Community Media was represented by the CMFE board members Ciaran Murray and Pieter de Wit at the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society, held in Belgrade on November 7-8, and at the Meeting of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on November 6 2013.

Titled “FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND DEMOCRACY IN THE DIGITAL AGE, Opportunities, Rights and Responsibilities” the Conference addressed developments in the media field that are relevant to human rights and democracy.

Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society from the 47 Council of Europe member states have called for adequate and effective guarantees against abuse concerning the growing technological capabilities for electronic mass surveillance.

In a political declaration adopted at the conference the ministers recall that any data collection or surveillance for the protection of national security must be done in compliance with human rights requirements, including the European Convention on Human Rights.

They also adopted thee resolutions mapping out the future work of the Council of Europe in the field of freedom of expression.

The Resolution on Preserving the essential role of media in the digital age states that: “The preservation of the essential role of media in the digital age justifies, alongside commercial media, further support for, on the one hand, a well-funded, sustainable, independent, high quality and ethical public service media providing distinctive content on all services and platforms and, on the other hand, non-profit community media capable of addressing the specific needs of various communities and committed to inclusive and intercultural practices.”

It also urges member states to:

“carefully consider, in the light of Council of Europe standards on media pluralism and diversity of content, questions relating to digital convergence, connected television and other new arrangements for the delivery of essential media content or information and, in this context, examine the role of public service media and community media services.”

CMFE took part in the Multi-stakeholder dialogue “Pluralism, diversity and quality in the new media ecosystem – opportunities and risks” and provided feedback to the Ministerial session on the same topic, stressing that “the community media sector is under resourced when it comes to adequate regulation, financial means and distribution channels. In these areas we need more support from national governments.”

In conclusion, both committees “ (…) supported the independence and financial sustainability of public service broadcasting as well as community media as essential elements of the media landscape in a democratic society”.

The second edition of the Continental Summit of Indigenous Communication Yala Abya ended the 13th of October with an official statement and declaration of indigenous peoples.
After six days at the headquarters of Santa Maria de Tehuitoltepec, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, indigenous communicators declared that “they are an essential part in the communication landscape of their own communities.”
They therefore request to the national States of the continent a full acknowledgement, which in turn would provide autonomy in the communication process. Following this statement, community and indigenous broadcasters claim 33% of the electromagnetic spectrum in each country in order to develop indigenous peoples communication projects. They also call upon all public and private media to highlight and to assist in the process of reclaiming indigenous peoples rights.
The Summit, held from 7 to 13 October was attended by journalists from Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and Canada .

The South Asian Community Radio conference on ‘Enhancing the Role of Community Radio and Promoting Positive Social Change’, held in September, has called upon governments of South Asia to recognize the need to strengthen regulation in countries where community radio already exists, and explicitly recognize community radio as a distinct tier of broadcasting in countries where it remains outside the law of the land.

The conference, which was participated by policy makers, community broadcasters and advocates, representatives of multilateral agencies as well as activists and academics, called for facilitating emergence of enabling CR legislation through equal access to spectrum and transparent, liberal license procedures that protect and promote Freedom of Expression, especially to marginalized groups like women, rural and urban poor, sexual minorities, differently-abled, dalits, indigenous and migrant communities.

While emphasizing the need for securing a safe and secure environment for community media practitioners, the conference has recommended to establish a Regional Community Radio Development Fund, within the SAARC Development Fund and to ensure appropriate participation from the sector for its distribution and dissemination.

The conference outlined specific areas of collaboration between existing development machinery within SAARC such as the SAARC Agriculture Centre, the SAARC Disaster Management Centre, and other regional centers and mechanisms to strengthen the role and potential of community radio in the specific thematic areas. It has recommended knowledge sharing within the sector through development of guidelines, exposure visits across member states, developing an online community radio information bank, and working towards incorporating research and documentation of the process and practices of community radios, including promotion of more systematic research on the regulation, technology and functioning of operational community radio stations in the region.

Specific sessions in the conference discussed thematic issues that included the role of community radio in support of family farming and small farming communities, enhancing role of women in community radios, right to information, safety of media workers in the context of community radios and evaluation of impact of community broadcasting. Representative of SAARC secretariat expressed solidarity and support to the outcomes of the conference.

The conference on ‘Enhancing the Role of Community Radio and Promoting Positive Social Change’ was organised jointly by the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC Asia Pacific) and SAARC Information Centre (SIC) from 6-8 September 2013 in Kathmandu. Approximately 40 policy makers, community broadcasters and advocates from the eight SAARC countries participated. The South Asia Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) alliance includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Representatives of national associations, donor representatives and strategic partners of community radio sector in South Asia participated. The seminar was supported by UNESCO, Food and Agricultural Association of the United Nations (FAO), and the International Media Support (IMS).

Radio Študent (Ljubljana, Slovenia) emerged as a direct product of the student movement of 1968; when the first three hours of test programming were broadcast from the student dormitories in Ljubljana on 9 May 1969, no one could have imagined that at the end of the 1980s, Radio Študent would play a key media role in the independence of Slovenia. Today, 44 generations and countless individuals later, the Radio Študent Institute has over 150 regular contributors and is the oldest and largest student, community and independent radio station in Europe and a unique media, cultural, educational and research institution in Slovenia and beyond.

Due to a drop in revenues from student work and the resulting drastic cuts made by Radio Študent’s founder, the Student Organization of the University of Ljubljana, and furthermore due to the shifting of responsibility and ignorance and irresponsiveness of other competent institutions and stakeholders, a bold question mark hangs over the continued existence of Radio Študent. The question of the continued existence of Radio Student is not just a question of the survival of some radio station; it is a question of preserving independent media and independent culture and the historic achievements of independent and spontaneous student action in its most positive form. Ultimately, it is a question of civilization, a question of maintaining and preserving a culture and organization free from capital and politics.

THE RADIO DEMANDS:

• to the Student Organization of the University in Ljubljana: operations in the public interest, the redistribution of assets and the creation of short- and long-term mechanisms that would enabled the continued, uninterrupted operation of Radio Študent and other not-for-profit institutions and activities that are in the interest of university students and society in general;
• to the University of Ljubljana: the completion of the formal portion of the procedure for establishing the University of Ljubljana as a co-founder of Radio Študent, a move which all partners and stakeholders (the Radio Študent Institute, the Student Organisation of the University of Ljubljana and the University of Ljubljana) have already agreed to;
• to the Municipality of Ljubljana: the creation of mechanisms for the systematic financing of the Radio Študent Institute as a unique municipal public radio service and a unique cultural and educational institution operating in the Municipality of Ljubljana; for over 45 years, Radio Študent has been operating in the interest of the citizens and residents of Ljubljana;
• to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia:long-term legislative solutions for the stable, adequate financing of the broadcast and other cultural activities of Radio Študent and the educational processes and hands-on training that Radio Študent constantly conducts;
• to the Post and Electronic Communications Agency of the Republic of Slovenia: the assignment of frequencies with the aim of expanding the range and listenership of Radio Študent to all of Slovenia, or at least to all university centres in Slovenia;

SIGN THE PETITION: https://radiostudent.si/peticija/

AMARC Europe Second Forum of Central and Eastern Europe Community Radios

In the frame of the joint CMFE/Amarc Europe Conference “Media Diversity for Democracy,” held in Brno 4 – 6. October 2013, the European branch of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, AMARC Europe organized its Second Forum on community radio in Central and Eastern Europe “Changing the communication environment: Networking for Community Radio in Central and East Europe”.

Participants from Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovenia, Macedonia together with their colleagues coming from other EU countries, shared best practices and ideas aiming at the reinforcement of the sector in this region.

The general objective of this forum was to adopt networking strategies, facilitate interaction and establish a strategic plan of action for 2014: in a changing political and social environment, participants agreed to work on two main areas: the promotion of the sector through an increased communication model and new forms of participatory gatherings (Radio Festival), and to accompany the political decision shaping process in the area with a manual on best European models and European standards regarding pluralism and community radios.

In conjunction, CMFE held its Community TV Conference, agents for change in democracies, analysing the recent developments in the community TV sector, with special panels on participation in the media, gender equality policies, youth initiatives in Community TV, legislation and technological developments (including open source initiatives). The joint conference and close exchange with CMFE is an important step towards reinforced cooperation for a common European perspective on Community Media in a global media sphere.