VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMV #0469/01 1101719
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201719Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8410
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0262

UNCLAS MONROVIA 000469 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/W-JBUELOW/PDAVIS, EAP, 
INR/AA FOR PGRAVES 
USAID FOR AFR/WA-SSWIFT, DCHA/OTI-DKERNER/KHUBER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PGOV SCUL PINR LI PREL CH
SUBJECT: LIBERIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM: SUPPORT BY RADIO CHINA 
INTERNATIONAL 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: John Langlois, Senior Media Advisor for USAID's 
Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) visited Liberia from February 
28 - March 21, 2007.  The purpose of his visit was to follow up on 
OTI media-related activities and to assess OTI's media strategy in 
light of new Chinese involvement in the sector. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Background: In mid-2006, USAID/OTI provided over $35,000 in 
studio and broadcasting equipment to the Liberia Broadcasting System 
(LBS), and specifically to its radio service, known as ELBC FM. The 
materials restored minimum capabilities to ELBC for basic radio 
coverage of government activities and events. The decision to 
provide studio and outside broadcasting equipment was in part based 
on political transition needs. USAID and other donors have been 
working closely with the Government of Liberia (GOL) to enhance its 
capacity to govern the country. Public expectations and need for 
coverage of government decisions and activities, combined with a 
public that still trusts the national broadcaster to provide much of 
this type of information, created the basis for the assistance 
provided. Operationally, the LBS radio service and its Director 
General provided key support to early GOL, USG and international 
community priorities as it worked to publicize and promote the 
re-electrification of Monrovia. 
 
¶3.  (U) USAID/OTI began working to build a national network of 
public service oriented radio stations in late 2006, focusing on 
independent Star Radio in Monrovia and selected small, community 
oriented radio stations located in major towns outside the capital. 
Star Radio is a non-profit, news oriented radio station initially 
established through USAID and the work of Swiss NGO Fondation 
Hirondelle to support the Presidential election process in 1997. The 
station was shut down by Charles Taylor's government in 2000, but 
was reestablished with European donor funds in 2004. Most of the 
rural, community radio stations now operating in Liberia were 
created through a USAID supported program began in 2003. 
 
¶4.  (U)  USAID/OTI is working with Star Radio and six priority 
community radio stations to help the rural stations provide superior 
local news and programming in addition to a real time, networked 
news operation that will allow the rural stations to broadcast news 
and other programs live from Star at times throughout the day. The 
system will be the first true affiliate radio network to exist in 
Liberia, either pre or post-war. 
 
¶5.  (U)  The affiliate network stations currently receiving support 
through the grant to Star Radio include: Radio Bomi 98.9 FM - 
Tubmanburg, Bomi County; Radio Gbarnga 96.5 FM - Gbarnga, Bong 
County; Radio Gbezohn 106.3 FM - Buchanan, Grand Bassa County; Radio 
Harper 89.8 FM - Harper, Maryland County; Smile FM 98.6 FM - Zwedru, 
Grand Gedeh County; and Radio Voinjama 93.5 FM - Voinjama, Lofa 
County. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Chinese Media Sector Support: According to Charles Snetter, 
the Director General of the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), the 
GOL and People's Republic of China (PRC) signed an agreement in 
Beijing during the November 2006 state visit of President Ellen 
Johnson Sirleaf for the operation of Radio China International (RCI) 
on FM in 7 cities in Liberia.  RCI will provide upgrades to the 
operation of LBS as part of the agreement. As reported by Snetter, 
the following will be installed, beginning in April 2007: two 10kW 
FM transmitters (one RCI relay and ELBC-FM) in Monrovia, and twelve 
1.5 kW FM transmitters (six RCI relay and six ELBC-FM) in 
Tubmanburg, Gbarnga, Voinjama, Zwedru, Harper, and Buchanan. 
 
¶7.  (U) At each site, a generator with possible backup generator 
sets will be installed to power the transmitters and all supporting 
equipment including satellite relay equipment. RCI will relay ELBC 
programming via satellite in addition to the RCI program stream. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) This will be the first time that RCI has  broadcast in 
Liberia, and the first time any international service will be 
broadcast on dedicated transmitters outside of Monrovia. Some 
international services have been available on dedicated transmitters 
in Monrovia, and the BBC established an affiliate broadcaster in 
Buchanan. 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  The genesis of this arrangement was the visit by the 
Chinese Ambassador to Liberia to the studios and transmitter 
facilities of LBS in Paynesville, Liberia.  The Chinese Ambassador 
noted the presence of FM transmitters for Radio France International 
and the BBC and inquired whether the RCI would also be welcome. An 
RCI technical team was sent to Liberia following the visit to LBS by 
the Ambassador, and as reported by Snetter, an agreement for the 
Liberian President's signature was presented during her state visit 
in November 2006. 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  The estimated value of all installed equipment through 
RCI will be $54 million yuan, or roughly $7 million USD. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Analysis: While FM radio stations broadcast in Monrovia 
and on low power outside the capital, with the exception of UNMIL 
Radio, there is no national retransmission or network of FM 
stations. The new Chinese support to ELBC promises to provide the 
national broadcaster real national coverage, but will do so through 
a system of repeater transmitters that only rebroadcast the program 
stream produced in Monrovia. 
 
¶12.  (SBU)  While this OTI supported program to assist local 
broadcasting in Liberia was established to provide independent, 
national coverage of Liberia's rebuilding process, it will have the 
effect of also providing some balance to the initiative of the 
Chinese to create RCI presence and ELBC presence throughout the 
country. Because the USAID effort relies on local radio stations 
that are fully integrated and supported within their communities, 
despite the fact that Chinese assistance will vastly exceed USAID 
investments, it is believed that the Star programming and its 
affiliates will provide effective competition to RCI and ELBC in all 
the towns in which they will be operating. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Follow-up actions: USAID/OTI has not elected at this time 
to provide any additional support to LBS, especially with the new 
Chinese support forthcoming. However, LBS Director General Charles 
Snetter, who is a US citizen, remains a close point of contact to 
USAID/OTI staff and is considered very supportive to US interests. 
 
¶14.  (U)  In terms of the affiliate network of independent community 
radio stations, Star Radio staff have provided training and 
maintenance support to three of the radio stations, and have 
installed new equipment at Radio Gbezohn in Buchanan. Equipment 
installation will proceed in Gbarnga and Tubmanburg in April and 
formal association through a structured memorandum of understanding 
between Star and the community stations in Harper, Voinjama, and 
Zwedru will take place in May.  OTI has provided support to Star 
Radio to move to a more cost-effective location in order to promote 
longer term sustainability of the studio and affiliate network, and 
equipment procurement for the stations in Harper, Voinjama and 
Zwedru is underway. 
 
BOOTH