies by Households and Individuals in Malawi jointly done by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) indicated that Chanco Community Radio reaches over 26 percent of the Malawian population. This can be translated to over 90 percent of the population of the Lake Chilwa Basin districts.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Chanco Community Radio offers production and broadcasting services through a wide array of modes. The radio produces documentaries, magazines, radio spots, jingles, radio dramas, and panel discussions. A client may choose to air such productions live or as recorded packages depending on the client’s need or nature of the message. Our presenters, voice over artists and producers ensure that they deliver a satisfactory product. The radio station also airs pre-packaged products such as programmes and jingles.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Since its establishment in 2013, the radio has greatly contributed to the conservation of the environment and in 2017 it was recognised as the Green Media House of the Year by the Association for Environmental Journalists in Malawi (AEJ).

Our presenters, reporters and producers have also scooped several individual awards for their exceptional work.

• Sakina Majawa – AEJ Green Media Awards 2017

• Sakina Majawa and Gracious Mulinga – AEJ Green Media Awards 2018

• Sakina Majawa – AEJ Green Media Awards 2019

• Gift Banda and Elizabeth Mwapasa – Malawi Health Equity Network (MEHN) health reporting 2019

• Linda Banda – More Than a Mother 2020 Media Awards (Merck Foundation)

• Sakina Majawa – 2023 George Atkins Communication Award

Other than these awards, Chanco Community Radio counts the fulfilment of most of its missions and objectives as great achievements. Over the past 10 years, the radio has trained nearly 100 upcoming broadcasters, some of whom have gone on to take up various positions in other media institutions and other organisations in Malawi. These upcoming broadcasters have come from institutions such as the University of Malawi itself, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), Malawi Institute of Journalism (MIJ), and Soche Technical College. Chanco Community Radio has had agreements with most of these institutions to have their students undergo industrial attachments at the radio station. However, the radio has also accommodated those who sought on their own a place to sharpen their broadcasting skills.

At its onset, Chanco Community Radio established and maintains 10 radio listening clubs spread across Zomba, Phalombe and Machinga districts. These radio listening clubs were trained to record content on various issues in their communities with special emphasis on environmental management and climate change adaptation. The programmes which the radio listening clubs record are aired in a special programme called Imvani za Kumudzi, which is aired every Wednesdays and Sundays. The radio listening clubs were also pivotal in the implementation of the Malawi Police Service’s Tiwateteze programme between 2018 and 2019 in which they would record programmes about various child protection issues in their areas.

Chanco Community Radio has also previously trained other community radios in HIV/AIDS reporting through a partnership with the National AIDS Commission (NAC).

Chanco Community Radio has also positively contributed to the development of music within its catchment area. A number of musicians have risen over the past 10 years, thanks to a special programme called Nyimbo za M’khonde Mwathu which provides a platform for artists from Zomba, Phalombe, Machinga, Mangochi, Chiradzulu, and Mulanje. A number of artists who were discovered through this programme have gone on to be forces to reckon with at national level.

PARTNERS

Over the years, Chanco Community Radio has partnered with various local and international organisations in various projects. Some of the major partners include the Government of Malawi through various ministries, departments and agencies, UNICEF, NBS Bank, the Malawi Police Service, Evidence Action, Developing Radio Partners (DRP), World Vision, FHI360, Development Broadcasting Unit (DBU), National AIDS Commission (NAC), USAID through SSDI, Save the Children, First Capital Bank, Farm Radio International (FRI), Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication, JHPIEGO, PACT Malawi, TNM and Airtel Malawi.

CONTACTS

Phone: 0111 626 111/0111 623 098

Email: chancoradio@unima.ac.mw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chancocommunityradio/

X: @chancocomradio

LinkedIn: Chanco Community Radio

Website: www.unima.ac.mw/chancoradio/