[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 51 (Thursday, March 16, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14325-14329]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6254]



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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY


Professional Development of African Radio Station Owners and 
Managers

ACTION: Notice; request for proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the United States 
Information Agency's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs announces 
an open competition for an assistance award. Public or private non-
profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS regulation 
501(c)(3) may apply to develop two-way exchange projects for radio 
station owners and managers in selected African countries. The Office 
proposes development of two separate projects focused on radio station 
management: (a) One project for francophone African participants; and 
(b) one project for anglophone African participants. Applicants may 
submit proposals to develop one or both projects. The projects should 
enhance participants' skills in managing their broadcasting operations 
and assist them to develop effective business management strategies. 
Each project should provide U.S.-based activities for approximately 9-
12 African radio station owners and managers. Each project also should 
provide in-country workshops or consultancies to assist participating 
broadcasters implement appropriate business management practices. The 
projects should begin in fall 1995. Applicants are encouraged to 
consult with the U.S. Information Service (USIS) posts in participating 
countries in the development of the project proposals.
    Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the 
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of 
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase 
mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the 
people of other countries* * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us 
with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural 
interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United 
States and other nations* * * and thus to assist in the development of 
friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States 
and the other countries of the world.''
    Programs and projects must conform with Agency requirements and 
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package. USIA projects and 
programs are subject to the availability of funds.

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with USIA concerning 
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number 
E/P-95-50.

DATES: Deadline for proposals: All copies must be received at the U.S. 
Information Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on Friday, May 12, 
1995. Faxed documents will not be accepted, nor will documents 
postmarked on May 12, 1995, but received at a later date. It is the 
responsibility of each applicant to ensure that proposals are received 
by the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Africa/Near East/South Asia 
Division of [[Page 14326]] the Office of Citizen Exchanges, U.S. 
Information Agency, 301 4th Street, SW., Room 220, Washington, DC 
20547, tel. 202-619-5319, fax 202-619-4350, Internet address 
[email protected], to request a Solicitation Package, which includes 
more detailed award criteria; all application forms; and guidelines for 
preparing proposals, including specific criteria for preparation of the 
proposal budget. Please specify USIA Program Officer Stephen Taylor on 
all inquiries and correspondences. Interested applicants should read 
the complete Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries 
to the Office of Citizen Exchanges or submitting their proposals. Once 
the RFP deadline has passed, the Office of Citizen Exchanges may not 
discuss this competition in any way with applicants until the Bureau 
proposal review process has been completed.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions provided in the 
Solicitation Package and send fully completed applications. Send the 
original and 14 copies to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-95-50, 
Office of Grants Management, E/XE, Room 336, 301 4th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20547.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing 
legislation, programs must maintain a non-political character and 
should be balanced and representative of the diversity of American 
political, social, and cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be 
interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass differences including 
but not limited to race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-
economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly 
encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle.

Overview

Background

    Several African governments have adopted policies which, in some 
cases, have promoted development of new, independent radio stations, 
and in other cases have sparked interest in commercializing state-run 
radio services. The democratic transition in Mali brought greater press 
freedoms, and today some nineteen independent radio stations are on the 
air. Tanzania and Niger recently began issuing broadcasting licenses. 
In Niger, two private radio stations are on the air and more than a 
dozen prospective broadcasters have received licenses. While these 
station owners and managers are enthusiastic and devoted, most have 
little or no management experience and many of their staff are 
untrained. High operating costs are a constant threat to their 
survival. In countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, governments 
are looking to commercialize their state-run radios to boost revenues 
and reduce reliance on state funding. Radio managers in these and other 
countries could benefit from a project offering strategies to enhance 
the viability and overall management of their stations.

Program Overview

    The Office of Citizen Exchanges (E/P) proposes development of two 
projects for African participants to promote development of business 
management skills applicable to radio broadcasting. One project will be 
designed for participants in selected anglophone African countries. The 
second project will target selected francophone countries. Each two-way 
exchange should include activities for 9-12 participants in the United 
States and opportunities for American specialists to share their 
expertise during in-country activities in Africa. While the projects 
should introduce participants to a variety of radio broadcasting 
management practices, the programs should concentrate on activities and 
site visits appropriate to the technology and infrastructure available 
in Africa. The projects should be designed to accommodate participants 
new to broadcasting management, and sufficiently flexible to assist 
independent stations as well as state-run services considering 
commercializing or enhancing overall management. Participants should 
study station management practices, business planning strategies and 
marketing concepts. They also should receive an overview of 
professional journalism standards which managers must oversee and 
identify strategies to promote staff development.
    These two-way exchange projects also should create new 
relationships, opening channels of communication between U.S. and 
African broadcasters. These ties ideally should assist continued 
improvement of station management practices and enhance the viability 
of independent radio broadcasting in Africa. The projects should begin 
in fall 1995.

Project Objectives

    Each two-way exchange project should be designed to:

--Introduce participants to fundamental business management skills 
applicable to station management, including financial planning, cash 
management and staff development;
--Analyze income resources for radio stations, including 
advertisements, and examine strategies for surviving the initial stages 
of launching a new broadcasting service;
--Examine marketing strategies aimed at attracting advertisers and, 
where appropriate, study the interrelationship among programming 
content, objective news reporting and maintaining advertisers as 
clients;
--Develop strategies for implementing improved station management 
practices;
--Examine media-government relations and demonstrate how the 
independent reporting of political and economic developments helps 
shape government policy and public opinion;
--Provide an overview of journalistic ethics and the standards of 
professional journalism; and
--Establish linkages between African station owners and managers, and 
their U.S. counterparts, providing a resource for continued 
professional development.

Participants

    The participants will be owners and managers of radio stations in 
selected African countries. The anglophone project should be designed 
for participants from Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. All 
participants will have strong English language skills. The francophone 
project should be designed for participants from Mali, Niger, Senegal 
and Burkina Faso. For this project, two U.S. State Department 
interpreters and one escort officer will be available for U.S.-based 
activities. For the program phases in Africa, the grantee institution 
will select the American presenters in consultation with USIA. 
Presenters conducting activities in francophone Africa should be 
French-fluent. The U.S. Phase of each project should be designed for 9-
12 participants. USIS personnel in the participating countries will 
select the participants, although recommendations from the grantee 
institution are welcome.
    USIS offices will facilitate the issuance of visas for the African 
participants and can help with the distribution of program-related 
materials in participating countries.

Programmatic Considerations

    USIA will give careful consideration to proposals which 
demonstrate:
    (1) In-depth, substantive knowledge of the strategies and practices 
involved in managing a broadcasting operation as a successful business 
enterprise;
    (2) First-hand connections with a variety of American radio 
operations, as well as public and private sector 
[[Page 14327]] organizations responsible for promoting journalistic 
professionalism and successful business management;
    (3) The capacity to organize and manage international exchange 
programs, including the handling of pre-departure arrangements, 
orientation activities, monitoring and problem-solving involved in such 
programs.
    USIA is especially interested in multi-phase programs in which the 
phases build on one another and lay the groundwork for new and long-
term relationships between American and African professionals. 
Proposals which are overly ambitious and those which are very general 
in nature will not be competitive. The Office of Citizen Exchanges does 
not award grants to support projects whose focus is limited to 
technical matters, or to support scholarly research projects, 
development of publications for dissemination in the United States, 
individual student exchanges, film festivals or exhibits. The Office of 
Citizen Exchanges does not provide scholarships or support for long-
term (one semester or more) academic studies. Competitions sponsored by 
other Bureau offices also are announced in the Federal Register and may 
have different application requirements as well as different 
objectives.

Program Suggestions

    Each project should include at least one phase for African 
participants in the United States and at least one phase for American 
specialists in Africa. Programming elements might include in-country 
workshops or seminars led by American experts, specialized on-site 
consultancies developed for radio station owners in Africa, a study 
tour in the United States for selected African participants, and U.S.-
based professional attachments for African broadcasters. A planning 
visit overseas by the American organizer also could be considered if 
crucial to successful development and implementation of the program.
    The project should include formats which maximize interaction 
between the participants and the program presenters. Participants 
should observe the full range of business management and financial 
planning activities on the part of radio station owners and managers. 
They might also observe the interaction of station owners with public 
and private sector organizations involved in formulating, implementing 
and evaluating policies that affect U.S. broadcasting, such as 
professional associations, advertising agencies, trade unions, 
government agencies, and community groups. Participants also might 
visit university-based radio stations to observe training programs and 
study the role of such stations in the broadcasting industry. The 
program design should provide adequate time for participants to meet 
individually with American professionals who have similar interests and 
specializations. While not required, the presenters' familiarity with 
radio broadcasting in the participating countries is desirable .

Program Responsibilities

    The grantee institution's responsibilities include: Selecting 
presenters, themes and topics for discussion; organizing a coherent 
progression of activities; providing any support materials; providing 
all travel arrangements, lodging and other logistical arrangements for 
the visiting African participants and the U.S. presenters who travel to 
Africa; and overseeing the project on a daily basis to achieve maximum 
program effectiveness. The grantee institution is responsible for 
coordinating plans and project implementation with E/P, USIS officers 
in the participating countries and collaborating African institutions.
    At the start of each phase, the grantee institution will conduct an 
orientation session and, at the conclusion, conduct participant 
evaluations. The institution will submit a report at the conclusion of 
each program phase, including a final program report summarizing the 
entire project and resulting organizational links. The institution must 
also submit a final financial report. To prepare the participants for 
their U.S. experience, E/P encourages the grantee organization to 
forward a set of preliminary materials which might include an 
introduction to the U.S. system of government, American notions of free 
speech and freedom of the press, the practices of U.S. broadcasters and 
other background information about the project. E/P will ask the 
participants to prepare brief outlines describing their own particular 
interests in these areas. The grantee institution should brief the 
American presenters on the participants' backgrounds, interests and 
concerns.

Other Program Considerations

    Consultation with USIS officers in the participating countries in 
the development of the project proposal is encouraged. Letters of 
commitment from participating U.S. and African institutions and 
individuals would enhance a proposal.
    USIA also encourages the development of specialized written 
materials to enhance this professional development program. USIA is 
interested in organizations' ideas on how to ``reuse'' specialized 
materials by providing them to universities, libraries or other 
institutions for use by a larger audience. If not already available, 
glossaries of specialized terms might be developed. However, please 
note that, according to current USIA regulations, materials developed 
with USIA funds may not be distributed in the United States.
    The grantee institution should maximize cost-sharing in all 
elements of the project and seek to stimulate U.S. private sector 
support, including from foundations and corporations.
    All participants will be covered under the terms of a USIA-
sponsored health insurance policy. The premium is paid by USIA directly 
to the insurance company.

Funding

    Competition for USIA funding support is keen. Selection of a 
grantee institution is based on the substantive nature of the program 
proposal; the applicant's professional capability to carry the program 
through to a successful conclusion; and cost effectiveness, including 
in-kind contributions and the ability to keep administrative costs at a 
minimum. USIA will consider funding up to approximately $145,000 for 
the francophone project, and up to approximately $135,000 for the 
anglophone project, but grants awarded to eligible organizations with 
less that four years of experience in conducting international exchange 
programs will be limited to $60,000. Grant applicants may submit a 
proposal to manage both the francophone and anglophone projects, or may 
submit a proposal to develop only one of these programs. If submitting 
a proposal for both projects, the applicant should be careful to avoid 
duplication of costs.
    Applicants must submit a comprehensive line item budget for the 
entire program based on the specific guidance in the Solicitation 
Package. Applicants must provide a summary budget as well as a break-
down reflecting both the administrative budget and the program budget. 
For further clarification, applicants may provide optional, separate 
sub-budgets for each program phase or activity in order to facilitate 
USIA decisions on funding. USIA will consider funding the following 
costs:
    1. International and domestic air fares; visas; transit costs 
(e.g., airport fees); ground transportation costs.
    2. Per diem: For foreign participants during activities in the 
United States, organizations have the option of using a flat rate of 
$140/day or the published [[Page 14328]] Federal Travel Regulations 
(FTR) per diem rates for individual American cities.

    Note: U.S. institutional staff must use the published FTR per 
diem rates, not the fault rate. For activities overseas, standard 
Federal Travel Regulations per diem rates must be used.

    3. Escort-interpreters: Interpretation for U.S.-based programs (if 
required) is provided by the State Department's Language Services 
Division. Typically, delegations ranging from 8-12 participants require 
two simultaneous interpreters and one escort officer. Grant proposal 
budgets should contain a flat $140/day per diem rate for each State 
Department escort/interpreter, as well as home-program-home air fare of 
$400 per interpreter and any U.S. travel expenses during the program 
itself. Salary expenses are covered centrally and are not part of the 
applicant's budget proposal. USIA grants do not pay for foreign 
interpreters to accompany delegations during travel to or from their 
home country. Interpreters are not available for U.S.-based internship 
activities.
    4. Book and cultural allowances: Participants are entitled to a 
one-time book allowance of $50 plus a cultural allowance of $150 per 
person during programs taking place in the United States. U.S. staff do 
not receive these benefits. Escort interpreters are reimbursed for 
actual cultural expenses up to $150.00.
    5. Consultants: Consultants may be used to provide specialized 
expertise or to make presentations. Honoraria generally should not 
exceed $250/day. Subcontracting organizations may also be used, in 
which case the written contract(s) should be included in the proposal.
    6. Materials development: Proposals may contain costs to purchase, 
develop and translate materials for participants. USIA reserves the 
rights to these materials for future use.
    7. Room rentals, which generally should not exceed $250/day.
    8. One working meal per project, for which per capita costs may not 
exceed $5-$8 for a lunch or $14-$20 for a dinner. The number of invited 
guests may not exceed the number of participants by more than a factor 
of two to one.
    9. Return travel allowance: $70 for each participant which is to be 
used for incidental expenditures incurred during international travel.
    10. Other costs necessary for the effective administration of the 
program, including salaries for grant organization employees, benefits, 
and other direct and indirect costs per detailed instructions in the 
application package.
    E/P encourages cost-sharing, which may be in the form of allowable 
direct or indirect costs. E/P would be especially interested in 
proposals which demonstrate a program vision which goes well beyond 
that which can be supported by the requested USIA grant and which would 
try to use a USIA grant to leverage additional funding from other 
sources to support elements of the broader program plan.
    Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget 
guidelines and formatting instructions.

Review Process

    USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them 
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they 
do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the 
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to panels of 
USIA officers for advisory review. All eligible proposals will be 
reviewed by the Agency contracts office, as well as the USIA Office of 
African Affairs and USIA posts overseas, where appropriate. Proposals 
may also be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other 
Agency elements. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the USIA 
Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final 
technical authority for grant awards resides with the USIA grants 
officer.

Review Criteria

    Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed 
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank 
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:
    1. Institutional Reputation and Ability: Applicant institutions 
should demonstrate their potential for excellence in program design and 
implementation and/or provide documentation of successful programs. If 
an applicant is a previous USIA grant recipient, responsible fiscal 
management and full compliance with all reporting requirements for past 
Agency grants as determined by USIA's Office of Contracts will be 
considered. Relevant substantive evaluations of previous projects may 
also be considered in this assessment.
    2. Project Personnel: The thematic and logistical expertise of 
project personnel should be relevant to the proposed program. Resumes 
or C.V.s should be summaries which are relevant to the specific 
proposal and no longer than two pages each.
    3. Program Planning: A detailed agenda and relevant work plan 
should demonstrate substantive rigor and logistical capacity.
    4. Thematic Expertise: Proposals should demonstrate the 
organization's expertise in the subject area which promises an 
effective sharing of information.
    5. Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate the 
recipient's commitment to promoting the awareness and understanding of 
diversity.
    6. Cross-Cultural Sensitivity and Area Expertise: Evidence should 
be provided of sensitivity to historical, linguistic, religious, and 
other cross-cultural factors, as well as relevant knowledge of the 
target geographic area/country.
    7. Ability to Achieve Program Objectives: Objectives should be 
realistic and feasible. The proposal should clearly demonstrate how the 
grantee institution will meet program objectives.
    8. Multiplier Effect: Proposed programs should strengthen long-term 
mutual understanding and contribute to maximum sharing of information 
and establishment of long-term institutional and individual ties.
    9. Cost-Effectiveness: Overhead and direct administrative costs to 
USIA should be kept as low as possible. All other items proposed for 
USIA funding should be necessary and appropriate to achieve the 
program's objectives.
    10. Cost-Sharing: Proposals should maximize cost-sharing through 
other private sector support as well as direct funding contributions 
and/or in-kind support from the prospective grantee institution and its 
partners.
    11. Follow-on Activities: Proposals should provide a plan for 
continued exchange activity (without USIA support) which ensures that 
USIA-supported programs are not isolated events.
    12. Project Evaluation: Proposals should include a plan to evaluate 
the activity's success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of 
the program. USIA recommends that the proposal include a draft survey 
questionnaire or other technique plus description of a methodology to 
use to link outcomes to original project objectives. Grantees will be 
expected to submit intermediate reports after each project component is 
concluded or quarterly, whichever is less frequent.

Notice

    The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may 
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information 
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be 
binding. Issuance [[Page 14329]] of the RFP does not constitute an 
award commitment on the part of the Government. The needs of the 
program may require the award to be reduced, revised, or increased. 
Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by 
Congress, allocated and committed through internal USIA procedures.

Notification

    All applicants will be notified of the results of the review 
process on or about August 7, 1995. Awards made will be subject to 
periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

    Dated: March 8, 1995.
Dell Pendergrast,
Deputy Associate Director, Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 95-6254 Filed 3-15-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M