tranquileye free media papers

This is the 1988 CRTC policy on "balance" in community access media, created as a response to a complaint concerning a program broadcast on Vancouver Co-op Radio in 1987.

Australia's unique community broadcasting sector is the fastest-growing in the country. With more than 200 licensed local radio stations and a further 150 which offer specialist programming to Australia's Indigenous and ethnic communities, the mediascape promises extraordinary diversity. However, recent studies of the sector reveal that this promise, in many communities, has yet to be realised. This paper looks at the successes, stumbling blocks and failures of a communication system which has the potential to extend public sphere debates beyond the narrow confines of the mainstream media and their corporate overlords. It features the compelling and passionate approaches by some communities in using local radio to enhance the meaning of community; in others, broadcasting represents a powerful cultural resource which has the potential, at least, to contribute to public sphere activity. The paper presents a sample of views drawn from the estimated 20,000 volunteers who contribute to the sector across the country.