The Centre for Media Analysis (CMA), an independent media research agency, is embarking on a regional radio monitoring exercise in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Western regions to solicit support for the media in promoting agricultural issues. A comprehensive report for policy direction will help establish the relationship between coverage of Agric news categories and others such as banking, insurance, mining, telecommunication, environment and politics. The Centre is expected to release a report later this year at a media and agric forum in Kumasi, at the end of the one month project. A consistent print media monitoring and evaluation conducted by CMA on some 65 newspapers between 2005 and 2009 revealed that the Ghanaian media gave least coverage to agricultural issues - about 11 percent of total coverage. Chief Executive of the CMA, Dr. Messan Mawugbe, says the radio benchmarking is to provide a scientific basis to use the research findings as an advocacy mechanism in soliciting for agric-news-support for radio stations across the country. He told Luv FM the research will serve as a ‘win-win situation’ for media organizations, policy makers and the agricultural sector. “It will really serve as a pointer to media practitioners to ascertain the extent of coverage they are giving to agric and that will bring a form of sitting up and at the same time it is also going to inform policy makers to really know that agric is being ignored”, Dr. Mawugbe stated. He believes the media has a role to play in mobilizing the Ghanaian people to be interested in activities in the agricultural sector. “We want to use it as a way of equipping the media, bringing other agencies on board, because agric does not sell, agric is not hot, agric is not sensational… so we can only assist the media based on a very comprehensive scientific report and that is what the Centre for Media Analysis is planning to achieve”, he added. CSA seeks to provide internationally accepted scientific, timely, objective, indepth, up-to-date research results for an effective and strategic information management for corporate institutions and policy makers. Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh/Luv Fm/Ghana