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Community radio

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Community radio is a type of radio service that caters to the interests of a certain area, broadcasting material that is popular to a local audience but is overlooked by more powerful broadcast groups. The term has somewhat different meanings in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia. In the UK, it originated in the many illegal pirate radio stations that came about from the influx of Afro-Caribbean migrants in cities such as London, Birmingham, Bristol, and Manchester in the 1970s. Therefore, "community radio" remains synonymous with "pirate radio" for many people there. In America, community radio is more commonly non-profit and non-commercial, often using licensed class D FM band transmitters, although pirate radio outlets have been operated in many places. Canadian and Australian community stations operate somewhat similarly to their American counterparts.

Vision, philosophy, and status

Modern-day community radio stations often serve their listeners by offering a variety of music selections that are not necessarily catered for by larger corporate radio stations. Community radio outlets may also carry news and information programming geared toward the local area, particularly immigrant or minority groups that are poorly served by other media outlets. Unfortunately, when these broadcasters are illegal pirate radio outlets, they sometimes refuse to respect other legal radio stations and other entities, such as emergency services, and interfere with their transmissions. This can give community stations and conscientious pirate stations an unwarranted disreputable image. Pirate radio stations can apply for a broadcasting licence but they will usually need to go off air for a time to present a legal case. Community stations and pirate stations (where they are tolerated) can be valuable assets for a region. Community radio stations are aligned with communities rather than corporations.

Conceptions of community in the literature

Models of community radio

Philosophically we can see two distinct approaches to community radio, though the models are not necessarily mutually exclusive. One stresses service or community model - focused on what the station can do for the community. The other stresses involvement and participation.

Within the service model localism is often prized, as community radio, as a third tier, can provide content focused on a more local or particular community than larger operations. Sometimes, though, the provision of syndicated content that is not already available within the station's service area, is seen as a desirable form of service. Within the United States, for example, many stations syndicate content from groups such as Radio, such as Democracy Now!, on the basis that it provides a form of content not otherwise available.

Within the access or participatory model, the participation of community members in producing content is seen as a good in itself. While this model does not necessarily exclude a service approach, there is a tension between the two, as outlined, for example, in Jon Bekken's Community Radio at the Crossroads.

Growth in the area

Examples by geographic area

Australia

In Australia, community radio is structured similarly to the United States, where stations operate as non-profit organisations, generally funded through sponsorship and listener subscriptions. One of the most successful Australian community radio stations is Melbourne's 3RRR. Like commercial radio stations, community stations need to apply to Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for a license to broadcast.

Contributing factors to the creation of community radio in Australia include the frustration felt by Vietnam War protestors at the mainstream media, classical music aficionados counteracting government inaction on the introduction of FM broadcasting and universities who wanted to explore the educational potential of radio.

Existing to support and represent community stations nationally is the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA), which provides advice, assistance and also a satellite network so that stations can share content. A comprehensive list of Australian community broadcasters, and other information is available from CBOnline which also hosts a history of the Australian sector, "Diversity On The Airwaves".

Melbourne

There are many community radio stations within Melbourne, typically covering a shire or municipality.

Many of the outer regional community radio stations exist as an Emergency Broadcasting Station as well as a community radio station.

3MDR is one example, as it broadcasts in an area prone to devastating bushfire.

Hobart

There are 4 community radio stations servicing Hobart. They are:

Canada

Community radio stations in Canada are also similar in format to American community stations. Most commonly, Canadian community radio stations target commercially underserved minority language communities such as Franco-Ontarians, Acadians or the First Nations, although some small communities also have English language community stations. Community radio stations are most commonly operated by cooperatives.

In larger cities, community-oriented programming more commonly airs on campus radio stations. Some cities do, however, have community radio stations as well. Most community stations in Canada are members of the National Campus and Community Radio Association, or NCRA.

The province with the largest number of community radio stations in Canada is Saskatchewan. The majority of those stations are affiliated with Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation, an aboriginal public radio network.

India

In India, the campaign to legitimise community radio has been going on since almost the past decade. The Supreme Court of India ruled in judgement of 1995 that "airwaves are public property" came as an inspiration to groups across the country, but so far only educational (campus) radio stations have been allowed, under somewhat stringent conditions. First Indian Campus Community Radio

Anna FM is India's first campus community radio which is run by Education and MultiMedia Research Centre (EM²RC) and all programmes are produced by the students of Media Sciences Anna University 

" Idhu samudhaya vanoli samudhayathirkana vanoli samudhayam panguperum vanoli "

Ireland

Ireland has had self-described community radio stations since the late 1970s, though it was not until 1995 that the first 11 licensed stations came on air as part of a pilot project run by the Independent Radio and Television Commission. Early stations were represented by the National Association of Community-Radio Broadcasters, which in 1988 published a guide to setting up new stations. More recently licensed stations have formed CRAOL as a representative group.

United Kingdom

"Community radio" has recently been taken up by the radio industry regulator Ofcom as the name for the new 'third tier' of the UK radio industry. The idea for this new level of radio broadcasting was piloted by the Radio Authority (now Ofcom) in 2002 with the licensing of 15 "Access radio" stations (now superseded by "community radio"). The one-year licenses were extended in 2003 for a further year, and in 2004 a consultation was issued by Ofcom on the creation of community radio. The first full licences for Community Radio stations in the UK were issued in 2005.

Community radio stations are usually limited to broadcast areas smaller than commercial or BBC local stations, usually within 5 kilometres (km) of their transmitter. They focus on a specific community (such as an ethnic minority group) or on a range of listeners inside their small broadcast area. Their job is to benefit communities rather than make a profit.

In order to get a community radio licence, applicants must demonstrate that the proposed station will meet the needs of a specified target community, together with required "social gain" objectives set out in the application.

A target community can be defined either by geography or by reference to a particular sub-community in an area, otherwise known as a "community of interest". A geographic community can be any defined local area, particularly those which would not sustain a fully commercial broadcaster. A community of interest can be any identifiable local community; existing Community stations are aimed at groups as diverse as the elderly, religious groups such as Christian and Muslim, lifestyle groups such as gay and transgender and cultural/recreational groups such as artists.

Community stations are not permitted to raise more than 50% of operating costs through on-air advertising and/or sponsorship; the remainder of operating income must be met through other sources. This can include public funding via grants, donor income, lottery funding or charities.

Alternative methods of broadcasting include short-period licences, known as Restricted Service Licences, allowing community groups and special events to run local area low power stations for up to 28 days, and webcasting.

The Access Radio Pilot

The Access Radio Pilot, initiated by the UK Radio Authority, was designed to test the demand for community radio and to see whether such small-scale radio broadcasting projects were feasible. Some of the projects targeted a particular community of interest, ranging from religious and minority groups to children and older people, others such as Manchester's ALL FM and WythenshaweFM targeted geographical communities.

Access Stations included:

See http://ofcom.org.uk for downloads of the two New Voices evaluation reports of the scheme

The Ofcom Community Radio Consultation

The Ofcom community radio consultation was issued on 17 February 2004. The consultation gave a brief outline of the Access radio projects, and made some proposals as to how the new sector would be managed. Included in the consultation were a series of questions which interested parties were invited to suggest comments on. These included whether community radio stations should have a cap of 50% of their income coming from advertising, and the order and method by which licenses should be applied for.

The closing date for contributions was 20 April 2004, and since this date all of the contributions have been published on the Ofcom website.

Following the success of the pilot scheme, applications for full licences were invited in 2004 and the first full licences awarded in 2005.

United States

American community radio stations are often staffed by volunteers and air a wide variety of programming. They are generally smaller than public radio outlets. Community radio stations are distinct from public radio in that most of their programming is locally produced by non-professional DJs and producers, where public radio tends to rely on more syndicated programming. Community stations often try to reduce their dependence on financial contributions from corporations in comparison with other public broadcasters. Some examples of community stations are WAIF in Cincinnati, Ohio, KGNU in Boulder, Colorado, KSPC in Claremont, California, KDVS in Davis, California, KBOO in Portland, Oregon, WDBX in Carbondale, Illinois, WLUW and WZRD in Chicago, Illinois, WERU in Blue Hill, Maine, WMNF in Tampa, Florida, WORT in Madison, Wisconsin and Coast Community Radio (KMUN-Astoria and KTCB-Tillamook) in Oregon. These stations are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. Many community stations are licensed as full-power FM stations, while others - especially newer community stations - are licensed under low-power broadcasting rules.

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters formed in 1970 as an umbrella organization for community-oriented, non-commercial radio stations. The NFCB publishes handbooks for stations and lobbies on behalf of community radio at the federal level. The Grassroots Radio Coalition is a very loose coalition of stations that formed as a reaction against increasing commercialization of public radio and lack of support for volunteer-based stations (including in the NFCB). Some stations are part of both groups.

Sweden

In Sweden community radio (närradio) was for introduced in 1978 with test transmissions. Regular tranmissions started next year. Commercials were not allowed until 1993.

Thailand

Community radio saw fast growth during the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, taking advantage of a delay in the establishment of a regulatory authority. Thailand's 2,000-3,000 community radio stations, often operating unlicensed, have been accused of causing interference with air traffic radio and other radio stations[4]. However, selected community radio stations have been the target of police crackdowns, causing critics to accuse the government of political intereference.[5]

See also

References

  • Bekken, Jon. "Community Radio at the Crossroads: Federal Policy and The Professionalization of a Grassroots Medium" in Sakolsky, Ron and S. Dunifer (eds.) Seizing the Airwaves: A Free Radio Handbook. (also available online)
  • UNESCO. "How to Do Community Radio: A Primer"

National community radio federations

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