Liberia Media Development (LMD) Program Quarterly Report Cost Extension FY21_Q1

The program aims to enable, equip, and empower local media in Liberia to increase their sustainability, incorporate a plurality of voices in their media products, and improve their professional standards. The program's objective is to achieve three key outcomes: increased sustainability of media houses, a plurality of voices represented in Liberian media, and improved professionalism of the media. To achieve these outcomes, the program focuses on several activities, including facilitating deeper audience data analysis, conducting periodic market research, providing business management training, and building strong, effective media outlets and associations. One of the key activities under the program is the facilitation of deeper audience data analysis, which was completed under the current award and did not take place under the cost extension. The program also conducts periodic market research, provides business management training, and works with media outlets to develop alternative revenue streams. The program also focuses on increasing the representation of a plurality of voices in Liberian media. This includes hosting community media forums, improving engagement with participatory radio formats via SMS platforms, enhancing the coverage of rural issues at the national level, and supporting young citizen journalists. In addition, the program aims to improve the professionalism of the media by developing tailored training strategies for core and targeted media outlets, creating a network of media resource centers, and training and providing ongoing technical assistance to media professionals. The program also manages a small subgrants pool to increase the quality and diversity of coverage and supports sharing of content between community radio stations. The program's progress is monitored and evaluated through various indicators, including the number of media outlets that have increased their sustainability, the number of voices represented in Liberian media, and the improvement in the professionalism of the media. The program's performance is tracked through the Indicator Performance Tracking Table for LMD Program (Cost Extension FY 2021). The program's activities are focused on the next quarter, which includes the close-out phase from January to March 2021. During this phase, the program will update the radio mapping that captures all outlets over the past few years, conduct media monitoring of targeted media outlets, and promote and improve the Code of Journalism Ethics and Media Complaints Committee. Overall, the LMD program aims to strengthen the Liberian media landscape by increasing the sustainability, diversity, and professionalism of local media outlets. The program's activities are designed to achieve this goal by providing training, technical assistance, and resources to media professionals and outlets.