Christian Radio in
Niger

Radio Espoir

SIM launches Radio Espoir
After 2 years of planning, Radio Espoir is now on the air. The official opening ceremony was held 27 November 2004, with a speech by the head of the government communications council – a first in Niger.

Radio Espoir’s motto has been, ‘the radio that makes the difference’. SIM would like to stand out because of the quality of its radio work in Niamey, where radio broadcasts are often just mediocre.

NIGER
Twelfth FM radio station for Niamey

On 27 November 2004, the Nigerien NGO "Médias et
développement" launched a new radio station in
Niamey called "Espoir FM". This new community
radio station can be received on 101 FM and
targets people of "all age groups" in the capital
city.

Before Espoir FM arrived on the scene, Niamey
already counted nine commercial radio stations,
one associative radio and one community radio
station.

Source: Le Républicain, 2/12/04

Missionary News: Martin, Lucie & Naomi Brown
Serving God with SIM in Niamey, Republic of Niger, West Africa.

We`ve got it!

Strange way to begin a newsletter!

After months of waiting, we finally have the final (provisional) papers for the radio station in Niamey

Radio Espoir FM 101

The provisional paper means that we now have three months to start to transmit before the license runs out... rather like L plates for drivers. Once we are up and running officials will come and look at our studio to see if it meets the norms. We now have the papers, the studio is ready and we have the basic equipment. The next stage is to order the transmitter from Belgium. I received a phone call from the director of the company who says that he will be in Niamey in the next few weeks and if we have ordered by that time is willing to set up the transmitter free of charge... a wonderful offer, so we are moving fast to get our order in. The only problem being that we are about £3,000 shy of the amount we need to equip the studio properly. Pray with us that God would provide the necessary funds.

The whole project has been remarkable in that we have never had too much money (a sense of security) but every time we have reached the end of our finances just enough money has been given. So Radio Espoir has been covered by prayer right from the beginning.

As I have already mentioned, confessional media stations are not legal in Niger, so we have set up a station that will bring the Good News in many ways. We will touch such issues as family life, agricultural development, a Christian approach to medicine and so on. Our motto is "Radio that makes a difference".

We thank God for Diataga Damiba who is the new pastor of our church and also director of programming for the radio. He was born in Burkina Faso but his wife was born in Niamey. He is in the process of moving to Niamey with his family. He is a trained pastor, a radio producer of many years experience and also a marriage guidance counsellor. After so many years running a church without a pastor, it is great to have someone with vision and energy.

Until recently Diataga had a 60-minute programme on national television in Burkina giving advice on marriage. A minister from the government in Niger was recently in Burkina and was so impressed by his advice that she contacted him and asked him if he could do a similar programme in Niger. We praise God for such openings.

NIGER’S FIRST CHRISTIAN-RUN RADIO STATION HAS ‘IMMEDIATE IMPACT’

When HCJB World Radio joined with a group of local believers and various mission boards to start the first Christian-run station in the West African country of Niger last October, they never dreamed that it would have such an immediate spiritual impact. HCJB World Radio bought and installed the equipment for Radio Espoir (Radio Hope) in the capital city of Niamey which is 98-percent Muslim.

More than half of the 1 million residents in Niamey tune in to the station “at least from time to time” said Martin Brown who serves on the station’s management team. About 20 percent of the content is “overtly Christian” while the remainder is of general interest to listeners.

“Another 500,000 people who live in the villages around the capital can also hear the signal,” he said. “For example, in Fulani villages around the city, there is a huge following when Radio Espoir is broadcasting programs in their language (Fulfuldé).” Programs also air in French, Hausa and Zarma with plans to add broadcasts in Tamajeq.

An informal listenership survey conducted by a staff member at Radio Espoir last spring indicated that the outlet has become the third-most-listened-to station in Niamey out of 16 outlets, finishing ahead of Niger’s national station and broadcasting giants such as Radio France International and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

“We learned that if we can make good programs, we will get a lot of listeners,” Brown said. “I didn't think that we would make such an impact. I thought that people would be more hooked into the stations that they already listen to. However, due to the many inexpensive radios in the country, people are continually fiddling with the dials and come across new stations like ours. Also, due to different languages, people will always search out new programs in their mother tongue.”

He said Radio Espoir is having a “major impact on women who can listen to the gospel at home during the day. Dr. James Dobson, for example, has a long-term effect on mothers who hear his advice and change the way they bring up their children.”

While the broadcasts do not reach the area of Niger that has been hardest hit by the country’s famine, leaving thousands of people on the brink of starvation, the ministry is involved in “long-term development that will change attitudes towards the poor,” Brown said. “We want long-term solutions, not simply quick fixes. We’re in contact with World Vision and other developmental organizations to try and get them to do development programming to put on the air.”

He added it’s a challenge to find the right balance of Christian programming. “If we push our message too hard we could get a backlash, but the constant trickle of the gospel into people’s homes will have a very profound impact.” But even government officials have expressed their pleasure with the content of the programming, and the station has “gained a very substantial audience in the first few months, giving competition to the other commercial stations.”

Another challenge is the country’s unreliable power supply which fluctuates from 154 to 230 volts. “I have three circuit breakers on the line to the transmitter as well as a regulator and a UPS,” Brown explains. “It’s so bad that I’ve had three UPS units burn up on me!” The station has been forced to broadcast at power as low as 30 watts even though it is licensed to operate at 600 watts.

“Our aim is to become the top radio station in Niamey with top-quality programs,” Brown added. “We have the right to have stations across the country, and when we have the resources, we will open a second station in Maradi, the second-largest city of Niger with a population of more than 200,000.” (HCJB World Radio)