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After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Why Connecting with Audiences Is Vital for Viability

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Summary

"As in any business, not having a thorough understanding of your customer/consumer will lead to inefficiencies, missteps in audience engagement and difficulties in growth and impact." - Patricia Torres-Burd

In this article, Patricia Torres-Burd, Managing Director of the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF)'s Media Advisory Services, provides insight into why it is important for independent media to better connect with their audiences.

Structured as a Q&A session, the article is a follow-up to a presentation held at a workshop organised by MDIF as part of the Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development (PRIMED) programme, an initiative that works to support the provision of public interest media in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone. The workshop session "First Steps towards Viability" looked at what independent media in challenging environments can do to improve their viability, focusing on the importance of media understanding their audience and using that insight to build relationships and revenues (see Related Summaries, below, for more information about this workshop).

The Q&A session addressed the following questions:

  • Why is understanding your audience fundamental to running a news business?
  • What are the benefits of audience research? Can you give an example of it being done well?
  • How does a media organisation really listen to its audience?
  • Can you give some examples of how media have worked well with their community? (Torres-Burd discusses RTV21 in Kosovo, the Daily Maverick in South Africa, Red Acción in Argentina, and GK in Ecuador.)
  • How can auditing your audience strategy support viability?
  • What types of small collaborations can be effective with other media and non-media?



The article concludes with an explanation of the 4-sector chart (above), which points to a need for media, anywhere in the world, to have a thorough understanding of the market they serve. The chart includes:

  1. Business Opportunities: understanding the market to find new business opportunities
  2. Data and Audience Metrics: understanding the audiences a media outlet serves
  3. New Audiences: identifying potential new audiences through audience data
  4. Long-term Relationships: establishing partnerships to ensure sustainability into the future
Web link
Click here to access the article (Q&A) online.
Source

Email from Peter Whitehead to The Communication Initiative on March 23 2022. Image credit: Genaye Eshetu