Census of Community Radio Stations in Chile: Territorial Location, Description, Characteristics and Projection of Community Radio Work

Abstract

The article gives an account of the results of the first census of community radios (CR) in Chile. The official data on these stations and those collected by community radio organizations are not complete or reliable, so it is necessary to know how many radios they are, where they are located territorially and what their characteristics are. The census detects 361 community radios distributed in the country. It accounts for characteristic elements and reaffirms the differences in the development of CR in Chile, in relation to other Latin American countries such as Argentina, Ecuador or Colombia, where radios occupy frequencies of the radio spectrum before the government allows it, negotiating its legalization later. It is determined that in Chile the majority of CRs initiate their transmissions and operate in accordance with the law. They are mostly small radios, since Chilean law allows them a maximum of 25 watts; Its members are mainly volunteers, with low audience participation in their management and with a weak association between them and with existing radio organizations. The article provides data that allows the development of territorial profiles of broadcasters and provides information on their technical, operational and financial characteristics, and helps to know how CRs actually work in Chile.