Journalism in Senegal

We now have several radio journalism placements running in St Louis, offering volunteers the chance to get practical experience in a media environment.

Radio Fréquence Teranga is the most popular local radio station in St Louis and broadcasts a wide range of programmes in French and Wolof. Its premises are relatively well-equipped, with an enthusiastic young staff, and the station is known for its lively and innovative output.

Radio Dunyaa began as a station in Dakar but now has affiliates in most regions of Senegal. The majority of programmes broadcast in St Louis come from the local studios, although several times a day the station synchronises with the programming from Dakar. This station is less well-equipped, meaning that staff often have more than one role.

RTS, or Radio-television Senegal, is the St Louis branch of the main state-run broadcasting company. RTS programmes cover the entire national territory.

All of these stations broadcast a mix of music, news, current affairs, sports and religious programmes. Volunteers' main responsibilities tend to be in the news sections, but you are welcome to get involved in other areas according to your interests and even to suggest themes for programmes that you would like to assist with. Skills that you will develop during your placement include researching and writing stories and scripts, reading news bulletins, presenting segments of shows or co-presenting with a local colleague. You will also have the opportunity to find out about studio production and other technical aspects of broadcasting. Volunteers will sometimes attend press conferences and local events, as well as sports matches and concerts, all of which will provide you with plenty of interesting contacts and a great insight into local life.

When you first arrive at the radio station you will be working with local staff for a couple of days before going into the field yourself to make your own reports before filing them with your placement supervisor who will help you broadcast any interesting news. This makes the placements both interesting and challenging and you should expect to come up with your own ideas for reports and stories.

To read a more detailed information about this project, you may visit our Internship Journalism in Senegal specialized website.