Evaluation of Community Radio Telecommunications Infrastructure in Cross River State

Community radio stations serve as critical information dissemination platforms in rural and underserved communities across Nigeria, providing local language content, public health messaging, agricultural guidance, and civic information to populations with limited access to print or digital media. The quality and adequacy of telecommunications infrastructure supporting community radio operations in Cross River State, South South Nigeria, has not been previously evaluated. This study conducts a technical and operational assessment of the telecommunications infrastructure at seven licensed community radio stations across Calabar, Bekwarra, and Yakurr local government areas. Assessment covered transmission equipment specifications, antenna systems, studio-to-transmitter link quality, backup power arrangements, and spectrum license compliance. Technical inspections were supplemented by structured interviews with station managers and broadcast engineers. Results indicate that five of the seven stations operated with transmitters that had degraded power output relative to licensed specifications, reducing effective coverage areas. Studio-to-transmitter links at three stations used legacy analog microwave links with unreliable performance. None of the stations had adequate backup power to maintain broadcasts during power outages exceeding four hours. Spectrum license compliance was maintained by all stations, but antenna maintenance practices were inadequate at four locations. The study recommends a cross-sector funding mechanism for community radio infrastructure renewal, mandatory annual technical inspections by the National Broadcasting Commission, and digital STL upgrades at priority stations. Keywords: community radio, telecommunications infrastructure, Cross River State, broadcast engineering, rural media.