Afghan Media in 2010 Priority District Report Lashkar Gah (Helmand) October 13, 2010 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development by Altai Consulting. The authors view expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. Afghan Media – Eight Years Later Priority District: Lashkar Gah (Helmand) Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 DISTRICT PROFILE .......................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 4 2 MEDIA LANDSCAPE ............................................................................................................................. 5 2.1 MEDIA OUTLETS ............................................................................................................................................ 5 2.1.1 Television ........................................................................................................................................ 5 2.1.2 Radio ............................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1.3 Newspapers .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 NEW MEDIA ............................................................................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Mobile media ................................................................................................................................ 12 2.2.2 Internet ......................................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 MEDIA AND INFORMATION ACTORS ................................................................................................................. 12 2.3.1 Government .................................................................................................................................. 12 2.3.2 Outlet managers and journalists .................................................................................................. 12 2.3.3 Other content providers ................................................................................................................ 13 2.3.4 Media NGOs .................................................................................................................................. 13 2.3.5 Traditional information sources .................................................................................................... 13 2.3.6 Insurgents ..................................................................................................................................... 13 2.3.7 Military.......................................................................................................................................... 13 3 AUDIENCE ......................................................................................................................................... 14 3.1 EQUIPMENT AND USAGE ............................................................................................................................... 14 3.1.1 Household equipment ................................................................................................................... 14 3.1.2 Sources of information and media usage ..................................................................................... 15 3.1.3 Usage patterns .............................................................................................................................. 16 3.2 PREFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 16 3.2.1 Outlets .......................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2.2 Programs ....................................................................................................................................... 18 3.2.3 Advertising .................................................................................................................................... 19 3.2.4 Preferred personalities .................................................................................................................. 20 3.3 PERCEPTIONS AND IMPACT ............................................................................................................................ 20 3.3.1 Comprehension ............................................................................................................................. 20 3.3.2 Participation ................................................................................................................................. 20 3.3.3 Trust .............................................................................................................................................. 21 3.3.4 Perceptions of the local media ...................................................................................................... 22 3.3.5 Circulation and impact .................................................................................................................. 22 3.3.6 Development project communication and educational campaigns .............................................. 23 4 CONCLUSIONS AND AREAS OF OPPORTUNITIES ................................................................................. 24 Altai Consulting Page 2 / 25 Afghan Media – Eight Years Later Priority District: Lashkar Gah (Helmand) 1 Introduction 1.1 District profile Lashkar Gah district is located in the east of Helmand province and covers an area of 984km2. It borders Nahri Sarraj district to the north, Maywand district (Kandahar) to the east, Garmser district to the south, Nawa to the west, and Nad Ali district to the northwest. The district is home to the city of Lashkar Gah, which is the provincial center. Lashkar Gah district is flat and the city is built around the Helmand River. Figure 1: Map of Lashkar Gah district The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development estimates the district population at 201,500. The majority of the population is Pashtun, and Pashto is the primary language, spoken by approximately 70%. In the district center, the provincial government, non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector are major employers; however, in peri-urban and rural areas, agriculture represents the main source of income. Lashkar Gah sits in a major agricultural zone of Helmand province. In the 1960s, the US government engaged in a major irrigation, water management, and housing development project along the Helmand River, which earned the district the nickname “Little America.” Much of the infrastructure has been damaged, but crops including melon, watermelon, cotton, and wheat are still produced in large quantities. Poppy makes up approximately 10% of the district’s economy, although a recent disease, apparently damaging 80% of the crop, may well have reduced this figure in 2010. Lashkar Gah lies close to the Afghanistan ring road, and as such is only two hours away from Kandahar. The provincial airport has recently been rebuilt using foreign aid, and two airlines Altai Consulting Page 3 / 25 Afghan Media – Eight Years Later Priority District: Lashkar Gah (Helmand) serve the city from Kabul. The district has a reasonable electricity supply, but there is insufficient capacity to provide full coverage across all areas of the district simultaneously. Several large dams in the province (e.g. Kajaki and Grishk) contribute to the supply. Compared with other districts in Helmand province, where mobile phone coverage is very poor or nonexistent (i.e. most of Garmser, Nad Ali, Kajaki, Musa Qala, Sangin, Nawzad, Washer, and Baghran), Lashkar Gah district has good coverage from all major operators (AWCC, Roshan, MTN, Etisalat, and Afghan Telecom). Major NGOs involved in development work in Lashkar Gah include the following: the Afghan Development Association (ADA), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Relief and Development (IRD), Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (ACDI/VOCA), and the Community Development Agriculture Program (CDA). The National Solidarity Program (NSP) is implemented by Building Resources Across Communities (BRAC, formerly the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee). Respondents were generally pleased with the reconstruction work that has taken place over the past year. Major achievements have included a park in Lashkar Gah city, paved roads, and water and sanitation systems. With a major international presence in Lashkar Gah, there is reasonable security in the district center and even in the more remote areas of the district. 1.2 Methodology Fieldwork was conducted in April and May 2010 and covered the following areas of the district: Lashkar Gah city, Kart-e-Lagan (peri-urban area, 3km east of Lashkar Gah city),