tranquileye free media papers

In May 2006 the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC) completed a study of community radio support mechanisms in several industrialized countries. This work was not exhaustive, as some countries identified as having community radio funding programs (including Denmark and Belgium) were not included because of lack of primary sources during the research period. The study was restricted to state-mandated support for community radio at the federal level. The NCRA/ANREC has identified seven industrialized countries – Ireland, the United States, Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom – with national government-mandated community radio support programs. Support typically takes one of three forms: a direct station operational subsidy; targeted support for specific station operations (typically programming production and distribution, staff training and capacity building, and transmission and production equipment); or a combination of the two.

By Dr. Jo Tacchi, CIRAC, Queensland University of Technology, and Eryl Price-Davies, Radio Broadcasting, Thames Valley University. Radio, Television And The New Media: Australian Broadcasting Authority Conference, May 3 & 4 2001.

From introduction: This paper emerges from what began as a tightly focussed project commissioned by the UK’s Community Media Association (CMA). The CMA began life in 1983 as the Community Radio Association. In 1997 it changed its name to allow for community TV, and to reflect the changing media environment and incorporation of new media technologies that might be used for community building purposes. Since its inception it has been fighting for the right to broadcast community radio. Finally, in the UK, after years of lobbying, the opportunity to change the broadcasting legislation and allow for a ‘third tier’ of radio broadcasting has arrived... Rather than spending time thinking about why it has taken so long, this paper hopes to make explicit the current concerns about the processes involved in legislating for, regulating and putting into practice such an ambition.