Community Radio Broadcasting Research Articles

The importance of place in community radio broadcasting: a case study of WDVX, Knoxville, Tennessee

Listening to radio programs was once a family/community event that connected listeners to both place and time. Today, amidst marketing concerns and Top 40 hits, commercial radio has become a placeless medium. Similar music and programs can be heard nationwide, often free of references to the location of their broadcast. One exception to this form of cultural homogenization is community radio. Unlike commercial radio, community radio stations try to distinguish themselves by incorporating aspects of their location and the listening community into their broadcasts. This study uses the community radio station WDVX in Knoxville, Tennessee, as an exemplar for understanding the importance of place. Using key theories on place creation, I argue that WDVX is more than just an FM frequency, but rather a meaningful place to station personnel and the listening community. Through qualitative interviews and observations, I show that WDVX has created a sense of place through the unique sound associated with the space the station occupies, the particular uses of technology in radio broadcasting, and the participatory nature of WDVX at multiple scales. Station employees at WDVX have transformed the physical space of a radio station into space that has meaning; in other words, a place.

Community radio broadcasting in Brazil: action rationales and public space

This article is about the role played by Brazilian community radio stations as public spaces, including different action rationales and places where there are political, social and cultural discourses from various genres such as informative and opinionative, especially the latter. Such spaces are embedded by communicative and instrumental actions as Habermas notes, manifest in the tensions and approximations between public and common spaces. Based upon a cross-case study from these media, the action rationales and the dynamics of the spaces are analysed. Stemming from the way such radio stations work, it is possible to assess whether they are a locus for public debates, involving the community and favouring communication which addresses the common interest, or, to a large extent, social arenas for welfare appeals and criticisms and fulfilling immediate needs from members of a particular locality. Data collection included unstructured and episodic interviews, radio programmes and analysis of documents from fifteen community radio stations in the Federal District and surroundings. After that, for more in-depth information, five case studies were carried out in Brazil.

Digital broadcasting – Challenges and opportunities for European community radio broadcasters

Access to broadcast infrastructure is vital for community radio services, however the switch-over from analogue to digital, as envisaged by European policy-makers, creates challenges for such stations. In this article, we will set out the general environment within which the transition to digital is occurring, illustrate the current state of the digital migration debate, identify potential difficulties for community radios, but also highlight opportunities that digital technologies may provide. Challenges include the historical tendency of European policy-makers to prioritise the requirements of larger Public Service and commercial broadcasters which has resulted in the promotion of platforms such as DAB that are not designed to cater for smaller-scale local and non-profit’ media. Furthermore the existence of a variety of jurisdiction-specific approaches to digital switch-over in Europe creates uncertainty as to the emerging technical and policy environment.

AMARC and more than 25 years of community media activism

Founded in 1983, AMARC, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, is a global network of stations, federations and community media stakeholders that promotes the use of community radio as a tool for social and cultural development. It advocates for the right to communicate at all levels, from the global to the local, and the creation of equitable, democratic and participatory development. This article provides an overview of both AMARC’s general objectives and its recent initiatives. Among the initiatives that took place for its 25th anniversary, AMARC promoted the 14 Principles for Community Broadcasting in Latin America, summarizing what governments should consider in order to implement legislation enabling community media. It also organised a pan-European conference in Bucharest that highlighted the recent progresses at the policy level, as well as the need for further lobbying in the countries that have still no legal and regulatory frameworks for community radio. Globally, the association has developed a gender policy for community radio and for the media landscape, in recognition of the role of the media in promoting women’s equality. Finally, AMARC undertook research on the impact of community radio with a project consisting of three elements: an assessment of the state of community radio in each country where it is present, an evaluation of AMARC and its partners’ effectiveness in working to support community radio, and a preliminary effort to assess the development impact of community radio worldwide.

Community Radio Broadcasting and Positioning – an Australian Perspective

Community Radio Broadcasting and Positioning – an Australian Perspective

Towards a policy model for community radio broadcasting in Zambia

This article, which is based on a focused synthesis of a range of historical, political, policy, regulatory and other factors, proposes a normative policy model for community radio broadcasting in Zambia. It starts with a historical analysis of the factors that have influenced the development of community radio broadcasting in the country, particularly in the period before and after 1991. It is argued that community radio broadcasting in Zambia is largely reflective of the state-centric policy-making regime. This policy-making regime is itself a legacy of British colonialism. The policy proposal put forward in this article is informed by the assumptions of the group and organised anarchy models of policy-making and seeks to promote community radio broadcasting in terms of its vision, regulatory structures, funding, training, technology, production of local content and research.

Balance and Freedom of Speech: Challenge for Canadian Broadcasting

The development of Canadian broadcast policy and law respecting “content balance” (and corollary notions of public “access and reply” entitlements, “abusive speech,” and “controversial issues of public importance”) exhibits significant definitional vagueness and discontinuity. The authors summarize the history of policy making in the area, and provide two case studies: one of religious television broadcasting, one of community radio broadcasting. These materials lead them to reject the notion of content balance as an element of regulatory terminology.