5.2.5.1. Link to other media
In comm unication that is aimed for socialchange, it is impo rtant andeffective to create links amo ng the print and elec tronic medi a. Interlinked comm unication can reinforce and strengthe n the messages toward s fighting HIV/AIDS in an all rounded fashion. In other words, it canenable target audiencesto follow the message in various ways. The Philippines case is goodexample: the rock songs prom otin g sexua lresponsibilityamo ng teenager sin the Philippines were accompani ed by print and broadcast advertiseme nts, personal appea rances bythe singe rs, label butto ns urgin g "sayNo to Sex," postersand teleph onehotlin es (Rimo net al., 1994). They further argued that the messages consti tuted a coordinated communica tio n campaig n, rath er than justa popul ar song featuring lyrics witheduca tional messages only.
Since Ukhozi FM is part of SABC, it has close r links with the other broadca sting and publication units under this corporation.When they find it important, they exchange material as well as programmes that are broadcasted on television to be disseminated by the radio station. Here, since the nature of radio and other medi a such as television is different , they prepare it in theirown wayto suit theradio formats,Thisalsohelp sthem toget morematerial and information, Further,"Radi o Ukhozi FM bein g under SABC, we have closer links with different television and radio stations and newspaperpublicati on s that are under SABe. We exchange materials and resources amo ng each other within the SABC broad ca stin g and print media" (Alex,June2003). On the other hand,Dimitsi-Hafash rarelyhas links to other media like newspaper and television to disseminate the messages in interlinked ways, except Radio Zara FM, whichstarted operating recentl y. The reason forthis isthat the newspaper and the television programmes have their own desk wherein theyprepare and disseminateHIV/AID S information. They also think that the target audience of television and newspap er s are different from radio. "Television program mes and newspaper desks have their own programmes again st HIV/AIDS as the result they ha ve their own peopl e who prepare the script and others. Moreo ver, we have never thought abo ut this idea. It cannot also be one and the same. So we do not disseminate it through other medi as" (Ghe b re m a ria m, personal interview , 2003). Although this is the fact, somet imes when they get important ideas especially from interviews, they share and prepare it in their own way.In addition, they also mentioned that it would be helpful in educating and per suadin gthe society if the dramas that are transmitted via radio could also be adjusted in the form ofaction drama and broadc asted on television. The major link with Radio Zara FM is that they disseminate some of the programmes, espec ially the panel discu ssion and talk show throu gh that radi ototheaudience.
Theyalso use it torepeat some programm es such asdrama s whenaudiences demand it.
5.2.5.2. Link to organizations
EE campaign s often invol ve many partners, including donors and audiences .As Singhal and Roger s (1999) and Jacob and Fokken s (2000) argue that EE projects are more effective when the stakeholde rs such ashealth offic ials, broadcast officials, developm ent plann er s, reli giou s leaders, comme rcial sponso rs, and other organizations collabo rate. The collabo ration amon g orga nizations back up the EE expe rts as wellas the med ia owners to cover the high start-up fund of EE project needs (Tufte, 2002). In fact, most of the EE programm es available
worldwide are the result of collaboration among various organi zations that work hand in hand. In this spirit, Ukhozi FM seems to have a stro ng relati on ship with the Ministry of Health, religious organizations, the municip ality, the nation al health dep artment and non- governmental organi zationssuch as Soul City, and LoveLife (Zulu, personal intervi ew ,2003).
These organizations sometimesassign their own spec ialist to deliver a speech or conduct an intervi ew about HIY/AIDS,which in tum help s invo lve me ntof peopl e in theprogramme, via askin g questionsor forwarding their comme nts.They also have a good link with the Nationa l AIDSFoundation,which provides them with materials forbroad ca st.
Soul City and LoveLife are typical South Africa n non- government institution s. Soul City, which is a national multi-media "edutai nnient" project, is an institute for health and development communication in South Africa. So far, it communicates violence against women , domestic violence and sexual harassment , AIDS -inc luding youth sexuality and date rape, small business development, personal savings, toba cco, tubercul osis and hyperten sion (Soul City, 2001). LoveLife is a national programme that has been attempting to change adolescent sexual behaviour with the aim of reducing the rate of HIY infection, other ST Is and the inciden ceof teena gepregnancy (Stadler& Hlongwa,2002).
Dimitsi-Hafash has a partnership with HEM SET, Ministry ofHealth-lEC unit and Bedelio.
Bedeho is an organization of people who are livin g with HIY/AIDS. Thes e organizations assist the radi ostationsin different ways.The Ministry of Health provid espublication sfor the educational desk suc h as books and scripts, which they use as referen ces to prepare scripts and mes sages against HIY/AIDS, of course, by tran slatin g them to Tigrign a. When the Educational Desk is in need, it isprovided with doctor (s)for interview s. Further, based onthe agreem ent betwe en HAMS ET and the Ministry of inform ation , HMSET provid es financial assistan ce.That is,itcovers all the expe nses for messages abo ut HIY/AIDS, Tubercul osis and other STD's that are broadcast on the radio station. Although it is not so common, Bedeho sometimes provid es HIYIAIDS infected peopl e with the cha nce to voluntarily share their expe riences with target audien ces via the radio stations. The Inform ation , educa tion and communication unit (lEC) in the Ministry of Health pursues the com munication programmes against HIY/AIDS. lEC also support s the produ cer s by providing information as well as materi al s for referenc ewhen they write health related messages.