"The significance of radio as a provider of essential news and information in conflict-affected and fragile countries cannot be underestimated nor can its role in contributing to shifts in critical consciousness, changes in behaviour, and raising awareness amongst marginalised groups. This is partic
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ularly the case regarding the influence of radio on women's empowerment. In Niger, women suffer from widespread gender inequality with a 75% child marriage rate, low literacy rates, polygamy and gender-based violence. The most important source of information women have is radio. This article illustrates radio's impact on women's rights and empowerment in the world's poorest country. It draws on extensive fieldwork conducted in 2018–19 (workshops, semi-structured interviews and focus groups) and in-depth content analyses of women-related radio output broadcast by Studio Kalangou, a radio studio in Niger, set up in 2016 by the Swiss-based media development agency, Fondation Hirondelle. The article demonstrates how increasing and developing the targeting of radio programmes to include more women-related themes and improving the content will contribute to empowering women politically, economically and within society." (Abstract)
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"This book tells the story of community radio in four South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The three parts of the book focus on policy (discussed country by country), issues in practice, and case studies. In effect, however, each of the chapters touches on these topics to
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one degree or another. The first section presents very helpful background on the introduction of community radio in the four countries, focusing not only on policy issues but also on the history of setting up the stations. The second section calls attention to particular challenges such as the role of NGOs, radio spectrum management, the introduction of somewhat advanced technologies into rural communities, the role of women, the possibilities of community radio for disaster response, and issues of sustainability. The third section (the case studies) offers a good deal of practical suggestions to address challenges such as conflicts in the communities, assessment of the stations, and the practices of democracy." (Review in "Religion and Social Communication", vol. 20:2, 2022, page 418-421, https://www.asianresearchcenter.org)
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"Community radio in India operates within a clear framework of development. This calls into question the fundamental purpose of community radio: communication rights, activism, voice, community participation or development? Drawing on ethnographic research conducted at two rural stations in South In
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dia, this research explores the influence of a pervasive development discourse on the grassroots activities and functions of community radio. The starkest example of this was observed through the far-reaching influence of the Government of India’s highly publicised sanitation programme, the Swachh Bharat Mission. This programme represents a pervasive example of the modernisation paradigm in development communication, yet it was found to proliferate throughout community radio, a medium more often associated with participatory communication. This development discourse was found to profoundly impact the way both broadcasters and audience members engage with and experience community radio. The findings highlight a disconnect between the theoretical and ideological frameworks of community radio and the ways in which a development discourse operates through the stations at the grassroots level. As such, this article argues that community radio in India represents a liminal space where multiple development communication paradigms interact and compete with the theoretical underpinnings of the movement." (Abstract)
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"The promulgation of the Broadcasting Service Act (BSA), which contains a three-tier model of the broadcasting system, was supposed to revolutionise the broadcasting media sphere in Zimbabwe. It was supposed to change the dynamics of radio broadcasting in Zimbabwe by increasing the opportunity for p
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ublic, commercial and community broadcasting sectors. However, the three-tier model of broadcasting has remained on the paper, creating a strong debate on community radio licensing among media activists, practitioners, academics, the government and other media policy stakeholders on the government’s reluctance in issuing community radio licences. While some studies have focused on the strategies used by community broadcasting activists to communicate with their target audiences in Zimbabwe, this research seeks to contribute to the growing body of literature on community broadcasting policy and the contestations which have resulted in the impasse of the licensing of community radios in Zimbabwe. Based on the Four Theoretical Approach to Community Media, in-depth interviews with Zimbabwean media policy stakeholders as well as documentary analysis, this study explores the contestation of ideas that characterised community broadcasting reform processes in Zimbabwe." (Abstract)
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"Since 2004 and for the first time in the history of broadcasting in the region, a dozen Latin American countries have acknowledged community radio and television stations as legal providers of audiovisual communication services. In Argentina, a law passed in 2009 not only awarded legal recognition
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to the sector, it also provided a promotion mechanism for community media. In this respect, it was one of the most ambitious ones in the region. The driving question is: How relevant are public policies for the sustainability of community media in Argentina? The argument is: even though the sector of community media has developed and persisted for decades in illegal conditions imposed by the state, the legalization and promotion policies carried outby the state from the perspective of human rights in a context of extreme media ownership concentration have been critical to the growth and sustainability of nonprofit media." (Abstract)
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"Section One (Elections 101) deals with the aspects of voter education and election regulations for both citizens and the media. Section Two (Your Community Radio Station at Election Time) suggests ways to reflect local issues in election coverage and how to make the most of the resources you’ve g
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ot. Section Three (Formats and Platforms to Amplify Broadcast) is a dive into social media approaches and tools that can extend the reach of your content to connect with more and diverse audiences. Section Four (Fact-checking) is all about how to make sure you’ve got it right, and you’re not being fooled by misinformation. The appendix contains a few issue-based resources. These are Fact Sheets compiled by Africa Check on hot election issues like poverty, land and gender violence. There is also a list of contacts and other tools." (Page 2)
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"This article examines the current environment of audio transmission services in the UK with particular regard to the community radio sector. Community radio stations in the UK are having to consider the extent to which their audiences choose to listen on an FM analogue signal and whether this is su
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stainable for them. The number of new platforms that a listener is using to access audio programming now includes DAB, SSDAB, TV carriers and online services. There are also developments to the actual receivers that may be used, in particular the use of smartphones to listen via online Wi-Fi or 4G. Currently there are no plans for an FM turn off in the UK and a hybrid system of transmission and reception is the most likely outcome for the foreseeable future. The consequences of this environment for the broadcasters, the listeners and the audio content are discussed in turn. A sample group of twelve community radio stations have been studied to assess current practices. This group are the remaining stations from the original Access Pilot community radio stations that went on air in 2002 and so are the oldest and most established of the UK stations. This article provides baseline definitions where relevant and uses recent data from national audience research, regulatory and other bodies to assess what people are listening to and how, along with examples from public service and commercial radio, as well as community radio." (Abstract)
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"This article seeks lessons for the sustainability of community media by looking at its role in Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution. It draws on recent theorization to define community media as an articulating mechanism of a maximally democratic civil society. It then situates this understanding in
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relation to the Gramscian notion of a ‘civil state’, which has increasingly informed Latin American socialism and in which the state’s role is to maximise participatory governance within civil society. The article then analyses the weaknesses of the Venezuelan community media sector under a liberal framework, and attempts to establish a new legal structure that would integrate participatory media with civil society and the Bolivarian ‘commune’ system. These efforts demonstrate that heterarchical institutional structures may best integrate community media with civil society in a manner that assures sustainability and autonomy." (Abstract)
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"During 2016 and 2017 the Centro de Producciones Radiofónicas (CPR-CEPPAS) conducted a research project on the ways 11 community radio stations in Argentina generate and manage financial resources. We selected a comprehensive sample with different types of community radio stations and used UNESCO's
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Media Development Indicators as a starting point. The main goal of the investigation was to deepen our knowledge about the relationship between community radio stations and the market, taking into account work, financial planning and management. We approached the radio stations with the understanding that their sustainability could be measured on multiple levels, not only financially, but also by putting special attention to the economic aspect of sustainability. We draw regularities, identified strengths and weaknesses, and pointed out creative fundraising methods. Our main conclusion is that the multiplicity and diversity of funding sources is a distinctive element of the definition of community radio." (Abstract)
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"The increasing commercialisation of community radio in Canada, evident in changing station practices and regulatory policies, has resulted in the erosion of volunteer run governance and programming. This article draws on community media, anti-oppression, and third-sector studies literature to inves
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tigate the experiences of volunteers from two stations, CHRY in Toronto and Radio Centre-Ville in Montréal. Current Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations define community radio ‘by virtue of its place in the communities served.’ This article concludes that reducing the engagement and empowerment of volunteers in community radio programming and governance limits the place of community radio in the community. The authors will also identify best practices that are needed to re-centre community radio within the community while ensuring a sustainable non-profit community broadcasting sector." (Abstract)
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"The Australian community radio sector is a rich source of information for researchers, activists and practitioners working to support and develop community broadcasting worldwide. With a 46-year history, it represents an established and enduring third tier of independent local broadcasting with ove
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r 450 non-profit radio services legislated to provide opportunities for community engagement and participation. This article focuses on the political, economic and institutional factors involved in a change of ownership and management of Radio Adelaide, the country’s longest running community radio station. The process illustrates the impact and effects of the non-profit industrial complex as stations struggle for financial survival and independence in an increasingly competitive, corporatized environment. It is a case study which questions the contemporary understanding of a strong and resilient sector, highlighting themes to inform community media research and practice internationally." (Abstract)
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"Este número de Chasqui, Revista Latinoamericana de Comunicación, reflexiona precisamente sobre las formas de establecer una comunicación que Mauro Cerbino propone llamar “del común”, la cual se establece -más allá de la identidad y el territorio-, “con uno de sus componentes definitorio
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s a las obligaciones colectivas o de “genuina solidaridad” (Mata, 1993: 58). Lo característico del común es que estos compromisos surgen de procesos y no de certezas identitarias homogéneas” (Cerbino, 2018: 138). Así, esos vínculos redefinen amplios esfuerzos para mejorar las condiciones de vida colectiva en diversas tradiciones históricas, en especial en el abordaje de la comunicación comunitaria y la adaptación de otras entradas analíticas de acuerdo con las necesidades coyunturales y su apropiación por movimientos y sectores sociales (como: popular, alternativa, ciudadana, educativa, participativa, para el desarrollo, del tercer sector, entre otras. (Kaplún, 1983; Cerbino, 2018: 130 ss.), pero siempre con esa relacionalidad que parte de las demandas y apuestas para fortalecer una convivencia y nuevas posibilidades de transformación grupal y societal.
Dentro de este amplio espectro, la presente edición sirve como un acicate a la reflexión sobre una vertiente comunicacional entrelazada con diversas instancias de la sociedad y que apunta hacia un modo de pensar los procesos de cambio social profundo y, a la vez, democrático, de abajo hacia arriba (Kaplún, 2007). Ahora bien, los aportes abordan su génesis y acción en nuestra región dentro del trabajo conjunto con organizaciones de la sociedad civil, movimientos sociales y educomunicacionales, permitiendo irrumpir en el mensaje masivo unificador (Gumucio, 2005), y sus efectos al englobar expresiones sociales, ideológicas, políticas y culturales, desde “otras” voces (Gumucio, 2010). Vista así, la comunicación comunitaria propende a la integralidad y responsabilidad para expresar y fortalecer formas de vida en las que la razón instrumental no sea la guía dominante, sino un tipo de relación basada en una ética de fomento a interrelaciones que superen las lógicas de dominación, claramente diferenciada de la comunicación privada-comercial y aún de la pública." (Editorial, página 10)
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"The traditional approach of communication for rural development (RD) was greatly influenced by the dominant paradigm of development. The retort against this paradigm gave birth to the participatory approach of communication wherein the common people in rural areas were considered as the ‘subjects
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’ of development in conjunction with their active involvement. It is the era when alternative communication medium like community radio (CR) was accepted as a tool of participatory RD in developing counters like India. Based on case studies of India’s pioneer CRs (Sangam Radio and Radio Bundelkhand), using media ethnography tools, a qualitative enquiry was carried out to explore its role in the process of RD by inclusion of voices of rural subalterns in their own development." (Abstract)
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"En respuesta al riesgo que enfrentan tanto las emisoras comunitarias como otros medios de comunicación en todas las regiones del país, Colombia cuenta con un programa de protección a periodistas desde el año 2000. Luego de 19años, puede afirmarse que esta iniciativa ha contribuido considerable
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mente a la disminución de homicidios contra reporteros en el país. Sin embargo, el programa se limita a acciones reactivas, no promueve acciones preventivas para proteger a los reporteros y carece de un alcance integral que involucre a las diferentes entidades estatales —para lograr, entre otras cosas, sanciones judiciales a los agresores—. Este enfoque integral también implica que los medios de comunicación asuman un rol activo en la implementación de medidas preventivas para proteger a sus comunicadores. Considerando los problemas estructurales del actual programa de protección a periodistas, así como las situaciones de riesgo que enfrentan las emisoras comunitarias y sus reporteros, la Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP) y la Red Cooperativa de Medios de Comunicación Comunitarios de Santander (Resander) han creado, con el apoyo de la Unión Europea, este manual de autoprotección, con el fin de que las emisoras comunitarias establezcan medidas preventivas para ejercer su labor informativa. El objetivo de este manual es que las radios comunitarias fortalezcan el trabajo a través de sus redes de comunicación, en aras de monitorear la situación de seguridad de sus comunicadores. Adicionalmente, en este producto se brindan algunas pautas para la elaboración de análisis de contexto y se presenta el ejemplo de los departamentos de Guaviare, Caquetá, Putumayo y Nariño. Finalmente, se hacen recomendaciones para la implementación de medidas de autoprotección antes del cubrimiento de temas de interés, durante el cubrimiento, antes de la emisión de información y al interior de la emisora. Teniendo en cuenta que no es posible anticiparse a todas las situaciones de riesgo, al final del documento se sugieren rutas de acción para enfrentar situaciones de riesgo inminente." (Página 6-7)
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"Even at the most audience-informed organizations, journalists recognize the immense difficulty in making sense of what audience members and relevant experts know, particularly without presently available tools and ample staff. This work is hard, yet there is an increasing amount of interest in it.
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We hear more reporters, editors, and audience development staff around the world asking: how can this work be operationalized? With this report you see what we have learned so far about memberful routines. We close by highlighting some of the limits and cautions of working closely with members. We do this not to dissuade you from pursuing these routines, but to help as you undertake your own projects with members, donors, subscribers, and contributors: not every story can have, and not every story should have, reader involvement; make it crystal clear to community members: Everyone has opinions. Your opinions will not run our newsroom; member engagement is hard work. Staff need to be identified, trained, and given time to do it right; be ready to handle the incoming traffic if your callouts and other outreach succeed and you have plenty of takers. Design for potential over-supply of information!; project management is a discipline unto itself. Without it, news sites will find it hard to succeed at establishing memberful routines; members in their natural state do not necessarily know what news organizations need from them. We have to teach them that part." (Conclusion, page 53)
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"Este curso trata sobre la siempre difícil sostenibilidad económica de las radios de fines sociales. Pensaremos herramientas que ayuden a pensar unestra práctica en estos temas, dónde conseguir fondos, cómo adminstrarlos. La idea es reflexionar sobre las diferentes dimensiones que hacen que una
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radio comunitaria perdure y desarrolle sus objetivos (sostenibilidad político-social, comunicacional, económica-administrativa). A partir de allí nos concentraremos en pensar específicamente el aspecto económico para tener herramientas para analizar cómo abordamos estos temas en nuestra emisora y qué podemos hacer para fortalecernos, obtener más recursos, hacer una gestión prolija. Siempre entendiendo que las radios comunitarias se sostienen con diversas y múltiples fuentes de financiamiento y que también en este aspecto de la gestión es fundamental la comunidad y su participación." (Página 2)
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