USE OF MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY Most Trusted Broadcaster: State Television MRTV All of the above pose some interesting questions for the future of TV as a vehicle for news and information, especially when cross-referenced with the research findings that MRTV enjoys a very high degree of trust amongst audiences in Mon State (MRTV is most trusted by 91% of respondents). This finding may come as a surprise to those who have long assumed that state media enjoys little trust, especially amongst ethnic minority audiences. This factor of trust is considered in more detail in the next chapter – “Information Flows.” The findings indicate that the MRTV “brand” is the most recognized and trusted, and is also currently more readily and cheaply available than Skynet on satellite. In that sense, MRTV has an excellent chance of maintaining strong audience share if it can maintain an edge in meeting audience need. Whilst much of the attraction of Skynet is the scores of international channels it carries, it is really in the area of Burmese language programming and/or Mon language programming where MRTV has an opportunity to secure audience share. This has clearly been recognized in the months since this research was completed: in late 2013 both MRTV and the formerly exiled Democratic Voice of Burma TV both launched ethnic language segments including Mon. As Skynet also has plans to introduce ethnic language programming, this is clearly the new frontier for the country’s broadcasters. Increasing availability of local language TV programming in Mon State essentially heralds the beginning of an era that has rich potential for dissemination of locally relevant news and information. This trend has the potential in future to significantly disrupt the findings of the 2012 research as the ecosystem rearranges itself according to new patterns of sourcing and trust, depending on the quality and relevance of the programming provided. Radio - Most Trusted Source for Information In Former Conflict Areas Radio is the second most used media device in Mon State. 59% of all respondents have a radio in the home. Radio ownership is more prevalent in rural households compared to urban homes, with 61% of rural respondents owning one, compared to 49% of urban respondents, and also more common in nonconflict areas (60% of respondents) than former conflict areas (48%). Nearly every radio listener (98%) used a battery-powered transistor radio. In qualitative interviews in Mon State’s former conflict areas, respondents reported that radio is the main and preferred source for news and information, including the latest news, weather report, music, talk shows, and Buddhist teachings. In these areas radio still provides the only means of accessing immediate information. As one respondent reported, “fast, breaking news is only available by radio.” In the realm of radio, the advent of commercial FM stations in Myanmar, where all radio broadcasting was previously the monopoly of the state, has fuelled much of the optimism around the openings in the media sector. However in Mon State, the state-owned Nay Pyi Daw Myanmar Radio National Service was both the most recognized (by 100% of respondents), most listened to (by 98%) and most trusted (by 94%). A government owned FM station, Padauk Myay, was also better recognized and attracted more listeners than the privately owned Shwe FM. These findings pose interesting questions about the future trajectory of radio listenership in Mon State, and the extent to which radio may be harnessed as a vehicle for the introduction of meaningful local content into the information ecosystem. Shwe FM DIAGRAM 1 HOW NEWS IS RECEIVED, DISCUSSED, AND SHARED IN MON STATE (FORMER CONFLICT AREA) MON STATE - FORMER CONFLICT AREA MYANMAR STATE NEWS SERVICE (MRTV, MYANMAR RADIO) INDEPENDENT NEWS (SKYNET, SHWE FM) JOURNALS WRITTEN INSIDE MYANMAR COMMUNITY ELDERS KEY: WORD OF MOUTH/FACE TO FACE FRIENDS OR FAMILY TELEVISION MOBILE PHONE/SMS DIFFERENT MEDIA SOURCES ARE TRUSTED TO VARYLING DEGREES AND REACH DIFFERING AMOUNTS OF PEOPLE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY WORK COLLEAGUES OR CLASSMATES part one: rese arch findings RADIO ONLINE/SOCIAL MEDIA/EMAIL PRINT MORE TRUSTED/RELIED UPON LESS TRUSTED/RELIED UPON LESS AVAILABLE (DUE TO ELECTRICITY, ETC..) AUDIENCE FOR A MEDIA FORMAT (CIRCLE SIZE = RELATIVE AUDIENCE SIZE) Perhaps the most glaring factor in the Mon State ecosystem research (in common with the national information ecosystem) is the absence of community radio. At time of writing there is still a lack of clarity in media legislation as to if or when truly local community radio may be permitted in Myanmar. The advent of community radio, with its implications for hyper-local coverage, inclusion of citizen voices and high potential for cultivating trust, would arguably have an even more profound effect on the local information ecosystem than local language TV programming beamed in from outside the state. in Mon State is part of a nationwide network owned by the Shwe Than Lwin Company that also includes Skynet. The Chairman of this media giant, Kyaw Win, is close to the President and is known to have strong ties to the military. Programming on the Shwe FM network tends to be anodyne, with a high proportion of music and “soft” content (i.e. health, religion, 30 INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS in transition: a case study from myanmar FOREIGN NEWS SERVICE (BBC, VOA, ETC...) farming) and several of the daily news bulletins still come directly from the Ministry for Information. News and information production is largely centralized in Yangon and syndicated around the network. Network stations in areas such as Mon State are not equipped or required to cover local news with any degree of consistency. The Shwe FM network has enormous 31 how to inform, empower, and impact communities INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS in transition: a case study from myanmar how to inform, empower, and impact communities PART ONE: RESEARCH FINDINGS