Should rural radio be a European thing?

GENEVA — For decades radio has been recognized as a key enabler for development and connection in rural communities in developing countries. In developed countries, such as most of Europe, radio and rural are terms that most people do not use together.

Radio studios tend to be in urban areas, a trend exacerbated in deregulated markets — notably the United Kingdom — that no longer require local studios. Similarly, radio personnel tend to live in those same urban areas. As a result, their work tends to reflect their own experiences and what happens in their immediate surroundings.

This imbalance is an expression of the so-called urban-rural divide. Political scientists have extensively studied this phenomenon and determined some of the traits that characterize those living in these areas.

For example, people in rural areas are generally older and less wealthy, and fewer are working age. They also tend to support more conservative and nationalistic ideologies and political parties.

Practically, they have more limited access to essential public and commercial services such as health, education and finances. In most cases, the population in these areas is in decline. And as anybody who has tried to tune in to a radio station in these areas has experienced, their choice is also more limited, while broadband connection tends to be worse … when available.

Serving rural communities

Despite this context, radio and “rural” come together across the continent in different ways. In the U.K., the BBC has broadcast “The Food Programme” for 45 years. It addresses food production, consumption and quality.

“Farming Today” is even older — it’s been going for over 60 years. It deals with food, farming and the countryside. Both are part of the BBC Radio 4 schedule. The British broadcaster also offers “Country Focus” on its Radio Wales service, which deals with rural, farming and environmental issues. The BBC’s commitment to covering rural life is reflected in a dedicated Rural Affairs, Food & Environment Editor.

In Ireland, every Saturday morning, RTÉ Radio 1 — the country’s most listened-to radio station — broadcasts “CountryWide,” a show featuring “the events, people and happenings that bring color and life to communities, towns and villages across the country.” Its contents include culture, sports, economy and practical life in rural Ireland, as well as biodiversity and climate-related topics.

In Spain, commercial radio station COPE’s “Agropopular” reaches nearly one million people every Saturday from 8.30 a.m. to 10 a.m. It has been on the air for 40 years. Its contents include agricultural and livestock information, innovation, the weather forecast and news about the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy — a key source of revenue for many farmers.

Its counterpart on the public broadcaster Radio Nacional is “España Rural.” Similarly to “Agropopular,” it often broadcasts from villages and towns across the country. It addresses topics related to economic life around agriculture and livestock, hunting, practical issues connected to living in a small environment, such as the scarcity of public services, and philosophical aspects, such as the perception of remoteness. Even more commitment to people in the countryside comes from Radio Romania’s “Antena Satelor,” a dedicated radio station for people living in rural areas.

It offers news relevant to farmers, such as information about plagues, agricultural subsidies or nature, and to a broader public living in those areas, such as cultural events, tourism and climate. More than one million listeners tune in every week.

Outside of the offerings of national broadcasters, regional and local stations in rural areas should be added. However, while they are closer to their audiences and their reality, they often lack the resources to engage certain experts or journalists dealing with topics such as policy in Brussels or do not generate enough resources to continuously create new content.

A strategic approach?

Currently, around 20% of people in the EU live in rural areas, which translates into 90 million citizens. While their needs may not entirely differ from those of people living in other places, certain aspects of their lives are shaped by their location.

Despite their specificities, many broadcasters do not even consider them a target group. They might not be a profitable enough audience group. Still, I suspect that many broadcasters have not even explored this group’s needs and demands and whether they are currently satisfied.

Given the reduced radio content currently devoted to them, the population in rural areas is an underserved audience group. This means there is an untapped opportunity to target those audiences and generate revenue from them if you are commercially funded. If you are brave enough to take these steps and develop services meeting the needs of people in rural areas, you may have a winning card.

The author is a co-founder and research director at South 180.

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