AMPLIFYING MARGINALIZED VOICES: THE BEREKETE RADIO/TV MODEL IN CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION
Keywords:
marginalized voices, inclusivity, development communication, grassroots media, NigeriaAbstract
This study examines the Berekete Radio/TV model, an independent Nigerian broadcast platform that uses human-interest storytelling to amplify marginalized voices in development communication. Conventional mass media in Nigeria frequently underrepresent underserved communities, sustaining a persistent gap in inclusive development discourse. Anchored in Participatory Communication Theory (Freire, 1970) and Public Sphere Theory (Habermas, 1989), the study investigates how Berekete's on-air advocacy format cultivates civic engagement, transparency, and grassroots accountability. A qualitative-dominant case-study design with embedded quantitative content analysis was employed, drawing on 90 purposively sampled broadcast segments (January–June 2025), semi-structured interviews with producers, presenters, and community contributors, and participant observation of studio productions and outreach events. Findings indicate that Berekete's call-in format and direct, on-air confrontation of duty-bearers increase audiences' perceived access to redress, while the model's replicability elsewhere is constrained by funding and logistical capacity. The study contributes an empirically grounded account of how grassroots broadcast advocacy operationalizes participatory and public-sphere principles in a Global South setting and offers recommendations for extending Berekete's inclusivity practices to comparable platforms.
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