The questions in Dear ACME Mwalimu come from the hundreds of real messages and emails sent to our training desk every month. No question deserves just one answer, so we are answering them here where everyone can benefit. Names and details have been removed, and permission to publish the questions has been sought. If you have a question for ACME Mwalimu, send it to training[at]acme-ug.org, and it may appear in a future instalment.
Dear ACME Mwalimu,
I’m a programme director at a community radio station. I oversee 12 people, which on paper sounds fine but three of them are administrative staff. One is always out chasing advertisers, and the rest of us are doing God knows what at any given time. Presenting. Reporting. Editing. Last week I personally fixed the internet router because no one else was there.
Now my boss is pushing for us to go digital. He has a long list of demands, from podcasts and social media to a fresh website. One email from him even mentioned YouTube. YouTube! And now on top of all that there’s a new thing about youth audiences. We need to “capture the youth” and have more youth-friendly digital platforms.
I forwarded one of these emails to a colleague, and her response was a string of emojis. That’s where we are.
When I raise any of this with the bosses, I’m told to be more open-minded. One senior person sent me an article about a radio station in another country that successfully transitioned to digital. That’s all well and good, but she didn’t seem to see that the station also had 18 staff and a grant!
I’m not a negative person, and I care about this station. But I am burned out, and I don’t know how to make people understand that their demands are bigger than what I can manage. They want me to go digital but I’m barely keeping the station alive.
Am I making excuses?
Exhausted But Still Showing Up
ACME Mwalimu responds
Dear Exhausted But Still Showing Up,
No. You are not making excuses.
And yes, your bosses are right. Digital matters. Youth audiences matter. A radio station that isn’t thinking about both of those things in 2026 is a radio station that may not be here in 2031. So let’s get that on the table first, because the answer to your situation is not to push back on what’s being asked of you. It’s to have a smarter conversation about how to get there.
Here is what I suggest:
Put your response on paper. Sit down and write out everything your team produces in a week and roughly how long it takes. I know you don’t have time, but do it anyway. Outline what adding podcasts, social media, and programming with a new youth focus would actually require. Keep your notes handy, so that when you walk into the next meeting, you are holding something concrete that helps you articulate your response better, and leads to a more productive discussion.
Stop explaining yourself and start asking questions. Request a meeting with your bosses and go in with two questions: “What do we need to make room for this?” and “What budget is available to resource it?” You don’t need a long defence of your situation. Those two questions show you are serious about finding a way forward, and they put the responsibility for resourcing it back where it belongs.
Ask them what they actually mean. “Capture the youth” is not a brief. Push back on the vagueness; do they want a new show? A TikTok account? A different presenting style? And while you’re at it, ask for a number. How many young listeners are they hoping for, and by when? A specific target is something you can build towards.
Don’t try to do everything. Do one thing well. Look around you. There is probably something already close to hand: a young presenter itching to run the station’s social media, or a programme that could become a podcast with almost no extra effort. Start there. Something small, done well, is worth far more than five things done badly. And once you have something to show, you have something to negotiate with.
In solidarity,
ACME Mwalimu
