Women newspaper readers’ club members are actively contributing to the programming content of Ankuram, a newly launched community television channel. Their discussions and debates on local issues featured in the newspapers become the programme topics for the community TV.

A newly launched community television in rural India, “Ankuram” (meaning “budding” in Telugu, the local language), solicits inputs from women for its programming.

These women are part of the local newspaper readers clubs, specifically in Andhra Pradesh in South India. The newspaper readers clubs serve as a platform for women to meet and discuss issues such as poverty, women empowerment, literacy, sanitation, and community information needs, among others.  Largely from lower castes, these women, are not usually allowed to go to facilities in the main village like the library. Hence, the newspaper readers clubs become popular social spaces for women in sharing information and in increasing media literacy, sparking debates on local needs, building rapport among community members, and creating awareness about the community television initiative.

Women's discussions and debates on local issues featured in the newspapers are turned into topics for programmes on the community television. Some of the newspaper readers’ club members are also volunteer producers for Ankuram. These clubs are also helping in building social networks and creating social capital that facilitate ensuring social sustainability of the initiative.

Ankuram community television is project of Byrraju Foundation in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It is now piloted in three villages, namely, Cherukumilli, Juvvalapalem and I-Bhimavaram in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, South India. 

Source:
“Facilitating TV content creation in India” from UNESCO, posted on June 20, 2007, <http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=24694&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html>.