ABSTRACT:

Most foreign radio stations broadcast to Africa and ensure that these programmes are listened to by structuring the content for an African audience as well as sometimes broadcasting in local languages. This study seeks to find out the following. What are the effects offoreign radio news reports in conflict situations in Africa? Local media often observe social responsibility by remaining silent during conflicts. However, foreign media usually take interest in reporting violence, conflict and generally negative news about Africa. What is the effect of these kinds of reports? What can the local media do in the face of such derogatory reports? Using review of literature and related studies, this study finds that: local radio can counter. to some extent, within its area of coverage, the popularity of foreign radio; government should improve communication infrastructure; African countries should exchange programmes and set up regional networks; and less developing countries can take advantage of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), especially the Internet radio and iuebsites to "tell the world" about themselves, and thus add some balance to the present unidirectional flow of information.

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