Market logic versus social gain logic: Polish government policy towards community-oriented radio stations in the early 1990s

Abstract

This article explores the shaping of the broadcasting system in Poland after the overthrow of communism. Private radio stations established in the early 1990s often began operating as spontaneous, illegal, grassroots initiatives where their primary objective was not to make profit, but self-fulfilment of the creators and to serve local communities. The radio teams were driven by social gain logic rather than market logic. This study examines not only cases of such stations but also the policies that affected them. It also explores the public debate on the means by which they should be regulated. Several sources of information were used to maximize the potential of this study, especially documents gathered from the archives of the institutions responsible for the public order in the air, publications from the popular press and interviews with radio station representatives and with decision-makers who influenced the shape of the broadcasting system in Poland.