Community radios are failing to reach the target audience due to limited transmission area and the long distance between stations and where the audience lives.
Most of the community radio stations are located in district towns while the biggest target audience is rural people.
Besides, many community radios are imitating FM radio programmes and are thus deviating from what they are expected to broadcast.
According to the community radio policy, the stations will work as alternative mass media for disadvantaged communities in rural areas, enabling them to express their own opinions in their own styles in places where mainstream media cannot reach.
At present, 15 community radio stations are operating in different districts, broadcasting information on health, education, agriculture, human trafficking, early marriage as well as entertainment programmes, while another 17 stations will be on air in December this year.
For community radios, the government has permitted 100W transmitters to broadcast programmes which cover only a 17-km area. This limitation prevents the programmes from reaching the entire target audience.
Because most of the community radio stations are situated in urban areas or district towns where residents have mainstream media access, the majority of them do not listen to community radio programmes.
Tanzil Hossain, who lives in Munshiganj where Bikrampur radio station is located, said most of the locals, except some teenagers, do not listen to the community radio.
“Moreover, almost all FM radio stations based in Dhaka can be listened here. This is why the local people do not take an interest in programmes broadcast on the community radio,” he said.
Ahad Chowdhury of Bhola said community radio Meghna was launched there with the objective of raising awareness among people about health and education, and also to broadcast weather forecast for fishermen but the frequency is too low to reach all the people.
Shahana Parvin, station manager of Padma community radio in Rajshahi, said students are the biggest audience of the station in the region.
Ahikur Rahman Lipu, a student at Rajshahi University, said he listens to programmes on Padma station.
“A large number of students of Rajshahi University listen to this station and hence it is quite popular among them.”
AHM Bazlur Rahman, chief executive officer of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communications, described the community radio policy as incomplete.
He said the policy has no clear guidelines about advertisements and programmes.
“The number of radio stations compared to the area of the country is scanty. We have only 15 that are in operation but we need at least 440 to cover the whole country.
“During natural disasters like earthquakes and cyclones, community radios can play a crucial role by broadcasting necessary information and guidelines in the afflicted areas. People living in the southern part of the country need community radios most at the time of disasters,” added Bazlur.