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.

William F. Fore is the author of Mythmakers: Gospel, Culture and the Media. From Christian Century, 0009-5281, August 30, 2000, Vol. 117, Issue 24.

Exerpt: SINCE CONGRESS and the Federal Communication Commision deregulated broadcasting the early 1980s, control of radio and TV stations has moved steadily into a handful of multinational corporations. During that same period, ownership of newspapers shifted from families to media giants, so that now there is almost no local ownership of papers in major markets... But the FCC has taken an action that holds considerable promise to open up communication in local communities. In January it issued a "Report and Order" creating low-power FM radio service whose purpose is "to create broadcasting opportunities for locally based organizations to serve their communities." The proposal makes licenses available for more than 1,000 low-power FM radio stations--licenses that can be held only by local, community-based nonprofit entities; no commercial groups need apply. This is a landmark decision, one which can result in a significant democratizing of communication.

By Jesse Walker, The Cato Institute, 1997. Congress created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to fund alternatives to commercial television and radio. Such alternatives include "community radio" stations, stations defined by their devotion to local programming and programming outside the mainstream. Those outlets are usually located in the noncommercial band and funded by listener subscriptions. But the availability of CPB subsidies has grossly distorted the stations' goals. However well-intentioned, CPB rules pressure community radio stations to replace volunteers with paid staff and to abandon diverse, experimental local programming for more bland fare. If taxpayer funding for the CPB were eliminated, community radio would not only survive; it could thrive, returning to its traditional bases of support--volunteers and subscriber funding. Economic barriers to new low-budget community radio stations, such as the price of low-power broadcasting equipment, are lower than ever. But regulatory barriers to entry remain, particularly the Federal Communications Commission's refusal to license stations operating at less than 100 watts. Removing such restrictions would further facilitate a renaissance in alternative radio.