The aim of this article is to illustrate how notions of access and participation have been conceived and operationalized in the context of Australia's community broadcasting sector. It is based on a study that identified access and participation as one of a number of key elements of community broadcasting and then explored to what extent and in what form it (and the other key elements) might be evident in contemporary times. Three community radio stations were selected as case studies on the basis of their heterogeneity and a total of 42 interviews were conducted. The article first examines how various stakeholders have understood access and participation in the planning, introduction and development of community broadcasting, before illuminating current conceptions of both concepts by way of a cross-case analysis of the three radio stations. Findings from the cross-case analysis suggest certain pressures are conspiring to undermine the full expression of access and participation. The article confirms varying understandings and differing ways of operationalizing access and participation and, in doing so, suggests some potential concerns for policy makers and the sector's administrators and broadcasters.