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WHAT’S GOING ON IN COMMUNITY MEDIA

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Page 1: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

Whatrsquos GoinG on

in Community media

Benton Foundation

1625 K Street NW 11th Floor

Washington DC 20006

Phone (202) 638-5770

wwwbentonorg

Whatrsquos GoinG on in Community media

ByFredJohnsonUniversityofMassachusettsBoston withKarenMenichelliBentonFoundation

Contents

Acknowledgmentsii

Introduction1WhatAreCommunityMedia3DefiningCharacteristics3TypesofMedia4EngagingCommunityWhatrsquosWorking 12Strategies 12CommunitySpotlight 14EnvisioningtheFutureEmergingPractices 19NewCommunicationSpacesCyberjournalism 19NewOrganizationalSpacesNetworkedClusters 21Conclusions25Challenges25ModelsfortheFuture27ThePromise28

AppendicesCommunityMediaEmpowermentStrategies29AggregatorsandAssociations30CommunityMediaPractitioners 31Bibliography32

ii

TheBentonFoundationwouldliketothanktheRobertWoodJohnsonFoundationforsupportoftheroundtablediscussionsthatinformedthisreportandforitsten-yearsupportofSound Partners for Community Healthwhichinspiredthisreport

ThisreportbenefitedsignificantlyfromthethoughtfulreviewsonearlierdraftsprovidedbyThomClarkpresidentofCommunityMediaWorkshopHelenDeMichielco-directoroftheNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCultureAnthonyRiddleexecutivedirectoroftheAllianceforCommunityMediaandRichardSomerset-WardformerBentonseniorfellowandfrequentwriterondigitalandbroadbanddevelopmentsWearealsogratefultoroundtablediscussionparticipantsinBostonChicagoMinneapolis-StPaulandPortlandOregonfortheirvaluableinsights

Acknowledgments

TheBentonFoundationworkstoarticulateapublicinterestvision

forthedigitalageanddemonstratethevalueofcommunicationsfor

solvingsocialproblems

BentonFoundation

1625KStreetNW11thfloor

WashingtonDC20006

(202)638-5770

wwwbentonorg

copy2007BentonFoundation

AfreePDFversionofthispublicationisavailableonlinefor

downloadatwwwbentonorg

BoardofDirectorsCharlesBentonElizabethDaleyAdrianne

BentonFurnissTerryGoddardLeeLynchHenryRiveraMichael

SmithWoodwardWickham

TrusteesCharlesBentonAdrianneBentonFurnissLeonard

Schrager

ResearchassistanceDanielMartinProjectManagerUniversityofMassachusettsBostonVISTACTCVISTAProjectJasonPramasGraduateResearcherUniversityofMassachusettsBostonJohnWMcCormackGraduatePolicyStudiesTacticalMediaProjectCommunityMediaandTechnologyProgramUniversityofMassachusettsBostonCollegeofPublicandCommunityServiceMediaWorkingGroupandRobMcCauslandDirectorofInformationampOrganizingServicesAllianceforCommunityMedia

EditingJudithWoodburnDesignGalePetersen

ThemediarevolutionpromisedforthepastfortyyearshasarrivedndashagainTheUnitedStatesisnowexperi-encingthethirdmajortechnicalandeconomicshift

initsmediaenvironmentsincethemid-1970sFourdecadesagothedominanceofahandfuloftelevisionbroadcastnetworkswasshatteredbytheemergenceofsatellite-linkedcabletelevisionInthe1990stheInternetsenttextanddataflowingaroundtheworldNowadecadelaterphotosaudioandvideoarebecomingaseasilytransmit-tedastextTheeraofpersonalelectroniccommunicationandbroadbandnetworksisathandandeveryaspectofourmediacultureisundergoingchange

Asmightbeexpectedthesetechnologicalshiftsarepromptingeconomicandpoliticalshiftsandwiththemfundamentalshiftsinthenatureofaudiencesandprogram-mingitselfGovernmentderegulationandincreasedconcentrationofownershiphavecreatedapowerfuleconomicincentivetoignorelocalprogrammingneedsAtthesametimelargeheterogeneousaudiencesarebecom-ingathingofthepastincreasinglymediaaremarketingtosegmentedaudiencesdistinguishedbyideologyclassethnicityorraceTheseaudiencesrarelycomeintocontactwithoneanotherorwithdisagreeableopinionsInsuchafragmentedmediaworldisthereanelectronicplacewherepeoplecanconveneascitizensCanthenewmediacreateapublicsquarewherepeoplecanbeheardndashandheareachother

TheanswerisyesCommunitiesacrossthecountryaretakingcontrolofmediaadaptingnewtechnologiestothesocialeconomiceducationalculturalandinforma-tionneedsoftheirresidentsInConnecting Communitiesa2000reportbyseniorfellowRichardSomerset-WardtheBentonFoundationdocumentedcommunity-mediaalli-ancesthataredeliveringpublicserviceseffectivelyThereportenvisionedadigitalbroadbandinteractivemulti-mediacommunityplatformthatwouldtaketheseservicestonewlevelsThatvisioniscomingtopass

Thisreportshinesaspotlightonmediathatgobeyondthestandardnotionsofmediainthepublicinteresttoembracepracticesthatincreasecitizenpar-ticipationinmediaproductiongovernanceandpolicyThereportsummarizesthefindingsofanationwidescanofeffectiveandemergingcommunitymediapracticesconductedbytheBentonFoundationincollaborationwiththeCommunityMediaandTechnologyProgramoftheUniversityofMassachusettsBostonThescanincludedananalysisoftrendsandemergingpracticescomparativeresearchanonlinesurveyofcommunitymediapractitio-nersone-on-oneinterviewswithpractitionersfundersandpolicymakersandtheinformationgleanedfromaseriesofroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersinBostonChicagoMinneapolisStPaulandPortlandOregon

ThroughoutthiseffortBentonsoughtinputonkeyaspectsofcommunitymediapracticewiththegoalofunderstandinghowcommunitymediacanbesustainedstrengthenedandexpandedThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquirybullWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistinguish

communitymediabullWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulbullWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestlever-

agenewtechnologiesbullHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopula-

tionsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsThescangrewoutoftheBentonFoundationrsquos

experiencewithSoundPartnersforCommunityHealtharegrantingprogramsupportedbytheRobertWoodJohnsonFoundationFortenyearsSoundPartnersnurturedcol-laborationsbetweencommunityhealthagenciesandlocalpublicbroadcasterstoimprovelocalhealthcarepracticesanddecision-makingThesuccessofSoundPartnersdem-

introduction

Insuchafragmentedmedia

worldisthereanelectronic

placewherepeoplecanconvene

ascitizensCanthenewmedia

createapublicsquarewhere

peoplecanbeheardndashandhear

eachother

onstratedthepowerofcommunitymediaandinspiredthefoundationtotakeadeeperlookatcollaborationopportuni-tiesandthepotentialformediawhosemissionistoserveandtransformthecommunitieswithinwhichtheyoperateThegoalofthescanistoprovideinspirationanddirectionnotonlyforcommunitiesnationwidebutalsotoinformthenextphaseofSoundPartnersThisphasecalledNewRoutestoCommunityHealthisanchoredinlocalpartner-shipsandpoisedtoincreasethehealthofnewimmigrantsandrefugeesbyinvolvingabroadrangeoflocalmediaandcivicinstitutionsintacklingthiscommunityrsquoscomplexproblemsandgivingvoicetoitsvulnerablenewresidents

Acrossthecountrycommunitiesarepartneringwithpublicbroadcastersprovidingcommunityradioandestab-lishinglow-powerradiostationsorganizingoncableaccesschannelsjoiningcommunitybroadbandnetworksandproducingforsatellite-deliveredpublicinterestchannelsInthisreportweexplorethelessonslearnedfromtheseimportantmdashbutoftenisolatedmdashexperimentsincom-munity-drivenmediaWehopethisreportwillhelpconnectpresentandfutureinnovatorswithoneanotherandwithresourcesthatcangetthemstartedandorsustainthem

Simplyputcommunitymediaaremediacreatedtoallowindividualstotellthestoriesandhavetheconversationsnecessaryfortheirownself-directed

developmentascitizens(Howley2005Jankowski2003Rennie2006)ThefacesandvoicesinthesestoriesandconversationsmaynotbeseenorheardanywhereelseChicagoroundtableparticipantsdescribedthisexperi-encewiththepowerfulphraseldquofirstvoicerdquoOftenitisthefirsttimeindividualshavespokenpubliclyorsharedtheirstories

defining chArActeristicsFourcharacteristicsarecommontothecommunitymediadescribedinthisreportthoughnooneorganizationcanfulfillalltheseidealsallofthetime

LocalismCommunitymediaarecreatedprimarilywithandbyresidentsofaspecificgeographicplaceTheyexplorelocalissuesTheyhelpdefinetheplaceswhereweliveandhowwerelatetooneanotherTheyreflectlocalvaluesandcul-tureBydefinitionasoneroundtableparticipantinBostonnotedcommunitymedialdquocanrsquotbeoutsourcedrdquo

Inthecurrentregulatoryandcommercialenviron-mentofmostmediaplatformstheimportanceofthiskeycharacteristiccanrsquotbeoverstatedLocalradioprogram-mingisoftenpipedinfromothercommunitiesandgivenanautomatedwrapperthatsimulateslocalismLocalbroadcasttelevisionhasbeengivenalmostcompleteregulatoryrelieffromitsminimalobligationstoservetheneedsoflocalcommunitiesSimilarlythecableandtele-phoneindustriesarepressingintheregulatoryarenatoberelievedoflocalcommunityserviceobligationsclaimingtheInternethassoempoweredlocalcitizensthatitisnolongernecessarytorequireothermediatosupportciviclife(Atthesametimetheseindustriesareseekinglegisla-tiontobarcommunitiesfromowningandbuildingtheirownwirelessandbroadbandInternetconnections)

FacedwiththesechangescommunitiesarelefttowonderhowtheycandiscovercreativewaysofpluggingintotheemergingmediaandknowledgeculturesItisnowwidelyrecognizedthattheinabilitytogainaccesstoinformationnetworksandglobalflowsofmediaarecriticalfactorsincreatingsocialinequality(Castells2005Lash2002)Failuretoaddresstheseconcernsinanetworked

societyplacesgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbecom-ingldquodumbterminalsrdquoratherthancreativeeconomicandculturalactorsinthenetworksnowemergingThequestionofldquowherearecommunitymediardquoiscriticalhereItcanbeansweredintwowaysasageographicplacendashaneigh-borhoodtowncitycountyorregionndashandasanonlinevirtualcommunityndashasocialnetworkofcommonintereststhatisnotparticularlyassociatedwithageographicplaceFailuretokeepthisdistinctionintheforewhenconsider-ingcommunitymediaputsgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbeingdisconnectedandmarginalizedlsquooffthenetworkrsquo

Withoutthepresenceoflocalinstitutionscommit-tedtosupportingcommunitiesintheireffortstograpplewithaglobalmediacultureandcreatedigitalinclusionitisunlikelythatthedemocraticpotentialofnetworkcommunicationscanberealizedThisreportfocusesonmediathatservelocalgeographicplacesplaceswhereadiversityofpeopleliveandareinevitablyassociatedwitheachothergroundedinunavoidablerichandcomplexsocialrelationshipsthatarefarfromtransparentsimpleormeresimulationsofintimacyinavirtualcommunica-tionsnetwork

Diverse ParticipationCommunitymediaaremission-driveninservicetothebroadercommunityTheyinsistontheinclusionofdiversevoiceswithinthecommunityandtheirproductionanddistributionprocessesemphasizecommunityparticipationTheyseekrepresentationoftherangeofdemographicsofitscitizensndashsocialeconomicethnicculturalpoliticalagendashintheirprogrammingAndthatprogrammingisnotmerelyaboutthecommunityitiscreatedincollaborationwiththecommunityCommunitymediainstitutionsseethemselvesasaccountableandaccessibletothepeopletheyserveandtheyembracetheiraudiencesascitizensinademocracywhoareentitledbothtoFirstAmendmentfreedomsandtocontrolovercontentTheirdemocraticprinciplesareoftenreflectedinparticipatorymanagementandgovernancestructures

Storytelling and DeliberationAsbothprocessandcontentstorytellingiscentraltocom-munitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembersItcombatsalienationandiso-lationbyallowingaudiencememberstoexpresstheirstory

WhAt Are community mediA

aswellasliveinsomeoneelsersquosshoesItallowspartici-pantsandviewerstoderivebroadermeaningfrompersonalexperienceandprovidesin-depthcoverageofissuesonanintimatelevel

ThestorytellingishumanfromtheheartandnotnecessarilyobjectiveItiscreativeandenablesboldrawrelevantanddiversecontentcriticalforcivicdiscussionAtitsbestitisnotmerelyldquopersonalrdquomediabutoftenstorytellinginservicetolargercivicconcerns

ToframethecommunityrsquosstoriesandexperienceforcivicdiscoursecommunitymediaofteninitiatepublicconversationanddeliberationonimportantandcomplextopicsInthiswaycommunitymediaorganizationsareassumingtheroleofconvenersandauthenticatorsofinfor-mationsharinganddialoguerolesincreasinglybeinglostlocallyinderegulatedcommercialmedia

EmpowermentOnegoalofcommunitymediaistochallengenotionscon-veyedinmainstreammediaAccomplishingthisrequiresputtingcommunicationtoolsinthehandsofindividualssharingaccesswithnonprofessionalsandsupportingself-expressionandcommunitybuildingCommunitymediainstitutionsengageinempowermentindifferentwaysManyoffertrainingprogramstobuildthecapacityofcom-munitymemberstousemediatechnologiesothersassistcommunitiesingrapplingwithamedia-saturatedculturethroughmedialiteracytrainingyetothersemphasizeeco-nomicandworkforcedevelopmentthroughskillstrainingandcontentproductionByenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforper-sonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopmentTheymayeveninspireaudiencestotakeactionleadingtopoliticaltransformationTheyreachthoseoutsidethemainstreamandprovideavoiceforthevoicelessThisdynamicmakestheprocessofcreationasimportantastheproduct(SeeAppendix1)

types of mediAWheredocommunitymediafitinthebroadermedialand-scapeThelanguageweusetotalkaboutmediaculture

andprogramminghasevolvedtokeeppacewithchangingmediaformstechnologyandpracticesIncreasinglythetermpublic mediaisusedtodistinguishmediathataresupportedbythepublicandthatallowthepublictoengageinciviclifeandhaveavoiceintheirdevelopmentWithinthisbroadunderstandingofpublicmediaseveraltermsdescribemediapracticesthatfacilitatepeoplersquosparticipa-tionascitizensCommunity mediaasdefinedabovefitseasilywithinthiscategoryAlsofallingundertheumbrellaofpublicmediaaretermslikealternative media inde-pendent media participatory media citizen mediaanddevelopment mediatheseareoverlappingpracticesthatemphasizevaryingprioritiesbutallmayalsoqualifyascommunitymedia

Forthepurposesofthisreportitisusefultospe-cificallydistinguishcommunitymediafromlocalmediaHerewehavefocusedoncommunitymediathatarelocalgeographicallybutwehavealsodefinedcommunitymediaasmediathatemphasizeinclusivenessandhaveauniquesetofparticipatorypractices

Itisalsousefultonotethatthetermscitizen mediaandcitizenrsquos mediahavetakenontwodifferentandimpor-tantmeaningsinrecentyearsNeithertermreferstomediathatareexclusivelylocalThepossessiveformcitizenrsquos media isatermusedbyscholarClemenciaRodriguezandotherstorefertotheuseofmediathatallowpeopletoacteffectivelyascitizensacrossthespectrumofdailylife(Rodriguez2001)Theothertermcitizen mediaisnowbeingusedwithintheworldofonlinecollaborativemediatorefertodecentralizedpracticesinvolvingvideoandaudiobloggingsocialsoftwareapplicationsandothercollab-orativemediatoolsPractitionersofonlinecollaborativemediahaveadoptedthelanguageandpracticesofpartici-patorymediaThecurrentvisibilityoftheblogospherehascontributedtothemisconceptionthatcitizenmediaandcommunitymediahavejustemergedwiththeInternetandthatparticipatorymediaareafunctionoftechnologyratherthanofpeopleactingascitizensThisconfusionfailstorecognizesixtyyearsofgrassrootsmediaexperience

Storytellingiscentraltocommunitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembers

Byenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforpersonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopment

CommunitymediaarenotlimitedtoanyparticularvenuesortechnologiesTheyreflectalonghistoryofadaptingnewmediatechnologiesastheyemergeEarlyexperimentsincommunityradiobeganinthe1940sand1950sAbroadermovementfollowedinthe1960swiththeuseofsmall-for-matvideofilmsoundrecordingandtheexpandedFMradiospectrumItcontinuedthroughthe1970sand1980swiththediversificationoftelevisiondistributionnetworksandlocalpubliceducationalandgovernmentchannelsoncableTodaycommunitymediaareavitalfeatureoftheelectronicmediaenvironmentFollowingarebriefdescrip-tionsandhistoricaloverviewsofdifferentplatformswhichprovidecontextforthecommunitymediaprofilescontainedinthisreport

Community RadioGroundedinearliereffortstopreservespectrumspaceforeducationalusescommunityradiofirstappearedinSanFranciscointhe1940swiththecreationofthePacificaFoundationrsquosKPFAradiostationThestationpioneeredanapproachtoradiothatcombinedresponsivenesstolisten-ersthroughsubscriptionfundingandcommunityservicewiththecreationofanopenforumforculturaljournal-isticandsocialexpressionSincethencommunityradioinitiativeshavebeendevelopedinmorethan225communi-tiesintheUnitedStatesandincountlesscommunitiesaroundtheworld

In1975communityradiotookonanationalinsti-tutionalexpressionwiththeformationofthe National Federation of Community Broadcasters(NFCB)anorganizationdedicatedtopromotingcommunityradiodevelopmentintheUnitedStatesThefederationadvo-catedcommunitycontrolnoncommercialownershipandvoluntaryparticipationintheoperationandprogrammingofcommunityradiostationsespeciallybypopulationsandgroupsthathistoricallyhadbeendeniedexpressionintheUnitedStatesNFCBprovidedtraininganddevelopmentsupporttoitsmemberstationsandundertookFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)advocacyontheirbehalfWithinadecadeNFCBhadseventymembersta-tionsand120associatemembersnationwide(Engelman1996)

Ascommunityradiohasevolvedindifferentcom-munitiesinterpretationsofitsmissionhaveexpandedtoincludestationsdedicatedtominoritycommunitiesandownershipforeignlanguagestationsdedicatedtospecificlanguagecommunitiesinalocaleandvaryingcommit-mentstocommunityinvolvementvolunteerproductionandfundingstrategiesWiththisdiversificationhascome

ideologicaldebateovercreepingcommercializationandprofessionalizationofthefieldHoweverdespitedisagree-mentsoverphilosophyandpracticescommunityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupport-ingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthemselvesasuniqueplaces

RadiostationKFAIinMinneapolis-StPaulisonesuchstationAvolunteer-basedcommunityradiostationthatbroadcastsinformationartsandentertain-mentprogrammingitoffersaneclecticmixofprogramsincludingmusiclocalnewspoetryspokenwordpoliticalforumsandinterviewsKFAIemphasizesempowermentthroughtrainingItprovidesboardcertificationtrainingandworkshopsonannouncinginterviewingandprogramdevelopmenttovolunteersCoursesaretaughtinEnglishbutbilingualvolunteershaveaccesstoanyoftheon-airprogrammersforassistanceintheirownlanguage

Low-Power FMCommunityradioreachedanotherstagewiththedevel-opmentoflow-powerFMradioorLPFMTheLPFMmovementwasapoliticalresponsetoincreasingconsoli-dationoflocalradioownershipafterthepassageofthe1996CommunicationsActandasenseamongthoseinthegrassrootsradiomovementthatcommunityradiowasfallingpreytopressurefromtheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting(CPB)tobecomemoreaudience-drivenhomogenizedinprogrammingandprofessionalizedthuslessinterestedincommunityparticipation(Cano2003)Tocounterthesetrendsmediaactivistsbegansettingupmicro-powerradiostationsincommunitiesusinglow-powerbroadcasttransmitterswithanapproximateservicerangeofthree-and-a-halfmilesanareaoftenassmallasasingleneighborhood

In1998thegrowthofLPFMspurredthecreationofthePrometheus Radio Projectfoundedbyactiviststoassistcommunitygroupsinacquiringlow-powerFMradio

Communityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupportingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthem-selvesasuniqueplaces

TheURLsoforganizationssetinboldfaceareprovidedinApendices2(aggregatorsassociations)and3(practitioners)

broadcastlicensesfromtheFCCandingettingtheirsta-tionsupandrunningoncetheywerelicensedAsaresultofthisactivismtheFCCofficiallyacknowledgedlow-powerFMinUSbroadcastingpolicyin2000LPFMstationsarenowlicensedfornoncommercialeducationalbroadcastingonlyandaconstructionpermitisrequiredbeforeaLPFMstationcanbebuiltoroperatedThelowcostoflow-powerradiohasallowedmanyorganizationswithstrongcommit-mentstocommunitycontrolnoncommercialgrassrootsfundingandparticipatoryproductionandmanagementprocessestoenterthecommunityradiomovement

WCIW-LPisalow-powerFMstationinImmokaleeFloridaoperatedbythe2500-memberCoalitionofImmokaleeWorkersItishardtoimagineabetterexampleofcommunityempowermentingrassrootsLPFMthanWCIW-LPItfocusesonacommunitythatisbothacommunityofworkersandageographiccommunitythestationandtransmitterarelocatedinthesamelotwherethecoalitionrsquosmembersboardbusesboundforthetomatofieldsofFloridaLaunchedin2003withthehelpofthePrometheusRadioProjectWCIW-LPproducesnewsedu-cationalprogramsandmusicinSpanishHaitianCreoleandindigenouslanguagesofMexicoandGuatemalaThestationisaprimaryorganizingtoolforthecommunityinitsdefenseoftherightsofLatinoHaitianandMayanIndianmigrantandimmigrantfarmworkers

Public BroadcastingUnlikemanylocationsinEuropeandCanadatheUnitedStateshasnotdevelopedastrongcommunity-focusedbroadcastingsectorseparatefrompublicbroadcastingPublicbroadcastingintheUnitedStatesislargelysynony-mouswiththePublic Broadcasting ServiceandNational Public RadioinstitutionsthatcameintoexistencewiththepassageofthePublicBroadcastingActof1967Theactestablishedafederalsystemoftelevisionandradioheavilydependentonfederalandcorporatefunding

Thoughembattledfromitsinceptionandsaddledwithacumbersomedecentralizedstructurepublicbroad-castinghasmanagedtosurviveandfindanimportantroleinAmericanmediaNeithergovernmentalnorcommercialinitsorientationyetheavilydependentoneachitprovidesvaluablenoncommercialprogramming(Aufderheide2000b)PublicradioandtelevisionhavealsoledthewayintheUnitedStatesintheinnovativeuseofdigitalandsatellitetechnologyThePBSwebsiteisconsideredtobethemostfrequentlyvisitednonprofitsiteontheInternet(Starr2003)

YetpublictelevisionandradiofallshortofthevisiondescribedinitsfoundingdocumentsTheywere

envisionedasldquohellipaforumfordebateandcontroversyrdquoaspaceforexpressionldquohellipforgroupsinthecommunitythatmayotherwisebeunheardrdquo(CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevision1967)AsJeffChestermediacriticandreformadvocatewritesldquoWhilepublicradioatitsbestcomesmuchclosertothisidealpublictelevisionappearstohavebecomeavictimofitsownsuccessndashfullofartistryandprofessionalismtobesurebutrarelythesourceofthelocalismdiversityandrisktakingthatitsfoundersenvisionedrdquo(Chester2006)Stillitisarguablethatpublicbroadcastingwouldnothavesurvivedtothepresenthaditinsistedonlivinguptotheparticipatoryvisionsofitsfounders

ThePublicBroadcastingServiceNationalPublicRadioandtheirmemberstationscannotuniformlybechar-acterizedascommunitymediaTheirprogrammingandmanagementstructureshavereflectedthetop-downnatureoftheirfundingandtheyhavetendedovertheyearstoemphasisprofessionalismandstationmanagementpreroga-tivesoveracommitmenttodiverselocalparticipationandcommunitybuilding(Engelman1996)

Publicbroadcastingholdsmanyexamplesofexem-plarycommunityprogrammingbutfewerexamplesofrobustprogramschedulingwithcommunity-orientedcom-munity-drivenandcommunity-createdprogrammingForinstance ldquoBasic Blackrdquo from WGBH in BostonwhichhaschronicledtheconcernedandcultureofAfrican-Americanssince1968andthemulticulturalweeklytalkshowsthatareastapleofWYBE inPhiladelphiaarenoteworthyforhavingcreateduniquelocalmediaspacesthatdofunc-tionascommunitymediaInthe1990sthenationalldquoNittyGrittyCityGrouprdquoattemptedtomovepublicbroadcastingbeyondprogramexcellencetobeinganagentforsocialchangeandameansforcitizenempowerment(Larson1993)ItworkedwithgrassrootsgroupstobringattentionandaccesstothecitizensoftheircommunitiesWhilethegroupnolongerexistsitspassionforcommunityengage-mentisstillaliveinstationpersonnelaroundthecountry

ItcanbeseeninmanyoftheSound Partners for Community HealthexperimentsincollaborationsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityhealthorganizationsNewhopefulexperimentsareunderwayfromCPBanditscommunityengagementinitiativewiththeHarwoodInstituteBroaderstationsuccessesinengagingcommu-nitymembersarechronicledinRichardSomerset-WardrsquosConnecting Communities(2000)andhismorerecentBroadband Community Networks(2005)ForexamplethereistremendouspotentialattheintersectionofpublicbroadcastingandonlinecollaborativemediaWHYYhasextendeditson-airradioandtelevisionprogramming

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 2: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

Whatrsquos GoinG on in Community media

ByFredJohnsonUniversityofMassachusettsBoston withKarenMenichelliBentonFoundation

Contents

Acknowledgmentsii

Introduction1WhatAreCommunityMedia3DefiningCharacteristics3TypesofMedia4EngagingCommunityWhatrsquosWorking 12Strategies 12CommunitySpotlight 14EnvisioningtheFutureEmergingPractices 19NewCommunicationSpacesCyberjournalism 19NewOrganizationalSpacesNetworkedClusters 21Conclusions25Challenges25ModelsfortheFuture27ThePromise28

AppendicesCommunityMediaEmpowermentStrategies29AggregatorsandAssociations30CommunityMediaPractitioners 31Bibliography32

ii

TheBentonFoundationwouldliketothanktheRobertWoodJohnsonFoundationforsupportoftheroundtablediscussionsthatinformedthisreportandforitsten-yearsupportofSound Partners for Community Healthwhichinspiredthisreport

ThisreportbenefitedsignificantlyfromthethoughtfulreviewsonearlierdraftsprovidedbyThomClarkpresidentofCommunityMediaWorkshopHelenDeMichielco-directoroftheNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCultureAnthonyRiddleexecutivedirectoroftheAllianceforCommunityMediaandRichardSomerset-WardformerBentonseniorfellowandfrequentwriterondigitalandbroadbanddevelopmentsWearealsogratefultoroundtablediscussionparticipantsinBostonChicagoMinneapolis-StPaulandPortlandOregonfortheirvaluableinsights

Acknowledgments

TheBentonFoundationworkstoarticulateapublicinterestvision

forthedigitalageanddemonstratethevalueofcommunicationsfor

solvingsocialproblems

BentonFoundation

1625KStreetNW11thfloor

WashingtonDC20006

(202)638-5770

wwwbentonorg

copy2007BentonFoundation

AfreePDFversionofthispublicationisavailableonlinefor

downloadatwwwbentonorg

BoardofDirectorsCharlesBentonElizabethDaleyAdrianne

BentonFurnissTerryGoddardLeeLynchHenryRiveraMichael

SmithWoodwardWickham

TrusteesCharlesBentonAdrianneBentonFurnissLeonard

Schrager

ResearchassistanceDanielMartinProjectManagerUniversityofMassachusettsBostonVISTACTCVISTAProjectJasonPramasGraduateResearcherUniversityofMassachusettsBostonJohnWMcCormackGraduatePolicyStudiesTacticalMediaProjectCommunityMediaandTechnologyProgramUniversityofMassachusettsBostonCollegeofPublicandCommunityServiceMediaWorkingGroupandRobMcCauslandDirectorofInformationampOrganizingServicesAllianceforCommunityMedia

EditingJudithWoodburnDesignGalePetersen

ThemediarevolutionpromisedforthepastfortyyearshasarrivedndashagainTheUnitedStatesisnowexperi-encingthethirdmajortechnicalandeconomicshift

initsmediaenvironmentsincethemid-1970sFourdecadesagothedominanceofahandfuloftelevisionbroadcastnetworkswasshatteredbytheemergenceofsatellite-linkedcabletelevisionInthe1990stheInternetsenttextanddataflowingaroundtheworldNowadecadelaterphotosaudioandvideoarebecomingaseasilytransmit-tedastextTheeraofpersonalelectroniccommunicationandbroadbandnetworksisathandandeveryaspectofourmediacultureisundergoingchange

Asmightbeexpectedthesetechnologicalshiftsarepromptingeconomicandpoliticalshiftsandwiththemfundamentalshiftsinthenatureofaudiencesandprogram-mingitselfGovernmentderegulationandincreasedconcentrationofownershiphavecreatedapowerfuleconomicincentivetoignorelocalprogrammingneedsAtthesametimelargeheterogeneousaudiencesarebecom-ingathingofthepastincreasinglymediaaremarketingtosegmentedaudiencesdistinguishedbyideologyclassethnicityorraceTheseaudiencesrarelycomeintocontactwithoneanotherorwithdisagreeableopinionsInsuchafragmentedmediaworldisthereanelectronicplacewherepeoplecanconveneascitizensCanthenewmediacreateapublicsquarewherepeoplecanbeheardndashandheareachother

TheanswerisyesCommunitiesacrossthecountryaretakingcontrolofmediaadaptingnewtechnologiestothesocialeconomiceducationalculturalandinforma-tionneedsoftheirresidentsInConnecting Communitiesa2000reportbyseniorfellowRichardSomerset-WardtheBentonFoundationdocumentedcommunity-mediaalli-ancesthataredeliveringpublicserviceseffectivelyThereportenvisionedadigitalbroadbandinteractivemulti-mediacommunityplatformthatwouldtaketheseservicestonewlevelsThatvisioniscomingtopass

Thisreportshinesaspotlightonmediathatgobeyondthestandardnotionsofmediainthepublicinteresttoembracepracticesthatincreasecitizenpar-ticipationinmediaproductiongovernanceandpolicyThereportsummarizesthefindingsofanationwidescanofeffectiveandemergingcommunitymediapracticesconductedbytheBentonFoundationincollaborationwiththeCommunityMediaandTechnologyProgramoftheUniversityofMassachusettsBostonThescanincludedananalysisoftrendsandemergingpracticescomparativeresearchanonlinesurveyofcommunitymediapractitio-nersone-on-oneinterviewswithpractitionersfundersandpolicymakersandtheinformationgleanedfromaseriesofroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersinBostonChicagoMinneapolisStPaulandPortlandOregon

ThroughoutthiseffortBentonsoughtinputonkeyaspectsofcommunitymediapracticewiththegoalofunderstandinghowcommunitymediacanbesustainedstrengthenedandexpandedThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquirybullWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistinguish

communitymediabullWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulbullWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestlever-

agenewtechnologiesbullHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopula-

tionsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsThescangrewoutoftheBentonFoundationrsquos

experiencewithSoundPartnersforCommunityHealtharegrantingprogramsupportedbytheRobertWoodJohnsonFoundationFortenyearsSoundPartnersnurturedcol-laborationsbetweencommunityhealthagenciesandlocalpublicbroadcasterstoimprovelocalhealthcarepracticesanddecision-makingThesuccessofSoundPartnersdem-

introduction

Insuchafragmentedmedia

worldisthereanelectronic

placewherepeoplecanconvene

ascitizensCanthenewmedia

createapublicsquarewhere

peoplecanbeheardndashandhear

eachother

onstratedthepowerofcommunitymediaandinspiredthefoundationtotakeadeeperlookatcollaborationopportuni-tiesandthepotentialformediawhosemissionistoserveandtransformthecommunitieswithinwhichtheyoperateThegoalofthescanistoprovideinspirationanddirectionnotonlyforcommunitiesnationwidebutalsotoinformthenextphaseofSoundPartnersThisphasecalledNewRoutestoCommunityHealthisanchoredinlocalpartner-shipsandpoisedtoincreasethehealthofnewimmigrantsandrefugeesbyinvolvingabroadrangeoflocalmediaandcivicinstitutionsintacklingthiscommunityrsquoscomplexproblemsandgivingvoicetoitsvulnerablenewresidents

Acrossthecountrycommunitiesarepartneringwithpublicbroadcastersprovidingcommunityradioandestab-lishinglow-powerradiostationsorganizingoncableaccesschannelsjoiningcommunitybroadbandnetworksandproducingforsatellite-deliveredpublicinterestchannelsInthisreportweexplorethelessonslearnedfromtheseimportantmdashbutoftenisolatedmdashexperimentsincom-munity-drivenmediaWehopethisreportwillhelpconnectpresentandfutureinnovatorswithoneanotherandwithresourcesthatcangetthemstartedandorsustainthem

Simplyputcommunitymediaaremediacreatedtoallowindividualstotellthestoriesandhavetheconversationsnecessaryfortheirownself-directed

developmentascitizens(Howley2005Jankowski2003Rennie2006)ThefacesandvoicesinthesestoriesandconversationsmaynotbeseenorheardanywhereelseChicagoroundtableparticipantsdescribedthisexperi-encewiththepowerfulphraseldquofirstvoicerdquoOftenitisthefirsttimeindividualshavespokenpubliclyorsharedtheirstories

defining chArActeristicsFourcharacteristicsarecommontothecommunitymediadescribedinthisreportthoughnooneorganizationcanfulfillalltheseidealsallofthetime

LocalismCommunitymediaarecreatedprimarilywithandbyresidentsofaspecificgeographicplaceTheyexplorelocalissuesTheyhelpdefinetheplaceswhereweliveandhowwerelatetooneanotherTheyreflectlocalvaluesandcul-tureBydefinitionasoneroundtableparticipantinBostonnotedcommunitymedialdquocanrsquotbeoutsourcedrdquo

Inthecurrentregulatoryandcommercialenviron-mentofmostmediaplatformstheimportanceofthiskeycharacteristiccanrsquotbeoverstatedLocalradioprogram-mingisoftenpipedinfromothercommunitiesandgivenanautomatedwrapperthatsimulateslocalismLocalbroadcasttelevisionhasbeengivenalmostcompleteregulatoryrelieffromitsminimalobligationstoservetheneedsoflocalcommunitiesSimilarlythecableandtele-phoneindustriesarepressingintheregulatoryarenatoberelievedoflocalcommunityserviceobligationsclaimingtheInternethassoempoweredlocalcitizensthatitisnolongernecessarytorequireothermediatosupportciviclife(Atthesametimetheseindustriesareseekinglegisla-tiontobarcommunitiesfromowningandbuildingtheirownwirelessandbroadbandInternetconnections)

FacedwiththesechangescommunitiesarelefttowonderhowtheycandiscovercreativewaysofpluggingintotheemergingmediaandknowledgeculturesItisnowwidelyrecognizedthattheinabilitytogainaccesstoinformationnetworksandglobalflowsofmediaarecriticalfactorsincreatingsocialinequality(Castells2005Lash2002)Failuretoaddresstheseconcernsinanetworked

societyplacesgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbecom-ingldquodumbterminalsrdquoratherthancreativeeconomicandculturalactorsinthenetworksnowemergingThequestionofldquowherearecommunitymediardquoiscriticalhereItcanbeansweredintwowaysasageographicplacendashaneigh-borhoodtowncitycountyorregionndashandasanonlinevirtualcommunityndashasocialnetworkofcommonintereststhatisnotparticularlyassociatedwithageographicplaceFailuretokeepthisdistinctionintheforewhenconsider-ingcommunitymediaputsgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbeingdisconnectedandmarginalizedlsquooffthenetworkrsquo

Withoutthepresenceoflocalinstitutionscommit-tedtosupportingcommunitiesintheireffortstograpplewithaglobalmediacultureandcreatedigitalinclusionitisunlikelythatthedemocraticpotentialofnetworkcommunicationscanberealizedThisreportfocusesonmediathatservelocalgeographicplacesplaceswhereadiversityofpeopleliveandareinevitablyassociatedwitheachothergroundedinunavoidablerichandcomplexsocialrelationshipsthatarefarfromtransparentsimpleormeresimulationsofintimacyinavirtualcommunica-tionsnetwork

Diverse ParticipationCommunitymediaaremission-driveninservicetothebroadercommunityTheyinsistontheinclusionofdiversevoiceswithinthecommunityandtheirproductionanddistributionprocessesemphasizecommunityparticipationTheyseekrepresentationoftherangeofdemographicsofitscitizensndashsocialeconomicethnicculturalpoliticalagendashintheirprogrammingAndthatprogrammingisnotmerelyaboutthecommunityitiscreatedincollaborationwiththecommunityCommunitymediainstitutionsseethemselvesasaccountableandaccessibletothepeopletheyserveandtheyembracetheiraudiencesascitizensinademocracywhoareentitledbothtoFirstAmendmentfreedomsandtocontrolovercontentTheirdemocraticprinciplesareoftenreflectedinparticipatorymanagementandgovernancestructures

Storytelling and DeliberationAsbothprocessandcontentstorytellingiscentraltocom-munitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembersItcombatsalienationandiso-lationbyallowingaudiencememberstoexpresstheirstory

WhAt Are community mediA

aswellasliveinsomeoneelsersquosshoesItallowspartici-pantsandviewerstoderivebroadermeaningfrompersonalexperienceandprovidesin-depthcoverageofissuesonanintimatelevel

ThestorytellingishumanfromtheheartandnotnecessarilyobjectiveItiscreativeandenablesboldrawrelevantanddiversecontentcriticalforcivicdiscussionAtitsbestitisnotmerelyldquopersonalrdquomediabutoftenstorytellinginservicetolargercivicconcerns

ToframethecommunityrsquosstoriesandexperienceforcivicdiscoursecommunitymediaofteninitiatepublicconversationanddeliberationonimportantandcomplextopicsInthiswaycommunitymediaorganizationsareassumingtheroleofconvenersandauthenticatorsofinfor-mationsharinganddialoguerolesincreasinglybeinglostlocallyinderegulatedcommercialmedia

EmpowermentOnegoalofcommunitymediaistochallengenotionscon-veyedinmainstreammediaAccomplishingthisrequiresputtingcommunicationtoolsinthehandsofindividualssharingaccesswithnonprofessionalsandsupportingself-expressionandcommunitybuildingCommunitymediainstitutionsengageinempowermentindifferentwaysManyoffertrainingprogramstobuildthecapacityofcom-munitymemberstousemediatechnologiesothersassistcommunitiesingrapplingwithamedia-saturatedculturethroughmedialiteracytrainingyetothersemphasizeeco-nomicandworkforcedevelopmentthroughskillstrainingandcontentproductionByenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforper-sonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopmentTheymayeveninspireaudiencestotakeactionleadingtopoliticaltransformationTheyreachthoseoutsidethemainstreamandprovideavoiceforthevoicelessThisdynamicmakestheprocessofcreationasimportantastheproduct(SeeAppendix1)

types of mediAWheredocommunitymediafitinthebroadermedialand-scapeThelanguageweusetotalkaboutmediaculture

andprogramminghasevolvedtokeeppacewithchangingmediaformstechnologyandpracticesIncreasinglythetermpublic mediaisusedtodistinguishmediathataresupportedbythepublicandthatallowthepublictoengageinciviclifeandhaveavoiceintheirdevelopmentWithinthisbroadunderstandingofpublicmediaseveraltermsdescribemediapracticesthatfacilitatepeoplersquosparticipa-tionascitizensCommunity mediaasdefinedabovefitseasilywithinthiscategoryAlsofallingundertheumbrellaofpublicmediaaretermslikealternative media inde-pendent media participatory media citizen mediaanddevelopment mediatheseareoverlappingpracticesthatemphasizevaryingprioritiesbutallmayalsoqualifyascommunitymedia

Forthepurposesofthisreportitisusefultospe-cificallydistinguishcommunitymediafromlocalmediaHerewehavefocusedoncommunitymediathatarelocalgeographicallybutwehavealsodefinedcommunitymediaasmediathatemphasizeinclusivenessandhaveauniquesetofparticipatorypractices

Itisalsousefultonotethatthetermscitizen mediaandcitizenrsquos mediahavetakenontwodifferentandimpor-tantmeaningsinrecentyearsNeithertermreferstomediathatareexclusivelylocalThepossessiveformcitizenrsquos media isatermusedbyscholarClemenciaRodriguezandotherstorefertotheuseofmediathatallowpeopletoacteffectivelyascitizensacrossthespectrumofdailylife(Rodriguez2001)Theothertermcitizen mediaisnowbeingusedwithintheworldofonlinecollaborativemediatorefertodecentralizedpracticesinvolvingvideoandaudiobloggingsocialsoftwareapplicationsandothercollab-orativemediatoolsPractitionersofonlinecollaborativemediahaveadoptedthelanguageandpracticesofpartici-patorymediaThecurrentvisibilityoftheblogospherehascontributedtothemisconceptionthatcitizenmediaandcommunitymediahavejustemergedwiththeInternetandthatparticipatorymediaareafunctionoftechnologyratherthanofpeopleactingascitizensThisconfusionfailstorecognizesixtyyearsofgrassrootsmediaexperience

Storytellingiscentraltocommunitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembers

Byenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforpersonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopment

CommunitymediaarenotlimitedtoanyparticularvenuesortechnologiesTheyreflectalonghistoryofadaptingnewmediatechnologiesastheyemergeEarlyexperimentsincommunityradiobeganinthe1940sand1950sAbroadermovementfollowedinthe1960swiththeuseofsmall-for-matvideofilmsoundrecordingandtheexpandedFMradiospectrumItcontinuedthroughthe1970sand1980swiththediversificationoftelevisiondistributionnetworksandlocalpubliceducationalandgovernmentchannelsoncableTodaycommunitymediaareavitalfeatureoftheelectronicmediaenvironmentFollowingarebriefdescrip-tionsandhistoricaloverviewsofdifferentplatformswhichprovidecontextforthecommunitymediaprofilescontainedinthisreport

Community RadioGroundedinearliereffortstopreservespectrumspaceforeducationalusescommunityradiofirstappearedinSanFranciscointhe1940swiththecreationofthePacificaFoundationrsquosKPFAradiostationThestationpioneeredanapproachtoradiothatcombinedresponsivenesstolisten-ersthroughsubscriptionfundingandcommunityservicewiththecreationofanopenforumforculturaljournal-isticandsocialexpressionSincethencommunityradioinitiativeshavebeendevelopedinmorethan225communi-tiesintheUnitedStatesandincountlesscommunitiesaroundtheworld

In1975communityradiotookonanationalinsti-tutionalexpressionwiththeformationofthe National Federation of Community Broadcasters(NFCB)anorganizationdedicatedtopromotingcommunityradiodevelopmentintheUnitedStatesThefederationadvo-catedcommunitycontrolnoncommercialownershipandvoluntaryparticipationintheoperationandprogrammingofcommunityradiostationsespeciallybypopulationsandgroupsthathistoricallyhadbeendeniedexpressionintheUnitedStatesNFCBprovidedtraininganddevelopmentsupporttoitsmemberstationsandundertookFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)advocacyontheirbehalfWithinadecadeNFCBhadseventymembersta-tionsand120associatemembersnationwide(Engelman1996)

Ascommunityradiohasevolvedindifferentcom-munitiesinterpretationsofitsmissionhaveexpandedtoincludestationsdedicatedtominoritycommunitiesandownershipforeignlanguagestationsdedicatedtospecificlanguagecommunitiesinalocaleandvaryingcommit-mentstocommunityinvolvementvolunteerproductionandfundingstrategiesWiththisdiversificationhascome

ideologicaldebateovercreepingcommercializationandprofessionalizationofthefieldHoweverdespitedisagree-mentsoverphilosophyandpracticescommunityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupport-ingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthemselvesasuniqueplaces

RadiostationKFAIinMinneapolis-StPaulisonesuchstationAvolunteer-basedcommunityradiostationthatbroadcastsinformationartsandentertain-mentprogrammingitoffersaneclecticmixofprogramsincludingmusiclocalnewspoetryspokenwordpoliticalforumsandinterviewsKFAIemphasizesempowermentthroughtrainingItprovidesboardcertificationtrainingandworkshopsonannouncinginterviewingandprogramdevelopmenttovolunteersCoursesaretaughtinEnglishbutbilingualvolunteershaveaccesstoanyoftheon-airprogrammersforassistanceintheirownlanguage

Low-Power FMCommunityradioreachedanotherstagewiththedevel-opmentoflow-powerFMradioorLPFMTheLPFMmovementwasapoliticalresponsetoincreasingconsoli-dationoflocalradioownershipafterthepassageofthe1996CommunicationsActandasenseamongthoseinthegrassrootsradiomovementthatcommunityradiowasfallingpreytopressurefromtheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting(CPB)tobecomemoreaudience-drivenhomogenizedinprogrammingandprofessionalizedthuslessinterestedincommunityparticipation(Cano2003)Tocounterthesetrendsmediaactivistsbegansettingupmicro-powerradiostationsincommunitiesusinglow-powerbroadcasttransmitterswithanapproximateservicerangeofthree-and-a-halfmilesanareaoftenassmallasasingleneighborhood

In1998thegrowthofLPFMspurredthecreationofthePrometheus Radio Projectfoundedbyactiviststoassistcommunitygroupsinacquiringlow-powerFMradio

Communityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupportingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthem-selvesasuniqueplaces

TheURLsoforganizationssetinboldfaceareprovidedinApendices2(aggregatorsassociations)and3(practitioners)

broadcastlicensesfromtheFCCandingettingtheirsta-tionsupandrunningoncetheywerelicensedAsaresultofthisactivismtheFCCofficiallyacknowledgedlow-powerFMinUSbroadcastingpolicyin2000LPFMstationsarenowlicensedfornoncommercialeducationalbroadcastingonlyandaconstructionpermitisrequiredbeforeaLPFMstationcanbebuiltoroperatedThelowcostoflow-powerradiohasallowedmanyorganizationswithstrongcommit-mentstocommunitycontrolnoncommercialgrassrootsfundingandparticipatoryproductionandmanagementprocessestoenterthecommunityradiomovement

WCIW-LPisalow-powerFMstationinImmokaleeFloridaoperatedbythe2500-memberCoalitionofImmokaleeWorkersItishardtoimagineabetterexampleofcommunityempowermentingrassrootsLPFMthanWCIW-LPItfocusesonacommunitythatisbothacommunityofworkersandageographiccommunitythestationandtransmitterarelocatedinthesamelotwherethecoalitionrsquosmembersboardbusesboundforthetomatofieldsofFloridaLaunchedin2003withthehelpofthePrometheusRadioProjectWCIW-LPproducesnewsedu-cationalprogramsandmusicinSpanishHaitianCreoleandindigenouslanguagesofMexicoandGuatemalaThestationisaprimaryorganizingtoolforthecommunityinitsdefenseoftherightsofLatinoHaitianandMayanIndianmigrantandimmigrantfarmworkers

Public BroadcastingUnlikemanylocationsinEuropeandCanadatheUnitedStateshasnotdevelopedastrongcommunity-focusedbroadcastingsectorseparatefrompublicbroadcastingPublicbroadcastingintheUnitedStatesislargelysynony-mouswiththePublic Broadcasting ServiceandNational Public RadioinstitutionsthatcameintoexistencewiththepassageofthePublicBroadcastingActof1967Theactestablishedafederalsystemoftelevisionandradioheavilydependentonfederalandcorporatefunding

Thoughembattledfromitsinceptionandsaddledwithacumbersomedecentralizedstructurepublicbroad-castinghasmanagedtosurviveandfindanimportantroleinAmericanmediaNeithergovernmentalnorcommercialinitsorientationyetheavilydependentoneachitprovidesvaluablenoncommercialprogramming(Aufderheide2000b)PublicradioandtelevisionhavealsoledthewayintheUnitedStatesintheinnovativeuseofdigitalandsatellitetechnologyThePBSwebsiteisconsideredtobethemostfrequentlyvisitednonprofitsiteontheInternet(Starr2003)

YetpublictelevisionandradiofallshortofthevisiondescribedinitsfoundingdocumentsTheywere

envisionedasldquohellipaforumfordebateandcontroversyrdquoaspaceforexpressionldquohellipforgroupsinthecommunitythatmayotherwisebeunheardrdquo(CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevision1967)AsJeffChestermediacriticandreformadvocatewritesldquoWhilepublicradioatitsbestcomesmuchclosertothisidealpublictelevisionappearstohavebecomeavictimofitsownsuccessndashfullofartistryandprofessionalismtobesurebutrarelythesourceofthelocalismdiversityandrisktakingthatitsfoundersenvisionedrdquo(Chester2006)Stillitisarguablethatpublicbroadcastingwouldnothavesurvivedtothepresenthaditinsistedonlivinguptotheparticipatoryvisionsofitsfounders

ThePublicBroadcastingServiceNationalPublicRadioandtheirmemberstationscannotuniformlybechar-acterizedascommunitymediaTheirprogrammingandmanagementstructureshavereflectedthetop-downnatureoftheirfundingandtheyhavetendedovertheyearstoemphasisprofessionalismandstationmanagementpreroga-tivesoveracommitmenttodiverselocalparticipationandcommunitybuilding(Engelman1996)

Publicbroadcastingholdsmanyexamplesofexem-plarycommunityprogrammingbutfewerexamplesofrobustprogramschedulingwithcommunity-orientedcom-munity-drivenandcommunity-createdprogrammingForinstance ldquoBasic Blackrdquo from WGBH in BostonwhichhaschronicledtheconcernedandcultureofAfrican-Americanssince1968andthemulticulturalweeklytalkshowsthatareastapleofWYBE inPhiladelphiaarenoteworthyforhavingcreateduniquelocalmediaspacesthatdofunc-tionascommunitymediaInthe1990sthenationalldquoNittyGrittyCityGrouprdquoattemptedtomovepublicbroadcastingbeyondprogramexcellencetobeinganagentforsocialchangeandameansforcitizenempowerment(Larson1993)ItworkedwithgrassrootsgroupstobringattentionandaccesstothecitizensoftheircommunitiesWhilethegroupnolongerexistsitspassionforcommunityengage-mentisstillaliveinstationpersonnelaroundthecountry

ItcanbeseeninmanyoftheSound Partners for Community HealthexperimentsincollaborationsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityhealthorganizationsNewhopefulexperimentsareunderwayfromCPBanditscommunityengagementinitiativewiththeHarwoodInstituteBroaderstationsuccessesinengagingcommu-nitymembersarechronicledinRichardSomerset-WardrsquosConnecting Communities(2000)andhismorerecentBroadband Community Networks(2005)ForexamplethereistremendouspotentialattheintersectionofpublicbroadcastingandonlinecollaborativemediaWHYYhasextendeditson-airradioandtelevisionprogramming

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 3: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

ii

TheBentonFoundationwouldliketothanktheRobertWoodJohnsonFoundationforsupportoftheroundtablediscussionsthatinformedthisreportandforitsten-yearsupportofSound Partners for Community Healthwhichinspiredthisreport

ThisreportbenefitedsignificantlyfromthethoughtfulreviewsonearlierdraftsprovidedbyThomClarkpresidentofCommunityMediaWorkshopHelenDeMichielco-directoroftheNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCultureAnthonyRiddleexecutivedirectoroftheAllianceforCommunityMediaandRichardSomerset-WardformerBentonseniorfellowandfrequentwriterondigitalandbroadbanddevelopmentsWearealsogratefultoroundtablediscussionparticipantsinBostonChicagoMinneapolis-StPaulandPortlandOregonfortheirvaluableinsights

Acknowledgments

TheBentonFoundationworkstoarticulateapublicinterestvision

forthedigitalageanddemonstratethevalueofcommunicationsfor

solvingsocialproblems

BentonFoundation

1625KStreetNW11thfloor

WashingtonDC20006

(202)638-5770

wwwbentonorg

copy2007BentonFoundation

AfreePDFversionofthispublicationisavailableonlinefor

downloadatwwwbentonorg

BoardofDirectorsCharlesBentonElizabethDaleyAdrianne

BentonFurnissTerryGoddardLeeLynchHenryRiveraMichael

SmithWoodwardWickham

TrusteesCharlesBentonAdrianneBentonFurnissLeonard

Schrager

ResearchassistanceDanielMartinProjectManagerUniversityofMassachusettsBostonVISTACTCVISTAProjectJasonPramasGraduateResearcherUniversityofMassachusettsBostonJohnWMcCormackGraduatePolicyStudiesTacticalMediaProjectCommunityMediaandTechnologyProgramUniversityofMassachusettsBostonCollegeofPublicandCommunityServiceMediaWorkingGroupandRobMcCauslandDirectorofInformationampOrganizingServicesAllianceforCommunityMedia

EditingJudithWoodburnDesignGalePetersen

ThemediarevolutionpromisedforthepastfortyyearshasarrivedndashagainTheUnitedStatesisnowexperi-encingthethirdmajortechnicalandeconomicshift

initsmediaenvironmentsincethemid-1970sFourdecadesagothedominanceofahandfuloftelevisionbroadcastnetworkswasshatteredbytheemergenceofsatellite-linkedcabletelevisionInthe1990stheInternetsenttextanddataflowingaroundtheworldNowadecadelaterphotosaudioandvideoarebecomingaseasilytransmit-tedastextTheeraofpersonalelectroniccommunicationandbroadbandnetworksisathandandeveryaspectofourmediacultureisundergoingchange

Asmightbeexpectedthesetechnologicalshiftsarepromptingeconomicandpoliticalshiftsandwiththemfundamentalshiftsinthenatureofaudiencesandprogram-mingitselfGovernmentderegulationandincreasedconcentrationofownershiphavecreatedapowerfuleconomicincentivetoignorelocalprogrammingneedsAtthesametimelargeheterogeneousaudiencesarebecom-ingathingofthepastincreasinglymediaaremarketingtosegmentedaudiencesdistinguishedbyideologyclassethnicityorraceTheseaudiencesrarelycomeintocontactwithoneanotherorwithdisagreeableopinionsInsuchafragmentedmediaworldisthereanelectronicplacewherepeoplecanconveneascitizensCanthenewmediacreateapublicsquarewherepeoplecanbeheardndashandheareachother

TheanswerisyesCommunitiesacrossthecountryaretakingcontrolofmediaadaptingnewtechnologiestothesocialeconomiceducationalculturalandinforma-tionneedsoftheirresidentsInConnecting Communitiesa2000reportbyseniorfellowRichardSomerset-WardtheBentonFoundationdocumentedcommunity-mediaalli-ancesthataredeliveringpublicserviceseffectivelyThereportenvisionedadigitalbroadbandinteractivemulti-mediacommunityplatformthatwouldtaketheseservicestonewlevelsThatvisioniscomingtopass

Thisreportshinesaspotlightonmediathatgobeyondthestandardnotionsofmediainthepublicinteresttoembracepracticesthatincreasecitizenpar-ticipationinmediaproductiongovernanceandpolicyThereportsummarizesthefindingsofanationwidescanofeffectiveandemergingcommunitymediapracticesconductedbytheBentonFoundationincollaborationwiththeCommunityMediaandTechnologyProgramoftheUniversityofMassachusettsBostonThescanincludedananalysisoftrendsandemergingpracticescomparativeresearchanonlinesurveyofcommunitymediapractitio-nersone-on-oneinterviewswithpractitionersfundersandpolicymakersandtheinformationgleanedfromaseriesofroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersinBostonChicagoMinneapolisStPaulandPortlandOregon

ThroughoutthiseffortBentonsoughtinputonkeyaspectsofcommunitymediapracticewiththegoalofunderstandinghowcommunitymediacanbesustainedstrengthenedandexpandedThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquirybullWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistinguish

communitymediabullWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulbullWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestlever-

agenewtechnologiesbullHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopula-

tionsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsThescangrewoutoftheBentonFoundationrsquos

experiencewithSoundPartnersforCommunityHealtharegrantingprogramsupportedbytheRobertWoodJohnsonFoundationFortenyearsSoundPartnersnurturedcol-laborationsbetweencommunityhealthagenciesandlocalpublicbroadcasterstoimprovelocalhealthcarepracticesanddecision-makingThesuccessofSoundPartnersdem-

introduction

Insuchafragmentedmedia

worldisthereanelectronic

placewherepeoplecanconvene

ascitizensCanthenewmedia

createapublicsquarewhere

peoplecanbeheardndashandhear

eachother

onstratedthepowerofcommunitymediaandinspiredthefoundationtotakeadeeperlookatcollaborationopportuni-tiesandthepotentialformediawhosemissionistoserveandtransformthecommunitieswithinwhichtheyoperateThegoalofthescanistoprovideinspirationanddirectionnotonlyforcommunitiesnationwidebutalsotoinformthenextphaseofSoundPartnersThisphasecalledNewRoutestoCommunityHealthisanchoredinlocalpartner-shipsandpoisedtoincreasethehealthofnewimmigrantsandrefugeesbyinvolvingabroadrangeoflocalmediaandcivicinstitutionsintacklingthiscommunityrsquoscomplexproblemsandgivingvoicetoitsvulnerablenewresidents

Acrossthecountrycommunitiesarepartneringwithpublicbroadcastersprovidingcommunityradioandestab-lishinglow-powerradiostationsorganizingoncableaccesschannelsjoiningcommunitybroadbandnetworksandproducingforsatellite-deliveredpublicinterestchannelsInthisreportweexplorethelessonslearnedfromtheseimportantmdashbutoftenisolatedmdashexperimentsincom-munity-drivenmediaWehopethisreportwillhelpconnectpresentandfutureinnovatorswithoneanotherandwithresourcesthatcangetthemstartedandorsustainthem

Simplyputcommunitymediaaremediacreatedtoallowindividualstotellthestoriesandhavetheconversationsnecessaryfortheirownself-directed

developmentascitizens(Howley2005Jankowski2003Rennie2006)ThefacesandvoicesinthesestoriesandconversationsmaynotbeseenorheardanywhereelseChicagoroundtableparticipantsdescribedthisexperi-encewiththepowerfulphraseldquofirstvoicerdquoOftenitisthefirsttimeindividualshavespokenpubliclyorsharedtheirstories

defining chArActeristicsFourcharacteristicsarecommontothecommunitymediadescribedinthisreportthoughnooneorganizationcanfulfillalltheseidealsallofthetime

LocalismCommunitymediaarecreatedprimarilywithandbyresidentsofaspecificgeographicplaceTheyexplorelocalissuesTheyhelpdefinetheplaceswhereweliveandhowwerelatetooneanotherTheyreflectlocalvaluesandcul-tureBydefinitionasoneroundtableparticipantinBostonnotedcommunitymedialdquocanrsquotbeoutsourcedrdquo

Inthecurrentregulatoryandcommercialenviron-mentofmostmediaplatformstheimportanceofthiskeycharacteristiccanrsquotbeoverstatedLocalradioprogram-mingisoftenpipedinfromothercommunitiesandgivenanautomatedwrapperthatsimulateslocalismLocalbroadcasttelevisionhasbeengivenalmostcompleteregulatoryrelieffromitsminimalobligationstoservetheneedsoflocalcommunitiesSimilarlythecableandtele-phoneindustriesarepressingintheregulatoryarenatoberelievedoflocalcommunityserviceobligationsclaimingtheInternethassoempoweredlocalcitizensthatitisnolongernecessarytorequireothermediatosupportciviclife(Atthesametimetheseindustriesareseekinglegisla-tiontobarcommunitiesfromowningandbuildingtheirownwirelessandbroadbandInternetconnections)

FacedwiththesechangescommunitiesarelefttowonderhowtheycandiscovercreativewaysofpluggingintotheemergingmediaandknowledgeculturesItisnowwidelyrecognizedthattheinabilitytogainaccesstoinformationnetworksandglobalflowsofmediaarecriticalfactorsincreatingsocialinequality(Castells2005Lash2002)Failuretoaddresstheseconcernsinanetworked

societyplacesgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbecom-ingldquodumbterminalsrdquoratherthancreativeeconomicandculturalactorsinthenetworksnowemergingThequestionofldquowherearecommunitymediardquoiscriticalhereItcanbeansweredintwowaysasageographicplacendashaneigh-borhoodtowncitycountyorregionndashandasanonlinevirtualcommunityndashasocialnetworkofcommonintereststhatisnotparticularlyassociatedwithageographicplaceFailuretokeepthisdistinctionintheforewhenconsider-ingcommunitymediaputsgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbeingdisconnectedandmarginalizedlsquooffthenetworkrsquo

Withoutthepresenceoflocalinstitutionscommit-tedtosupportingcommunitiesintheireffortstograpplewithaglobalmediacultureandcreatedigitalinclusionitisunlikelythatthedemocraticpotentialofnetworkcommunicationscanberealizedThisreportfocusesonmediathatservelocalgeographicplacesplaceswhereadiversityofpeopleliveandareinevitablyassociatedwitheachothergroundedinunavoidablerichandcomplexsocialrelationshipsthatarefarfromtransparentsimpleormeresimulationsofintimacyinavirtualcommunica-tionsnetwork

Diverse ParticipationCommunitymediaaremission-driveninservicetothebroadercommunityTheyinsistontheinclusionofdiversevoiceswithinthecommunityandtheirproductionanddistributionprocessesemphasizecommunityparticipationTheyseekrepresentationoftherangeofdemographicsofitscitizensndashsocialeconomicethnicculturalpoliticalagendashintheirprogrammingAndthatprogrammingisnotmerelyaboutthecommunityitiscreatedincollaborationwiththecommunityCommunitymediainstitutionsseethemselvesasaccountableandaccessibletothepeopletheyserveandtheyembracetheiraudiencesascitizensinademocracywhoareentitledbothtoFirstAmendmentfreedomsandtocontrolovercontentTheirdemocraticprinciplesareoftenreflectedinparticipatorymanagementandgovernancestructures

Storytelling and DeliberationAsbothprocessandcontentstorytellingiscentraltocom-munitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembersItcombatsalienationandiso-lationbyallowingaudiencememberstoexpresstheirstory

WhAt Are community mediA

aswellasliveinsomeoneelsersquosshoesItallowspartici-pantsandviewerstoderivebroadermeaningfrompersonalexperienceandprovidesin-depthcoverageofissuesonanintimatelevel

ThestorytellingishumanfromtheheartandnotnecessarilyobjectiveItiscreativeandenablesboldrawrelevantanddiversecontentcriticalforcivicdiscussionAtitsbestitisnotmerelyldquopersonalrdquomediabutoftenstorytellinginservicetolargercivicconcerns

ToframethecommunityrsquosstoriesandexperienceforcivicdiscoursecommunitymediaofteninitiatepublicconversationanddeliberationonimportantandcomplextopicsInthiswaycommunitymediaorganizationsareassumingtheroleofconvenersandauthenticatorsofinfor-mationsharinganddialoguerolesincreasinglybeinglostlocallyinderegulatedcommercialmedia

EmpowermentOnegoalofcommunitymediaistochallengenotionscon-veyedinmainstreammediaAccomplishingthisrequiresputtingcommunicationtoolsinthehandsofindividualssharingaccesswithnonprofessionalsandsupportingself-expressionandcommunitybuildingCommunitymediainstitutionsengageinempowermentindifferentwaysManyoffertrainingprogramstobuildthecapacityofcom-munitymemberstousemediatechnologiesothersassistcommunitiesingrapplingwithamedia-saturatedculturethroughmedialiteracytrainingyetothersemphasizeeco-nomicandworkforcedevelopmentthroughskillstrainingandcontentproductionByenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforper-sonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopmentTheymayeveninspireaudiencestotakeactionleadingtopoliticaltransformationTheyreachthoseoutsidethemainstreamandprovideavoiceforthevoicelessThisdynamicmakestheprocessofcreationasimportantastheproduct(SeeAppendix1)

types of mediAWheredocommunitymediafitinthebroadermedialand-scapeThelanguageweusetotalkaboutmediaculture

andprogramminghasevolvedtokeeppacewithchangingmediaformstechnologyandpracticesIncreasinglythetermpublic mediaisusedtodistinguishmediathataresupportedbythepublicandthatallowthepublictoengageinciviclifeandhaveavoiceintheirdevelopmentWithinthisbroadunderstandingofpublicmediaseveraltermsdescribemediapracticesthatfacilitatepeoplersquosparticipa-tionascitizensCommunity mediaasdefinedabovefitseasilywithinthiscategoryAlsofallingundertheumbrellaofpublicmediaaretermslikealternative media inde-pendent media participatory media citizen mediaanddevelopment mediatheseareoverlappingpracticesthatemphasizevaryingprioritiesbutallmayalsoqualifyascommunitymedia

Forthepurposesofthisreportitisusefultospe-cificallydistinguishcommunitymediafromlocalmediaHerewehavefocusedoncommunitymediathatarelocalgeographicallybutwehavealsodefinedcommunitymediaasmediathatemphasizeinclusivenessandhaveauniquesetofparticipatorypractices

Itisalsousefultonotethatthetermscitizen mediaandcitizenrsquos mediahavetakenontwodifferentandimpor-tantmeaningsinrecentyearsNeithertermreferstomediathatareexclusivelylocalThepossessiveformcitizenrsquos media isatermusedbyscholarClemenciaRodriguezandotherstorefertotheuseofmediathatallowpeopletoacteffectivelyascitizensacrossthespectrumofdailylife(Rodriguez2001)Theothertermcitizen mediaisnowbeingusedwithintheworldofonlinecollaborativemediatorefertodecentralizedpracticesinvolvingvideoandaudiobloggingsocialsoftwareapplicationsandothercollab-orativemediatoolsPractitionersofonlinecollaborativemediahaveadoptedthelanguageandpracticesofpartici-patorymediaThecurrentvisibilityoftheblogospherehascontributedtothemisconceptionthatcitizenmediaandcommunitymediahavejustemergedwiththeInternetandthatparticipatorymediaareafunctionoftechnologyratherthanofpeopleactingascitizensThisconfusionfailstorecognizesixtyyearsofgrassrootsmediaexperience

Storytellingiscentraltocommunitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembers

Byenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforpersonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopment

CommunitymediaarenotlimitedtoanyparticularvenuesortechnologiesTheyreflectalonghistoryofadaptingnewmediatechnologiesastheyemergeEarlyexperimentsincommunityradiobeganinthe1940sand1950sAbroadermovementfollowedinthe1960swiththeuseofsmall-for-matvideofilmsoundrecordingandtheexpandedFMradiospectrumItcontinuedthroughthe1970sand1980swiththediversificationoftelevisiondistributionnetworksandlocalpubliceducationalandgovernmentchannelsoncableTodaycommunitymediaareavitalfeatureoftheelectronicmediaenvironmentFollowingarebriefdescrip-tionsandhistoricaloverviewsofdifferentplatformswhichprovidecontextforthecommunitymediaprofilescontainedinthisreport

Community RadioGroundedinearliereffortstopreservespectrumspaceforeducationalusescommunityradiofirstappearedinSanFranciscointhe1940swiththecreationofthePacificaFoundationrsquosKPFAradiostationThestationpioneeredanapproachtoradiothatcombinedresponsivenesstolisten-ersthroughsubscriptionfundingandcommunityservicewiththecreationofanopenforumforculturaljournal-isticandsocialexpressionSincethencommunityradioinitiativeshavebeendevelopedinmorethan225communi-tiesintheUnitedStatesandincountlesscommunitiesaroundtheworld

In1975communityradiotookonanationalinsti-tutionalexpressionwiththeformationofthe National Federation of Community Broadcasters(NFCB)anorganizationdedicatedtopromotingcommunityradiodevelopmentintheUnitedStatesThefederationadvo-catedcommunitycontrolnoncommercialownershipandvoluntaryparticipationintheoperationandprogrammingofcommunityradiostationsespeciallybypopulationsandgroupsthathistoricallyhadbeendeniedexpressionintheUnitedStatesNFCBprovidedtraininganddevelopmentsupporttoitsmemberstationsandundertookFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)advocacyontheirbehalfWithinadecadeNFCBhadseventymembersta-tionsand120associatemembersnationwide(Engelman1996)

Ascommunityradiohasevolvedindifferentcom-munitiesinterpretationsofitsmissionhaveexpandedtoincludestationsdedicatedtominoritycommunitiesandownershipforeignlanguagestationsdedicatedtospecificlanguagecommunitiesinalocaleandvaryingcommit-mentstocommunityinvolvementvolunteerproductionandfundingstrategiesWiththisdiversificationhascome

ideologicaldebateovercreepingcommercializationandprofessionalizationofthefieldHoweverdespitedisagree-mentsoverphilosophyandpracticescommunityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupport-ingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthemselvesasuniqueplaces

RadiostationKFAIinMinneapolis-StPaulisonesuchstationAvolunteer-basedcommunityradiostationthatbroadcastsinformationartsandentertain-mentprogrammingitoffersaneclecticmixofprogramsincludingmusiclocalnewspoetryspokenwordpoliticalforumsandinterviewsKFAIemphasizesempowermentthroughtrainingItprovidesboardcertificationtrainingandworkshopsonannouncinginterviewingandprogramdevelopmenttovolunteersCoursesaretaughtinEnglishbutbilingualvolunteershaveaccesstoanyoftheon-airprogrammersforassistanceintheirownlanguage

Low-Power FMCommunityradioreachedanotherstagewiththedevel-opmentoflow-powerFMradioorLPFMTheLPFMmovementwasapoliticalresponsetoincreasingconsoli-dationoflocalradioownershipafterthepassageofthe1996CommunicationsActandasenseamongthoseinthegrassrootsradiomovementthatcommunityradiowasfallingpreytopressurefromtheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting(CPB)tobecomemoreaudience-drivenhomogenizedinprogrammingandprofessionalizedthuslessinterestedincommunityparticipation(Cano2003)Tocounterthesetrendsmediaactivistsbegansettingupmicro-powerradiostationsincommunitiesusinglow-powerbroadcasttransmitterswithanapproximateservicerangeofthree-and-a-halfmilesanareaoftenassmallasasingleneighborhood

In1998thegrowthofLPFMspurredthecreationofthePrometheus Radio Projectfoundedbyactiviststoassistcommunitygroupsinacquiringlow-powerFMradio

Communityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupportingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthem-selvesasuniqueplaces

TheURLsoforganizationssetinboldfaceareprovidedinApendices2(aggregatorsassociations)and3(practitioners)

broadcastlicensesfromtheFCCandingettingtheirsta-tionsupandrunningoncetheywerelicensedAsaresultofthisactivismtheFCCofficiallyacknowledgedlow-powerFMinUSbroadcastingpolicyin2000LPFMstationsarenowlicensedfornoncommercialeducationalbroadcastingonlyandaconstructionpermitisrequiredbeforeaLPFMstationcanbebuiltoroperatedThelowcostoflow-powerradiohasallowedmanyorganizationswithstrongcommit-mentstocommunitycontrolnoncommercialgrassrootsfundingandparticipatoryproductionandmanagementprocessestoenterthecommunityradiomovement

WCIW-LPisalow-powerFMstationinImmokaleeFloridaoperatedbythe2500-memberCoalitionofImmokaleeWorkersItishardtoimagineabetterexampleofcommunityempowermentingrassrootsLPFMthanWCIW-LPItfocusesonacommunitythatisbothacommunityofworkersandageographiccommunitythestationandtransmitterarelocatedinthesamelotwherethecoalitionrsquosmembersboardbusesboundforthetomatofieldsofFloridaLaunchedin2003withthehelpofthePrometheusRadioProjectWCIW-LPproducesnewsedu-cationalprogramsandmusicinSpanishHaitianCreoleandindigenouslanguagesofMexicoandGuatemalaThestationisaprimaryorganizingtoolforthecommunityinitsdefenseoftherightsofLatinoHaitianandMayanIndianmigrantandimmigrantfarmworkers

Public BroadcastingUnlikemanylocationsinEuropeandCanadatheUnitedStateshasnotdevelopedastrongcommunity-focusedbroadcastingsectorseparatefrompublicbroadcastingPublicbroadcastingintheUnitedStatesislargelysynony-mouswiththePublic Broadcasting ServiceandNational Public RadioinstitutionsthatcameintoexistencewiththepassageofthePublicBroadcastingActof1967Theactestablishedafederalsystemoftelevisionandradioheavilydependentonfederalandcorporatefunding

Thoughembattledfromitsinceptionandsaddledwithacumbersomedecentralizedstructurepublicbroad-castinghasmanagedtosurviveandfindanimportantroleinAmericanmediaNeithergovernmentalnorcommercialinitsorientationyetheavilydependentoneachitprovidesvaluablenoncommercialprogramming(Aufderheide2000b)PublicradioandtelevisionhavealsoledthewayintheUnitedStatesintheinnovativeuseofdigitalandsatellitetechnologyThePBSwebsiteisconsideredtobethemostfrequentlyvisitednonprofitsiteontheInternet(Starr2003)

YetpublictelevisionandradiofallshortofthevisiondescribedinitsfoundingdocumentsTheywere

envisionedasldquohellipaforumfordebateandcontroversyrdquoaspaceforexpressionldquohellipforgroupsinthecommunitythatmayotherwisebeunheardrdquo(CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevision1967)AsJeffChestermediacriticandreformadvocatewritesldquoWhilepublicradioatitsbestcomesmuchclosertothisidealpublictelevisionappearstohavebecomeavictimofitsownsuccessndashfullofartistryandprofessionalismtobesurebutrarelythesourceofthelocalismdiversityandrisktakingthatitsfoundersenvisionedrdquo(Chester2006)Stillitisarguablethatpublicbroadcastingwouldnothavesurvivedtothepresenthaditinsistedonlivinguptotheparticipatoryvisionsofitsfounders

ThePublicBroadcastingServiceNationalPublicRadioandtheirmemberstationscannotuniformlybechar-acterizedascommunitymediaTheirprogrammingandmanagementstructureshavereflectedthetop-downnatureoftheirfundingandtheyhavetendedovertheyearstoemphasisprofessionalismandstationmanagementpreroga-tivesoveracommitmenttodiverselocalparticipationandcommunitybuilding(Engelman1996)

Publicbroadcastingholdsmanyexamplesofexem-plarycommunityprogrammingbutfewerexamplesofrobustprogramschedulingwithcommunity-orientedcom-munity-drivenandcommunity-createdprogrammingForinstance ldquoBasic Blackrdquo from WGBH in BostonwhichhaschronicledtheconcernedandcultureofAfrican-Americanssince1968andthemulticulturalweeklytalkshowsthatareastapleofWYBE inPhiladelphiaarenoteworthyforhavingcreateduniquelocalmediaspacesthatdofunc-tionascommunitymediaInthe1990sthenationalldquoNittyGrittyCityGrouprdquoattemptedtomovepublicbroadcastingbeyondprogramexcellencetobeinganagentforsocialchangeandameansforcitizenempowerment(Larson1993)ItworkedwithgrassrootsgroupstobringattentionandaccesstothecitizensoftheircommunitiesWhilethegroupnolongerexistsitspassionforcommunityengage-mentisstillaliveinstationpersonnelaroundthecountry

ItcanbeseeninmanyoftheSound Partners for Community HealthexperimentsincollaborationsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityhealthorganizationsNewhopefulexperimentsareunderwayfromCPBanditscommunityengagementinitiativewiththeHarwoodInstituteBroaderstationsuccessesinengagingcommu-nitymembersarechronicledinRichardSomerset-WardrsquosConnecting Communities(2000)andhismorerecentBroadband Community Networks(2005)ForexamplethereistremendouspotentialattheintersectionofpublicbroadcastingandonlinecollaborativemediaWHYYhasextendeditson-airradioandtelevisionprogramming

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 4: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

ThemediarevolutionpromisedforthepastfortyyearshasarrivedndashagainTheUnitedStatesisnowexperi-encingthethirdmajortechnicalandeconomicshift

initsmediaenvironmentsincethemid-1970sFourdecadesagothedominanceofahandfuloftelevisionbroadcastnetworkswasshatteredbytheemergenceofsatellite-linkedcabletelevisionInthe1990stheInternetsenttextanddataflowingaroundtheworldNowadecadelaterphotosaudioandvideoarebecomingaseasilytransmit-tedastextTheeraofpersonalelectroniccommunicationandbroadbandnetworksisathandandeveryaspectofourmediacultureisundergoingchange

Asmightbeexpectedthesetechnologicalshiftsarepromptingeconomicandpoliticalshiftsandwiththemfundamentalshiftsinthenatureofaudiencesandprogram-mingitselfGovernmentderegulationandincreasedconcentrationofownershiphavecreatedapowerfuleconomicincentivetoignorelocalprogrammingneedsAtthesametimelargeheterogeneousaudiencesarebecom-ingathingofthepastincreasinglymediaaremarketingtosegmentedaudiencesdistinguishedbyideologyclassethnicityorraceTheseaudiencesrarelycomeintocontactwithoneanotherorwithdisagreeableopinionsInsuchafragmentedmediaworldisthereanelectronicplacewherepeoplecanconveneascitizensCanthenewmediacreateapublicsquarewherepeoplecanbeheardndashandheareachother

TheanswerisyesCommunitiesacrossthecountryaretakingcontrolofmediaadaptingnewtechnologiestothesocialeconomiceducationalculturalandinforma-tionneedsoftheirresidentsInConnecting Communitiesa2000reportbyseniorfellowRichardSomerset-WardtheBentonFoundationdocumentedcommunity-mediaalli-ancesthataredeliveringpublicserviceseffectivelyThereportenvisionedadigitalbroadbandinteractivemulti-mediacommunityplatformthatwouldtaketheseservicestonewlevelsThatvisioniscomingtopass

Thisreportshinesaspotlightonmediathatgobeyondthestandardnotionsofmediainthepublicinteresttoembracepracticesthatincreasecitizenpar-ticipationinmediaproductiongovernanceandpolicyThereportsummarizesthefindingsofanationwidescanofeffectiveandemergingcommunitymediapracticesconductedbytheBentonFoundationincollaborationwiththeCommunityMediaandTechnologyProgramoftheUniversityofMassachusettsBostonThescanincludedananalysisoftrendsandemergingpracticescomparativeresearchanonlinesurveyofcommunitymediapractitio-nersone-on-oneinterviewswithpractitionersfundersandpolicymakersandtheinformationgleanedfromaseriesofroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersinBostonChicagoMinneapolisStPaulandPortlandOregon

ThroughoutthiseffortBentonsoughtinputonkeyaspectsofcommunitymediapracticewiththegoalofunderstandinghowcommunitymediacanbesustainedstrengthenedandexpandedThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquirybullWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistinguish

communitymediabullWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulbullWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestlever-

agenewtechnologiesbullHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopula-

tionsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsThescangrewoutoftheBentonFoundationrsquos

experiencewithSoundPartnersforCommunityHealtharegrantingprogramsupportedbytheRobertWoodJohnsonFoundationFortenyearsSoundPartnersnurturedcol-laborationsbetweencommunityhealthagenciesandlocalpublicbroadcasterstoimprovelocalhealthcarepracticesanddecision-makingThesuccessofSoundPartnersdem-

introduction

Insuchafragmentedmedia

worldisthereanelectronic

placewherepeoplecanconvene

ascitizensCanthenewmedia

createapublicsquarewhere

peoplecanbeheardndashandhear

eachother

onstratedthepowerofcommunitymediaandinspiredthefoundationtotakeadeeperlookatcollaborationopportuni-tiesandthepotentialformediawhosemissionistoserveandtransformthecommunitieswithinwhichtheyoperateThegoalofthescanistoprovideinspirationanddirectionnotonlyforcommunitiesnationwidebutalsotoinformthenextphaseofSoundPartnersThisphasecalledNewRoutestoCommunityHealthisanchoredinlocalpartner-shipsandpoisedtoincreasethehealthofnewimmigrantsandrefugeesbyinvolvingabroadrangeoflocalmediaandcivicinstitutionsintacklingthiscommunityrsquoscomplexproblemsandgivingvoicetoitsvulnerablenewresidents

Acrossthecountrycommunitiesarepartneringwithpublicbroadcastersprovidingcommunityradioandestab-lishinglow-powerradiostationsorganizingoncableaccesschannelsjoiningcommunitybroadbandnetworksandproducingforsatellite-deliveredpublicinterestchannelsInthisreportweexplorethelessonslearnedfromtheseimportantmdashbutoftenisolatedmdashexperimentsincom-munity-drivenmediaWehopethisreportwillhelpconnectpresentandfutureinnovatorswithoneanotherandwithresourcesthatcangetthemstartedandorsustainthem

Simplyputcommunitymediaaremediacreatedtoallowindividualstotellthestoriesandhavetheconversationsnecessaryfortheirownself-directed

developmentascitizens(Howley2005Jankowski2003Rennie2006)ThefacesandvoicesinthesestoriesandconversationsmaynotbeseenorheardanywhereelseChicagoroundtableparticipantsdescribedthisexperi-encewiththepowerfulphraseldquofirstvoicerdquoOftenitisthefirsttimeindividualshavespokenpubliclyorsharedtheirstories

defining chArActeristicsFourcharacteristicsarecommontothecommunitymediadescribedinthisreportthoughnooneorganizationcanfulfillalltheseidealsallofthetime

LocalismCommunitymediaarecreatedprimarilywithandbyresidentsofaspecificgeographicplaceTheyexplorelocalissuesTheyhelpdefinetheplaceswhereweliveandhowwerelatetooneanotherTheyreflectlocalvaluesandcul-tureBydefinitionasoneroundtableparticipantinBostonnotedcommunitymedialdquocanrsquotbeoutsourcedrdquo

Inthecurrentregulatoryandcommercialenviron-mentofmostmediaplatformstheimportanceofthiskeycharacteristiccanrsquotbeoverstatedLocalradioprogram-mingisoftenpipedinfromothercommunitiesandgivenanautomatedwrapperthatsimulateslocalismLocalbroadcasttelevisionhasbeengivenalmostcompleteregulatoryrelieffromitsminimalobligationstoservetheneedsoflocalcommunitiesSimilarlythecableandtele-phoneindustriesarepressingintheregulatoryarenatoberelievedoflocalcommunityserviceobligationsclaimingtheInternethassoempoweredlocalcitizensthatitisnolongernecessarytorequireothermediatosupportciviclife(Atthesametimetheseindustriesareseekinglegisla-tiontobarcommunitiesfromowningandbuildingtheirownwirelessandbroadbandInternetconnections)

FacedwiththesechangescommunitiesarelefttowonderhowtheycandiscovercreativewaysofpluggingintotheemergingmediaandknowledgeculturesItisnowwidelyrecognizedthattheinabilitytogainaccesstoinformationnetworksandglobalflowsofmediaarecriticalfactorsincreatingsocialinequality(Castells2005Lash2002)Failuretoaddresstheseconcernsinanetworked

societyplacesgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbecom-ingldquodumbterminalsrdquoratherthancreativeeconomicandculturalactorsinthenetworksnowemergingThequestionofldquowherearecommunitymediardquoiscriticalhereItcanbeansweredintwowaysasageographicplacendashaneigh-borhoodtowncitycountyorregionndashandasanonlinevirtualcommunityndashasocialnetworkofcommonintereststhatisnotparticularlyassociatedwithageographicplaceFailuretokeepthisdistinctionintheforewhenconsider-ingcommunitymediaputsgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbeingdisconnectedandmarginalizedlsquooffthenetworkrsquo

Withoutthepresenceoflocalinstitutionscommit-tedtosupportingcommunitiesintheireffortstograpplewithaglobalmediacultureandcreatedigitalinclusionitisunlikelythatthedemocraticpotentialofnetworkcommunicationscanberealizedThisreportfocusesonmediathatservelocalgeographicplacesplaceswhereadiversityofpeopleliveandareinevitablyassociatedwitheachothergroundedinunavoidablerichandcomplexsocialrelationshipsthatarefarfromtransparentsimpleormeresimulationsofintimacyinavirtualcommunica-tionsnetwork

Diverse ParticipationCommunitymediaaremission-driveninservicetothebroadercommunityTheyinsistontheinclusionofdiversevoiceswithinthecommunityandtheirproductionanddistributionprocessesemphasizecommunityparticipationTheyseekrepresentationoftherangeofdemographicsofitscitizensndashsocialeconomicethnicculturalpoliticalagendashintheirprogrammingAndthatprogrammingisnotmerelyaboutthecommunityitiscreatedincollaborationwiththecommunityCommunitymediainstitutionsseethemselvesasaccountableandaccessibletothepeopletheyserveandtheyembracetheiraudiencesascitizensinademocracywhoareentitledbothtoFirstAmendmentfreedomsandtocontrolovercontentTheirdemocraticprinciplesareoftenreflectedinparticipatorymanagementandgovernancestructures

Storytelling and DeliberationAsbothprocessandcontentstorytellingiscentraltocom-munitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembersItcombatsalienationandiso-lationbyallowingaudiencememberstoexpresstheirstory

WhAt Are community mediA

aswellasliveinsomeoneelsersquosshoesItallowspartici-pantsandviewerstoderivebroadermeaningfrompersonalexperienceandprovidesin-depthcoverageofissuesonanintimatelevel

ThestorytellingishumanfromtheheartandnotnecessarilyobjectiveItiscreativeandenablesboldrawrelevantanddiversecontentcriticalforcivicdiscussionAtitsbestitisnotmerelyldquopersonalrdquomediabutoftenstorytellinginservicetolargercivicconcerns

ToframethecommunityrsquosstoriesandexperienceforcivicdiscoursecommunitymediaofteninitiatepublicconversationanddeliberationonimportantandcomplextopicsInthiswaycommunitymediaorganizationsareassumingtheroleofconvenersandauthenticatorsofinfor-mationsharinganddialoguerolesincreasinglybeinglostlocallyinderegulatedcommercialmedia

EmpowermentOnegoalofcommunitymediaistochallengenotionscon-veyedinmainstreammediaAccomplishingthisrequiresputtingcommunicationtoolsinthehandsofindividualssharingaccesswithnonprofessionalsandsupportingself-expressionandcommunitybuildingCommunitymediainstitutionsengageinempowermentindifferentwaysManyoffertrainingprogramstobuildthecapacityofcom-munitymemberstousemediatechnologiesothersassistcommunitiesingrapplingwithamedia-saturatedculturethroughmedialiteracytrainingyetothersemphasizeeco-nomicandworkforcedevelopmentthroughskillstrainingandcontentproductionByenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforper-sonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopmentTheymayeveninspireaudiencestotakeactionleadingtopoliticaltransformationTheyreachthoseoutsidethemainstreamandprovideavoiceforthevoicelessThisdynamicmakestheprocessofcreationasimportantastheproduct(SeeAppendix1)

types of mediAWheredocommunitymediafitinthebroadermedialand-scapeThelanguageweusetotalkaboutmediaculture

andprogramminghasevolvedtokeeppacewithchangingmediaformstechnologyandpracticesIncreasinglythetermpublic mediaisusedtodistinguishmediathataresupportedbythepublicandthatallowthepublictoengageinciviclifeandhaveavoiceintheirdevelopmentWithinthisbroadunderstandingofpublicmediaseveraltermsdescribemediapracticesthatfacilitatepeoplersquosparticipa-tionascitizensCommunity mediaasdefinedabovefitseasilywithinthiscategoryAlsofallingundertheumbrellaofpublicmediaaretermslikealternative media inde-pendent media participatory media citizen mediaanddevelopment mediatheseareoverlappingpracticesthatemphasizevaryingprioritiesbutallmayalsoqualifyascommunitymedia

Forthepurposesofthisreportitisusefultospe-cificallydistinguishcommunitymediafromlocalmediaHerewehavefocusedoncommunitymediathatarelocalgeographicallybutwehavealsodefinedcommunitymediaasmediathatemphasizeinclusivenessandhaveauniquesetofparticipatorypractices

Itisalsousefultonotethatthetermscitizen mediaandcitizenrsquos mediahavetakenontwodifferentandimpor-tantmeaningsinrecentyearsNeithertermreferstomediathatareexclusivelylocalThepossessiveformcitizenrsquos media isatermusedbyscholarClemenciaRodriguezandotherstorefertotheuseofmediathatallowpeopletoacteffectivelyascitizensacrossthespectrumofdailylife(Rodriguez2001)Theothertermcitizen mediaisnowbeingusedwithintheworldofonlinecollaborativemediatorefertodecentralizedpracticesinvolvingvideoandaudiobloggingsocialsoftwareapplicationsandothercollab-orativemediatoolsPractitionersofonlinecollaborativemediahaveadoptedthelanguageandpracticesofpartici-patorymediaThecurrentvisibilityoftheblogospherehascontributedtothemisconceptionthatcitizenmediaandcommunitymediahavejustemergedwiththeInternetandthatparticipatorymediaareafunctionoftechnologyratherthanofpeopleactingascitizensThisconfusionfailstorecognizesixtyyearsofgrassrootsmediaexperience

Storytellingiscentraltocommunitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembers

Byenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforpersonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopment

CommunitymediaarenotlimitedtoanyparticularvenuesortechnologiesTheyreflectalonghistoryofadaptingnewmediatechnologiesastheyemergeEarlyexperimentsincommunityradiobeganinthe1940sand1950sAbroadermovementfollowedinthe1960swiththeuseofsmall-for-matvideofilmsoundrecordingandtheexpandedFMradiospectrumItcontinuedthroughthe1970sand1980swiththediversificationoftelevisiondistributionnetworksandlocalpubliceducationalandgovernmentchannelsoncableTodaycommunitymediaareavitalfeatureoftheelectronicmediaenvironmentFollowingarebriefdescrip-tionsandhistoricaloverviewsofdifferentplatformswhichprovidecontextforthecommunitymediaprofilescontainedinthisreport

Community RadioGroundedinearliereffortstopreservespectrumspaceforeducationalusescommunityradiofirstappearedinSanFranciscointhe1940swiththecreationofthePacificaFoundationrsquosKPFAradiostationThestationpioneeredanapproachtoradiothatcombinedresponsivenesstolisten-ersthroughsubscriptionfundingandcommunityservicewiththecreationofanopenforumforculturaljournal-isticandsocialexpressionSincethencommunityradioinitiativeshavebeendevelopedinmorethan225communi-tiesintheUnitedStatesandincountlesscommunitiesaroundtheworld

In1975communityradiotookonanationalinsti-tutionalexpressionwiththeformationofthe National Federation of Community Broadcasters(NFCB)anorganizationdedicatedtopromotingcommunityradiodevelopmentintheUnitedStatesThefederationadvo-catedcommunitycontrolnoncommercialownershipandvoluntaryparticipationintheoperationandprogrammingofcommunityradiostationsespeciallybypopulationsandgroupsthathistoricallyhadbeendeniedexpressionintheUnitedStatesNFCBprovidedtraininganddevelopmentsupporttoitsmemberstationsandundertookFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)advocacyontheirbehalfWithinadecadeNFCBhadseventymembersta-tionsand120associatemembersnationwide(Engelman1996)

Ascommunityradiohasevolvedindifferentcom-munitiesinterpretationsofitsmissionhaveexpandedtoincludestationsdedicatedtominoritycommunitiesandownershipforeignlanguagestationsdedicatedtospecificlanguagecommunitiesinalocaleandvaryingcommit-mentstocommunityinvolvementvolunteerproductionandfundingstrategiesWiththisdiversificationhascome

ideologicaldebateovercreepingcommercializationandprofessionalizationofthefieldHoweverdespitedisagree-mentsoverphilosophyandpracticescommunityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupport-ingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthemselvesasuniqueplaces

RadiostationKFAIinMinneapolis-StPaulisonesuchstationAvolunteer-basedcommunityradiostationthatbroadcastsinformationartsandentertain-mentprogrammingitoffersaneclecticmixofprogramsincludingmusiclocalnewspoetryspokenwordpoliticalforumsandinterviewsKFAIemphasizesempowermentthroughtrainingItprovidesboardcertificationtrainingandworkshopsonannouncinginterviewingandprogramdevelopmenttovolunteersCoursesaretaughtinEnglishbutbilingualvolunteershaveaccesstoanyoftheon-airprogrammersforassistanceintheirownlanguage

Low-Power FMCommunityradioreachedanotherstagewiththedevel-opmentoflow-powerFMradioorLPFMTheLPFMmovementwasapoliticalresponsetoincreasingconsoli-dationoflocalradioownershipafterthepassageofthe1996CommunicationsActandasenseamongthoseinthegrassrootsradiomovementthatcommunityradiowasfallingpreytopressurefromtheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting(CPB)tobecomemoreaudience-drivenhomogenizedinprogrammingandprofessionalizedthuslessinterestedincommunityparticipation(Cano2003)Tocounterthesetrendsmediaactivistsbegansettingupmicro-powerradiostationsincommunitiesusinglow-powerbroadcasttransmitterswithanapproximateservicerangeofthree-and-a-halfmilesanareaoftenassmallasasingleneighborhood

In1998thegrowthofLPFMspurredthecreationofthePrometheus Radio Projectfoundedbyactiviststoassistcommunitygroupsinacquiringlow-powerFMradio

Communityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupportingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthem-selvesasuniqueplaces

TheURLsoforganizationssetinboldfaceareprovidedinApendices2(aggregatorsassociations)and3(practitioners)

broadcastlicensesfromtheFCCandingettingtheirsta-tionsupandrunningoncetheywerelicensedAsaresultofthisactivismtheFCCofficiallyacknowledgedlow-powerFMinUSbroadcastingpolicyin2000LPFMstationsarenowlicensedfornoncommercialeducationalbroadcastingonlyandaconstructionpermitisrequiredbeforeaLPFMstationcanbebuiltoroperatedThelowcostoflow-powerradiohasallowedmanyorganizationswithstrongcommit-mentstocommunitycontrolnoncommercialgrassrootsfundingandparticipatoryproductionandmanagementprocessestoenterthecommunityradiomovement

WCIW-LPisalow-powerFMstationinImmokaleeFloridaoperatedbythe2500-memberCoalitionofImmokaleeWorkersItishardtoimagineabetterexampleofcommunityempowermentingrassrootsLPFMthanWCIW-LPItfocusesonacommunitythatisbothacommunityofworkersandageographiccommunitythestationandtransmitterarelocatedinthesamelotwherethecoalitionrsquosmembersboardbusesboundforthetomatofieldsofFloridaLaunchedin2003withthehelpofthePrometheusRadioProjectWCIW-LPproducesnewsedu-cationalprogramsandmusicinSpanishHaitianCreoleandindigenouslanguagesofMexicoandGuatemalaThestationisaprimaryorganizingtoolforthecommunityinitsdefenseoftherightsofLatinoHaitianandMayanIndianmigrantandimmigrantfarmworkers

Public BroadcastingUnlikemanylocationsinEuropeandCanadatheUnitedStateshasnotdevelopedastrongcommunity-focusedbroadcastingsectorseparatefrompublicbroadcastingPublicbroadcastingintheUnitedStatesislargelysynony-mouswiththePublic Broadcasting ServiceandNational Public RadioinstitutionsthatcameintoexistencewiththepassageofthePublicBroadcastingActof1967Theactestablishedafederalsystemoftelevisionandradioheavilydependentonfederalandcorporatefunding

Thoughembattledfromitsinceptionandsaddledwithacumbersomedecentralizedstructurepublicbroad-castinghasmanagedtosurviveandfindanimportantroleinAmericanmediaNeithergovernmentalnorcommercialinitsorientationyetheavilydependentoneachitprovidesvaluablenoncommercialprogramming(Aufderheide2000b)PublicradioandtelevisionhavealsoledthewayintheUnitedStatesintheinnovativeuseofdigitalandsatellitetechnologyThePBSwebsiteisconsideredtobethemostfrequentlyvisitednonprofitsiteontheInternet(Starr2003)

YetpublictelevisionandradiofallshortofthevisiondescribedinitsfoundingdocumentsTheywere

envisionedasldquohellipaforumfordebateandcontroversyrdquoaspaceforexpressionldquohellipforgroupsinthecommunitythatmayotherwisebeunheardrdquo(CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevision1967)AsJeffChestermediacriticandreformadvocatewritesldquoWhilepublicradioatitsbestcomesmuchclosertothisidealpublictelevisionappearstohavebecomeavictimofitsownsuccessndashfullofartistryandprofessionalismtobesurebutrarelythesourceofthelocalismdiversityandrisktakingthatitsfoundersenvisionedrdquo(Chester2006)Stillitisarguablethatpublicbroadcastingwouldnothavesurvivedtothepresenthaditinsistedonlivinguptotheparticipatoryvisionsofitsfounders

ThePublicBroadcastingServiceNationalPublicRadioandtheirmemberstationscannotuniformlybechar-acterizedascommunitymediaTheirprogrammingandmanagementstructureshavereflectedthetop-downnatureoftheirfundingandtheyhavetendedovertheyearstoemphasisprofessionalismandstationmanagementpreroga-tivesoveracommitmenttodiverselocalparticipationandcommunitybuilding(Engelman1996)

Publicbroadcastingholdsmanyexamplesofexem-plarycommunityprogrammingbutfewerexamplesofrobustprogramschedulingwithcommunity-orientedcom-munity-drivenandcommunity-createdprogrammingForinstance ldquoBasic Blackrdquo from WGBH in BostonwhichhaschronicledtheconcernedandcultureofAfrican-Americanssince1968andthemulticulturalweeklytalkshowsthatareastapleofWYBE inPhiladelphiaarenoteworthyforhavingcreateduniquelocalmediaspacesthatdofunc-tionascommunitymediaInthe1990sthenationalldquoNittyGrittyCityGrouprdquoattemptedtomovepublicbroadcastingbeyondprogramexcellencetobeinganagentforsocialchangeandameansforcitizenempowerment(Larson1993)ItworkedwithgrassrootsgroupstobringattentionandaccesstothecitizensoftheircommunitiesWhilethegroupnolongerexistsitspassionforcommunityengage-mentisstillaliveinstationpersonnelaroundthecountry

ItcanbeseeninmanyoftheSound Partners for Community HealthexperimentsincollaborationsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityhealthorganizationsNewhopefulexperimentsareunderwayfromCPBanditscommunityengagementinitiativewiththeHarwoodInstituteBroaderstationsuccessesinengagingcommu-nitymembersarechronicledinRichardSomerset-WardrsquosConnecting Communities(2000)andhismorerecentBroadband Community Networks(2005)ForexamplethereistremendouspotentialattheintersectionofpublicbroadcastingandonlinecollaborativemediaWHYYhasextendeditson-airradioandtelevisionprogramming

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 5: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

onstratedthepowerofcommunitymediaandinspiredthefoundationtotakeadeeperlookatcollaborationopportuni-tiesandthepotentialformediawhosemissionistoserveandtransformthecommunitieswithinwhichtheyoperateThegoalofthescanistoprovideinspirationanddirectionnotonlyforcommunitiesnationwidebutalsotoinformthenextphaseofSoundPartnersThisphasecalledNewRoutestoCommunityHealthisanchoredinlocalpartner-shipsandpoisedtoincreasethehealthofnewimmigrantsandrefugeesbyinvolvingabroadrangeoflocalmediaandcivicinstitutionsintacklingthiscommunityrsquoscomplexproblemsandgivingvoicetoitsvulnerablenewresidents

Acrossthecountrycommunitiesarepartneringwithpublicbroadcastersprovidingcommunityradioandestab-lishinglow-powerradiostationsorganizingoncableaccesschannelsjoiningcommunitybroadbandnetworksandproducingforsatellite-deliveredpublicinterestchannelsInthisreportweexplorethelessonslearnedfromtheseimportantmdashbutoftenisolatedmdashexperimentsincom-munity-drivenmediaWehopethisreportwillhelpconnectpresentandfutureinnovatorswithoneanotherandwithresourcesthatcangetthemstartedandorsustainthem

Simplyputcommunitymediaaremediacreatedtoallowindividualstotellthestoriesandhavetheconversationsnecessaryfortheirownself-directed

developmentascitizens(Howley2005Jankowski2003Rennie2006)ThefacesandvoicesinthesestoriesandconversationsmaynotbeseenorheardanywhereelseChicagoroundtableparticipantsdescribedthisexperi-encewiththepowerfulphraseldquofirstvoicerdquoOftenitisthefirsttimeindividualshavespokenpubliclyorsharedtheirstories

defining chArActeristicsFourcharacteristicsarecommontothecommunitymediadescribedinthisreportthoughnooneorganizationcanfulfillalltheseidealsallofthetime

LocalismCommunitymediaarecreatedprimarilywithandbyresidentsofaspecificgeographicplaceTheyexplorelocalissuesTheyhelpdefinetheplaceswhereweliveandhowwerelatetooneanotherTheyreflectlocalvaluesandcul-tureBydefinitionasoneroundtableparticipantinBostonnotedcommunitymedialdquocanrsquotbeoutsourcedrdquo

Inthecurrentregulatoryandcommercialenviron-mentofmostmediaplatformstheimportanceofthiskeycharacteristiccanrsquotbeoverstatedLocalradioprogram-mingisoftenpipedinfromothercommunitiesandgivenanautomatedwrapperthatsimulateslocalismLocalbroadcasttelevisionhasbeengivenalmostcompleteregulatoryrelieffromitsminimalobligationstoservetheneedsoflocalcommunitiesSimilarlythecableandtele-phoneindustriesarepressingintheregulatoryarenatoberelievedoflocalcommunityserviceobligationsclaimingtheInternethassoempoweredlocalcitizensthatitisnolongernecessarytorequireothermediatosupportciviclife(Atthesametimetheseindustriesareseekinglegisla-tiontobarcommunitiesfromowningandbuildingtheirownwirelessandbroadbandInternetconnections)

FacedwiththesechangescommunitiesarelefttowonderhowtheycandiscovercreativewaysofpluggingintotheemergingmediaandknowledgeculturesItisnowwidelyrecognizedthattheinabilitytogainaccesstoinformationnetworksandglobalflowsofmediaarecriticalfactorsincreatingsocialinequality(Castells2005Lash2002)Failuretoaddresstheseconcernsinanetworked

societyplacesgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbecom-ingldquodumbterminalsrdquoratherthancreativeeconomicandculturalactorsinthenetworksnowemergingThequestionofldquowherearecommunitymediardquoiscriticalhereItcanbeansweredintwowaysasageographicplacendashaneigh-borhoodtowncitycountyorregionndashandasanonlinevirtualcommunityndashasocialnetworkofcommonintereststhatisnotparticularlyassociatedwithageographicplaceFailuretokeepthisdistinctionintheforewhenconsider-ingcommunitymediaputsgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbeingdisconnectedandmarginalizedlsquooffthenetworkrsquo

Withoutthepresenceoflocalinstitutionscommit-tedtosupportingcommunitiesintheireffortstograpplewithaglobalmediacultureandcreatedigitalinclusionitisunlikelythatthedemocraticpotentialofnetworkcommunicationscanberealizedThisreportfocusesonmediathatservelocalgeographicplacesplaceswhereadiversityofpeopleliveandareinevitablyassociatedwitheachothergroundedinunavoidablerichandcomplexsocialrelationshipsthatarefarfromtransparentsimpleormeresimulationsofintimacyinavirtualcommunica-tionsnetwork

Diverse ParticipationCommunitymediaaremission-driveninservicetothebroadercommunityTheyinsistontheinclusionofdiversevoiceswithinthecommunityandtheirproductionanddistributionprocessesemphasizecommunityparticipationTheyseekrepresentationoftherangeofdemographicsofitscitizensndashsocialeconomicethnicculturalpoliticalagendashintheirprogrammingAndthatprogrammingisnotmerelyaboutthecommunityitiscreatedincollaborationwiththecommunityCommunitymediainstitutionsseethemselvesasaccountableandaccessibletothepeopletheyserveandtheyembracetheiraudiencesascitizensinademocracywhoareentitledbothtoFirstAmendmentfreedomsandtocontrolovercontentTheirdemocraticprinciplesareoftenreflectedinparticipatorymanagementandgovernancestructures

Storytelling and DeliberationAsbothprocessandcontentstorytellingiscentraltocom-munitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembersItcombatsalienationandiso-lationbyallowingaudiencememberstoexpresstheirstory

WhAt Are community mediA

aswellasliveinsomeoneelsersquosshoesItallowspartici-pantsandviewerstoderivebroadermeaningfrompersonalexperienceandprovidesin-depthcoverageofissuesonanintimatelevel

ThestorytellingishumanfromtheheartandnotnecessarilyobjectiveItiscreativeandenablesboldrawrelevantanddiversecontentcriticalforcivicdiscussionAtitsbestitisnotmerelyldquopersonalrdquomediabutoftenstorytellinginservicetolargercivicconcerns

ToframethecommunityrsquosstoriesandexperienceforcivicdiscoursecommunitymediaofteninitiatepublicconversationanddeliberationonimportantandcomplextopicsInthiswaycommunitymediaorganizationsareassumingtheroleofconvenersandauthenticatorsofinfor-mationsharinganddialoguerolesincreasinglybeinglostlocallyinderegulatedcommercialmedia

EmpowermentOnegoalofcommunitymediaistochallengenotionscon-veyedinmainstreammediaAccomplishingthisrequiresputtingcommunicationtoolsinthehandsofindividualssharingaccesswithnonprofessionalsandsupportingself-expressionandcommunitybuildingCommunitymediainstitutionsengageinempowermentindifferentwaysManyoffertrainingprogramstobuildthecapacityofcom-munitymemberstousemediatechnologiesothersassistcommunitiesingrapplingwithamedia-saturatedculturethroughmedialiteracytrainingyetothersemphasizeeco-nomicandworkforcedevelopmentthroughskillstrainingandcontentproductionByenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforper-sonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopmentTheymayeveninspireaudiencestotakeactionleadingtopoliticaltransformationTheyreachthoseoutsidethemainstreamandprovideavoiceforthevoicelessThisdynamicmakestheprocessofcreationasimportantastheproduct(SeeAppendix1)

types of mediAWheredocommunitymediafitinthebroadermedialand-scapeThelanguageweusetotalkaboutmediaculture

andprogramminghasevolvedtokeeppacewithchangingmediaformstechnologyandpracticesIncreasinglythetermpublic mediaisusedtodistinguishmediathataresupportedbythepublicandthatallowthepublictoengageinciviclifeandhaveavoiceintheirdevelopmentWithinthisbroadunderstandingofpublicmediaseveraltermsdescribemediapracticesthatfacilitatepeoplersquosparticipa-tionascitizensCommunity mediaasdefinedabovefitseasilywithinthiscategoryAlsofallingundertheumbrellaofpublicmediaaretermslikealternative media inde-pendent media participatory media citizen mediaanddevelopment mediatheseareoverlappingpracticesthatemphasizevaryingprioritiesbutallmayalsoqualifyascommunitymedia

Forthepurposesofthisreportitisusefultospe-cificallydistinguishcommunitymediafromlocalmediaHerewehavefocusedoncommunitymediathatarelocalgeographicallybutwehavealsodefinedcommunitymediaasmediathatemphasizeinclusivenessandhaveauniquesetofparticipatorypractices

Itisalsousefultonotethatthetermscitizen mediaandcitizenrsquos mediahavetakenontwodifferentandimpor-tantmeaningsinrecentyearsNeithertermreferstomediathatareexclusivelylocalThepossessiveformcitizenrsquos media isatermusedbyscholarClemenciaRodriguezandotherstorefertotheuseofmediathatallowpeopletoacteffectivelyascitizensacrossthespectrumofdailylife(Rodriguez2001)Theothertermcitizen mediaisnowbeingusedwithintheworldofonlinecollaborativemediatorefertodecentralizedpracticesinvolvingvideoandaudiobloggingsocialsoftwareapplicationsandothercollab-orativemediatoolsPractitionersofonlinecollaborativemediahaveadoptedthelanguageandpracticesofpartici-patorymediaThecurrentvisibilityoftheblogospherehascontributedtothemisconceptionthatcitizenmediaandcommunitymediahavejustemergedwiththeInternetandthatparticipatorymediaareafunctionoftechnologyratherthanofpeopleactingascitizensThisconfusionfailstorecognizesixtyyearsofgrassrootsmediaexperience

Storytellingiscentraltocommunitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembers

Byenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforpersonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopment

CommunitymediaarenotlimitedtoanyparticularvenuesortechnologiesTheyreflectalonghistoryofadaptingnewmediatechnologiesastheyemergeEarlyexperimentsincommunityradiobeganinthe1940sand1950sAbroadermovementfollowedinthe1960swiththeuseofsmall-for-matvideofilmsoundrecordingandtheexpandedFMradiospectrumItcontinuedthroughthe1970sand1980swiththediversificationoftelevisiondistributionnetworksandlocalpubliceducationalandgovernmentchannelsoncableTodaycommunitymediaareavitalfeatureoftheelectronicmediaenvironmentFollowingarebriefdescrip-tionsandhistoricaloverviewsofdifferentplatformswhichprovidecontextforthecommunitymediaprofilescontainedinthisreport

Community RadioGroundedinearliereffortstopreservespectrumspaceforeducationalusescommunityradiofirstappearedinSanFranciscointhe1940swiththecreationofthePacificaFoundationrsquosKPFAradiostationThestationpioneeredanapproachtoradiothatcombinedresponsivenesstolisten-ersthroughsubscriptionfundingandcommunityservicewiththecreationofanopenforumforculturaljournal-isticandsocialexpressionSincethencommunityradioinitiativeshavebeendevelopedinmorethan225communi-tiesintheUnitedStatesandincountlesscommunitiesaroundtheworld

In1975communityradiotookonanationalinsti-tutionalexpressionwiththeformationofthe National Federation of Community Broadcasters(NFCB)anorganizationdedicatedtopromotingcommunityradiodevelopmentintheUnitedStatesThefederationadvo-catedcommunitycontrolnoncommercialownershipandvoluntaryparticipationintheoperationandprogrammingofcommunityradiostationsespeciallybypopulationsandgroupsthathistoricallyhadbeendeniedexpressionintheUnitedStatesNFCBprovidedtraininganddevelopmentsupporttoitsmemberstationsandundertookFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)advocacyontheirbehalfWithinadecadeNFCBhadseventymembersta-tionsand120associatemembersnationwide(Engelman1996)

Ascommunityradiohasevolvedindifferentcom-munitiesinterpretationsofitsmissionhaveexpandedtoincludestationsdedicatedtominoritycommunitiesandownershipforeignlanguagestationsdedicatedtospecificlanguagecommunitiesinalocaleandvaryingcommit-mentstocommunityinvolvementvolunteerproductionandfundingstrategiesWiththisdiversificationhascome

ideologicaldebateovercreepingcommercializationandprofessionalizationofthefieldHoweverdespitedisagree-mentsoverphilosophyandpracticescommunityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupport-ingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthemselvesasuniqueplaces

RadiostationKFAIinMinneapolis-StPaulisonesuchstationAvolunteer-basedcommunityradiostationthatbroadcastsinformationartsandentertain-mentprogrammingitoffersaneclecticmixofprogramsincludingmusiclocalnewspoetryspokenwordpoliticalforumsandinterviewsKFAIemphasizesempowermentthroughtrainingItprovidesboardcertificationtrainingandworkshopsonannouncinginterviewingandprogramdevelopmenttovolunteersCoursesaretaughtinEnglishbutbilingualvolunteershaveaccesstoanyoftheon-airprogrammersforassistanceintheirownlanguage

Low-Power FMCommunityradioreachedanotherstagewiththedevel-opmentoflow-powerFMradioorLPFMTheLPFMmovementwasapoliticalresponsetoincreasingconsoli-dationoflocalradioownershipafterthepassageofthe1996CommunicationsActandasenseamongthoseinthegrassrootsradiomovementthatcommunityradiowasfallingpreytopressurefromtheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting(CPB)tobecomemoreaudience-drivenhomogenizedinprogrammingandprofessionalizedthuslessinterestedincommunityparticipation(Cano2003)Tocounterthesetrendsmediaactivistsbegansettingupmicro-powerradiostationsincommunitiesusinglow-powerbroadcasttransmitterswithanapproximateservicerangeofthree-and-a-halfmilesanareaoftenassmallasasingleneighborhood

In1998thegrowthofLPFMspurredthecreationofthePrometheus Radio Projectfoundedbyactiviststoassistcommunitygroupsinacquiringlow-powerFMradio

Communityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupportingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthem-selvesasuniqueplaces

TheURLsoforganizationssetinboldfaceareprovidedinApendices2(aggregatorsassociations)and3(practitioners)

broadcastlicensesfromtheFCCandingettingtheirsta-tionsupandrunningoncetheywerelicensedAsaresultofthisactivismtheFCCofficiallyacknowledgedlow-powerFMinUSbroadcastingpolicyin2000LPFMstationsarenowlicensedfornoncommercialeducationalbroadcastingonlyandaconstructionpermitisrequiredbeforeaLPFMstationcanbebuiltoroperatedThelowcostoflow-powerradiohasallowedmanyorganizationswithstrongcommit-mentstocommunitycontrolnoncommercialgrassrootsfundingandparticipatoryproductionandmanagementprocessestoenterthecommunityradiomovement

WCIW-LPisalow-powerFMstationinImmokaleeFloridaoperatedbythe2500-memberCoalitionofImmokaleeWorkersItishardtoimagineabetterexampleofcommunityempowermentingrassrootsLPFMthanWCIW-LPItfocusesonacommunitythatisbothacommunityofworkersandageographiccommunitythestationandtransmitterarelocatedinthesamelotwherethecoalitionrsquosmembersboardbusesboundforthetomatofieldsofFloridaLaunchedin2003withthehelpofthePrometheusRadioProjectWCIW-LPproducesnewsedu-cationalprogramsandmusicinSpanishHaitianCreoleandindigenouslanguagesofMexicoandGuatemalaThestationisaprimaryorganizingtoolforthecommunityinitsdefenseoftherightsofLatinoHaitianandMayanIndianmigrantandimmigrantfarmworkers

Public BroadcastingUnlikemanylocationsinEuropeandCanadatheUnitedStateshasnotdevelopedastrongcommunity-focusedbroadcastingsectorseparatefrompublicbroadcastingPublicbroadcastingintheUnitedStatesislargelysynony-mouswiththePublic Broadcasting ServiceandNational Public RadioinstitutionsthatcameintoexistencewiththepassageofthePublicBroadcastingActof1967Theactestablishedafederalsystemoftelevisionandradioheavilydependentonfederalandcorporatefunding

Thoughembattledfromitsinceptionandsaddledwithacumbersomedecentralizedstructurepublicbroad-castinghasmanagedtosurviveandfindanimportantroleinAmericanmediaNeithergovernmentalnorcommercialinitsorientationyetheavilydependentoneachitprovidesvaluablenoncommercialprogramming(Aufderheide2000b)PublicradioandtelevisionhavealsoledthewayintheUnitedStatesintheinnovativeuseofdigitalandsatellitetechnologyThePBSwebsiteisconsideredtobethemostfrequentlyvisitednonprofitsiteontheInternet(Starr2003)

YetpublictelevisionandradiofallshortofthevisiondescribedinitsfoundingdocumentsTheywere

envisionedasldquohellipaforumfordebateandcontroversyrdquoaspaceforexpressionldquohellipforgroupsinthecommunitythatmayotherwisebeunheardrdquo(CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevision1967)AsJeffChestermediacriticandreformadvocatewritesldquoWhilepublicradioatitsbestcomesmuchclosertothisidealpublictelevisionappearstohavebecomeavictimofitsownsuccessndashfullofartistryandprofessionalismtobesurebutrarelythesourceofthelocalismdiversityandrisktakingthatitsfoundersenvisionedrdquo(Chester2006)Stillitisarguablethatpublicbroadcastingwouldnothavesurvivedtothepresenthaditinsistedonlivinguptotheparticipatoryvisionsofitsfounders

ThePublicBroadcastingServiceNationalPublicRadioandtheirmemberstationscannotuniformlybechar-acterizedascommunitymediaTheirprogrammingandmanagementstructureshavereflectedthetop-downnatureoftheirfundingandtheyhavetendedovertheyearstoemphasisprofessionalismandstationmanagementpreroga-tivesoveracommitmenttodiverselocalparticipationandcommunitybuilding(Engelman1996)

Publicbroadcastingholdsmanyexamplesofexem-plarycommunityprogrammingbutfewerexamplesofrobustprogramschedulingwithcommunity-orientedcom-munity-drivenandcommunity-createdprogrammingForinstance ldquoBasic Blackrdquo from WGBH in BostonwhichhaschronicledtheconcernedandcultureofAfrican-Americanssince1968andthemulticulturalweeklytalkshowsthatareastapleofWYBE inPhiladelphiaarenoteworthyforhavingcreateduniquelocalmediaspacesthatdofunc-tionascommunitymediaInthe1990sthenationalldquoNittyGrittyCityGrouprdquoattemptedtomovepublicbroadcastingbeyondprogramexcellencetobeinganagentforsocialchangeandameansforcitizenempowerment(Larson1993)ItworkedwithgrassrootsgroupstobringattentionandaccesstothecitizensoftheircommunitiesWhilethegroupnolongerexistsitspassionforcommunityengage-mentisstillaliveinstationpersonnelaroundthecountry

ItcanbeseeninmanyoftheSound Partners for Community HealthexperimentsincollaborationsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityhealthorganizationsNewhopefulexperimentsareunderwayfromCPBanditscommunityengagementinitiativewiththeHarwoodInstituteBroaderstationsuccessesinengagingcommu-nitymembersarechronicledinRichardSomerset-WardrsquosConnecting Communities(2000)andhismorerecentBroadband Community Networks(2005)ForexamplethereistremendouspotentialattheintersectionofpublicbroadcastingandonlinecollaborativemediaWHYYhasextendeditson-airradioandtelevisionprogramming

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 6: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

Simplyputcommunitymediaaremediacreatedtoallowindividualstotellthestoriesandhavetheconversationsnecessaryfortheirownself-directed

developmentascitizens(Howley2005Jankowski2003Rennie2006)ThefacesandvoicesinthesestoriesandconversationsmaynotbeseenorheardanywhereelseChicagoroundtableparticipantsdescribedthisexperi-encewiththepowerfulphraseldquofirstvoicerdquoOftenitisthefirsttimeindividualshavespokenpubliclyorsharedtheirstories

defining chArActeristicsFourcharacteristicsarecommontothecommunitymediadescribedinthisreportthoughnooneorganizationcanfulfillalltheseidealsallofthetime

LocalismCommunitymediaarecreatedprimarilywithandbyresidentsofaspecificgeographicplaceTheyexplorelocalissuesTheyhelpdefinetheplaceswhereweliveandhowwerelatetooneanotherTheyreflectlocalvaluesandcul-tureBydefinitionasoneroundtableparticipantinBostonnotedcommunitymedialdquocanrsquotbeoutsourcedrdquo

Inthecurrentregulatoryandcommercialenviron-mentofmostmediaplatformstheimportanceofthiskeycharacteristiccanrsquotbeoverstatedLocalradioprogram-mingisoftenpipedinfromothercommunitiesandgivenanautomatedwrapperthatsimulateslocalismLocalbroadcasttelevisionhasbeengivenalmostcompleteregulatoryrelieffromitsminimalobligationstoservetheneedsoflocalcommunitiesSimilarlythecableandtele-phoneindustriesarepressingintheregulatoryarenatoberelievedoflocalcommunityserviceobligationsclaimingtheInternethassoempoweredlocalcitizensthatitisnolongernecessarytorequireothermediatosupportciviclife(Atthesametimetheseindustriesareseekinglegisla-tiontobarcommunitiesfromowningandbuildingtheirownwirelessandbroadbandInternetconnections)

FacedwiththesechangescommunitiesarelefttowonderhowtheycandiscovercreativewaysofpluggingintotheemergingmediaandknowledgeculturesItisnowwidelyrecognizedthattheinabilitytogainaccesstoinformationnetworksandglobalflowsofmediaarecriticalfactorsincreatingsocialinequality(Castells2005Lash2002)Failuretoaddresstheseconcernsinanetworked

societyplacesgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbecom-ingldquodumbterminalsrdquoratherthancreativeeconomicandculturalactorsinthenetworksnowemergingThequestionofldquowherearecommunitymediardquoiscriticalhereItcanbeansweredintwowaysasageographicplacendashaneigh-borhoodtowncitycountyorregionndashandasanonlinevirtualcommunityndashasocialnetworkofcommonintereststhatisnotparticularlyassociatedwithageographicplaceFailuretokeepthisdistinctionintheforewhenconsider-ingcommunitymediaputsgeographiccommunitiesatriskofbeingdisconnectedandmarginalizedlsquooffthenetworkrsquo

Withoutthepresenceoflocalinstitutionscommit-tedtosupportingcommunitiesintheireffortstograpplewithaglobalmediacultureandcreatedigitalinclusionitisunlikelythatthedemocraticpotentialofnetworkcommunicationscanberealizedThisreportfocusesonmediathatservelocalgeographicplacesplaceswhereadiversityofpeopleliveandareinevitablyassociatedwitheachothergroundedinunavoidablerichandcomplexsocialrelationshipsthatarefarfromtransparentsimpleormeresimulationsofintimacyinavirtualcommunica-tionsnetwork

Diverse ParticipationCommunitymediaaremission-driveninservicetothebroadercommunityTheyinsistontheinclusionofdiversevoiceswithinthecommunityandtheirproductionanddistributionprocessesemphasizecommunityparticipationTheyseekrepresentationoftherangeofdemographicsofitscitizensndashsocialeconomicethnicculturalpoliticalagendashintheirprogrammingAndthatprogrammingisnotmerelyaboutthecommunityitiscreatedincollaborationwiththecommunityCommunitymediainstitutionsseethemselvesasaccountableandaccessibletothepeopletheyserveandtheyembracetheiraudiencesascitizensinademocracywhoareentitledbothtoFirstAmendmentfreedomsandtocontrolovercontentTheirdemocraticprinciplesareoftenreflectedinparticipatorymanagementandgovernancestructures

Storytelling and DeliberationAsbothprocessandcontentstorytellingiscentraltocom-munitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembersItcombatsalienationandiso-lationbyallowingaudiencememberstoexpresstheirstory

WhAt Are community mediA

aswellasliveinsomeoneelsersquosshoesItallowspartici-pantsandviewerstoderivebroadermeaningfrompersonalexperienceandprovidesin-depthcoverageofissuesonanintimatelevel

ThestorytellingishumanfromtheheartandnotnecessarilyobjectiveItiscreativeandenablesboldrawrelevantanddiversecontentcriticalforcivicdiscussionAtitsbestitisnotmerelyldquopersonalrdquomediabutoftenstorytellinginservicetolargercivicconcerns

ToframethecommunityrsquosstoriesandexperienceforcivicdiscoursecommunitymediaofteninitiatepublicconversationanddeliberationonimportantandcomplextopicsInthiswaycommunitymediaorganizationsareassumingtheroleofconvenersandauthenticatorsofinfor-mationsharinganddialoguerolesincreasinglybeinglostlocallyinderegulatedcommercialmedia

EmpowermentOnegoalofcommunitymediaistochallengenotionscon-veyedinmainstreammediaAccomplishingthisrequiresputtingcommunicationtoolsinthehandsofindividualssharingaccesswithnonprofessionalsandsupportingself-expressionandcommunitybuildingCommunitymediainstitutionsengageinempowermentindifferentwaysManyoffertrainingprogramstobuildthecapacityofcom-munitymemberstousemediatechnologiesothersassistcommunitiesingrapplingwithamedia-saturatedculturethroughmedialiteracytrainingyetothersemphasizeeco-nomicandworkforcedevelopmentthroughskillstrainingandcontentproductionByenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforper-sonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopmentTheymayeveninspireaudiencestotakeactionleadingtopoliticaltransformationTheyreachthoseoutsidethemainstreamandprovideavoiceforthevoicelessThisdynamicmakestheprocessofcreationasimportantastheproduct(SeeAppendix1)

types of mediAWheredocommunitymediafitinthebroadermedialand-scapeThelanguageweusetotalkaboutmediaculture

andprogramminghasevolvedtokeeppacewithchangingmediaformstechnologyandpracticesIncreasinglythetermpublic mediaisusedtodistinguishmediathataresupportedbythepublicandthatallowthepublictoengageinciviclifeandhaveavoiceintheirdevelopmentWithinthisbroadunderstandingofpublicmediaseveraltermsdescribemediapracticesthatfacilitatepeoplersquosparticipa-tionascitizensCommunity mediaasdefinedabovefitseasilywithinthiscategoryAlsofallingundertheumbrellaofpublicmediaaretermslikealternative media inde-pendent media participatory media citizen mediaanddevelopment mediatheseareoverlappingpracticesthatemphasizevaryingprioritiesbutallmayalsoqualifyascommunitymedia

Forthepurposesofthisreportitisusefultospe-cificallydistinguishcommunitymediafromlocalmediaHerewehavefocusedoncommunitymediathatarelocalgeographicallybutwehavealsodefinedcommunitymediaasmediathatemphasizeinclusivenessandhaveauniquesetofparticipatorypractices

Itisalsousefultonotethatthetermscitizen mediaandcitizenrsquos mediahavetakenontwodifferentandimpor-tantmeaningsinrecentyearsNeithertermreferstomediathatareexclusivelylocalThepossessiveformcitizenrsquos media isatermusedbyscholarClemenciaRodriguezandotherstorefertotheuseofmediathatallowpeopletoacteffectivelyascitizensacrossthespectrumofdailylife(Rodriguez2001)Theothertermcitizen mediaisnowbeingusedwithintheworldofonlinecollaborativemediatorefertodecentralizedpracticesinvolvingvideoandaudiobloggingsocialsoftwareapplicationsandothercollab-orativemediatoolsPractitionersofonlinecollaborativemediahaveadoptedthelanguageandpracticesofpartici-patorymediaThecurrentvisibilityoftheblogospherehascontributedtothemisconceptionthatcitizenmediaandcommunitymediahavejustemergedwiththeInternetandthatparticipatorymediaareafunctionoftechnologyratherthanofpeopleactingascitizensThisconfusionfailstorecognizesixtyyearsofgrassrootsmediaexperience

Storytellingiscentraltocommunitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembers

Byenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforpersonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopment

CommunitymediaarenotlimitedtoanyparticularvenuesortechnologiesTheyreflectalonghistoryofadaptingnewmediatechnologiesastheyemergeEarlyexperimentsincommunityradiobeganinthe1940sand1950sAbroadermovementfollowedinthe1960swiththeuseofsmall-for-matvideofilmsoundrecordingandtheexpandedFMradiospectrumItcontinuedthroughthe1970sand1980swiththediversificationoftelevisiondistributionnetworksandlocalpubliceducationalandgovernmentchannelsoncableTodaycommunitymediaareavitalfeatureoftheelectronicmediaenvironmentFollowingarebriefdescrip-tionsandhistoricaloverviewsofdifferentplatformswhichprovidecontextforthecommunitymediaprofilescontainedinthisreport

Community RadioGroundedinearliereffortstopreservespectrumspaceforeducationalusescommunityradiofirstappearedinSanFranciscointhe1940swiththecreationofthePacificaFoundationrsquosKPFAradiostationThestationpioneeredanapproachtoradiothatcombinedresponsivenesstolisten-ersthroughsubscriptionfundingandcommunityservicewiththecreationofanopenforumforculturaljournal-isticandsocialexpressionSincethencommunityradioinitiativeshavebeendevelopedinmorethan225communi-tiesintheUnitedStatesandincountlesscommunitiesaroundtheworld

In1975communityradiotookonanationalinsti-tutionalexpressionwiththeformationofthe National Federation of Community Broadcasters(NFCB)anorganizationdedicatedtopromotingcommunityradiodevelopmentintheUnitedStatesThefederationadvo-catedcommunitycontrolnoncommercialownershipandvoluntaryparticipationintheoperationandprogrammingofcommunityradiostationsespeciallybypopulationsandgroupsthathistoricallyhadbeendeniedexpressionintheUnitedStatesNFCBprovidedtraininganddevelopmentsupporttoitsmemberstationsandundertookFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)advocacyontheirbehalfWithinadecadeNFCBhadseventymembersta-tionsand120associatemembersnationwide(Engelman1996)

Ascommunityradiohasevolvedindifferentcom-munitiesinterpretationsofitsmissionhaveexpandedtoincludestationsdedicatedtominoritycommunitiesandownershipforeignlanguagestationsdedicatedtospecificlanguagecommunitiesinalocaleandvaryingcommit-mentstocommunityinvolvementvolunteerproductionandfundingstrategiesWiththisdiversificationhascome

ideologicaldebateovercreepingcommercializationandprofessionalizationofthefieldHoweverdespitedisagree-mentsoverphilosophyandpracticescommunityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupport-ingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthemselvesasuniqueplaces

RadiostationKFAIinMinneapolis-StPaulisonesuchstationAvolunteer-basedcommunityradiostationthatbroadcastsinformationartsandentertain-mentprogrammingitoffersaneclecticmixofprogramsincludingmusiclocalnewspoetryspokenwordpoliticalforumsandinterviewsKFAIemphasizesempowermentthroughtrainingItprovidesboardcertificationtrainingandworkshopsonannouncinginterviewingandprogramdevelopmenttovolunteersCoursesaretaughtinEnglishbutbilingualvolunteershaveaccesstoanyoftheon-airprogrammersforassistanceintheirownlanguage

Low-Power FMCommunityradioreachedanotherstagewiththedevel-opmentoflow-powerFMradioorLPFMTheLPFMmovementwasapoliticalresponsetoincreasingconsoli-dationoflocalradioownershipafterthepassageofthe1996CommunicationsActandasenseamongthoseinthegrassrootsradiomovementthatcommunityradiowasfallingpreytopressurefromtheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting(CPB)tobecomemoreaudience-drivenhomogenizedinprogrammingandprofessionalizedthuslessinterestedincommunityparticipation(Cano2003)Tocounterthesetrendsmediaactivistsbegansettingupmicro-powerradiostationsincommunitiesusinglow-powerbroadcasttransmitterswithanapproximateservicerangeofthree-and-a-halfmilesanareaoftenassmallasasingleneighborhood

In1998thegrowthofLPFMspurredthecreationofthePrometheus Radio Projectfoundedbyactiviststoassistcommunitygroupsinacquiringlow-powerFMradio

Communityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupportingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthem-selvesasuniqueplaces

TheURLsoforganizationssetinboldfaceareprovidedinApendices2(aggregatorsassociations)and3(practitioners)

broadcastlicensesfromtheFCCandingettingtheirsta-tionsupandrunningoncetheywerelicensedAsaresultofthisactivismtheFCCofficiallyacknowledgedlow-powerFMinUSbroadcastingpolicyin2000LPFMstationsarenowlicensedfornoncommercialeducationalbroadcastingonlyandaconstructionpermitisrequiredbeforeaLPFMstationcanbebuiltoroperatedThelowcostoflow-powerradiohasallowedmanyorganizationswithstrongcommit-mentstocommunitycontrolnoncommercialgrassrootsfundingandparticipatoryproductionandmanagementprocessestoenterthecommunityradiomovement

WCIW-LPisalow-powerFMstationinImmokaleeFloridaoperatedbythe2500-memberCoalitionofImmokaleeWorkersItishardtoimagineabetterexampleofcommunityempowermentingrassrootsLPFMthanWCIW-LPItfocusesonacommunitythatisbothacommunityofworkersandageographiccommunitythestationandtransmitterarelocatedinthesamelotwherethecoalitionrsquosmembersboardbusesboundforthetomatofieldsofFloridaLaunchedin2003withthehelpofthePrometheusRadioProjectWCIW-LPproducesnewsedu-cationalprogramsandmusicinSpanishHaitianCreoleandindigenouslanguagesofMexicoandGuatemalaThestationisaprimaryorganizingtoolforthecommunityinitsdefenseoftherightsofLatinoHaitianandMayanIndianmigrantandimmigrantfarmworkers

Public BroadcastingUnlikemanylocationsinEuropeandCanadatheUnitedStateshasnotdevelopedastrongcommunity-focusedbroadcastingsectorseparatefrompublicbroadcastingPublicbroadcastingintheUnitedStatesislargelysynony-mouswiththePublic Broadcasting ServiceandNational Public RadioinstitutionsthatcameintoexistencewiththepassageofthePublicBroadcastingActof1967Theactestablishedafederalsystemoftelevisionandradioheavilydependentonfederalandcorporatefunding

Thoughembattledfromitsinceptionandsaddledwithacumbersomedecentralizedstructurepublicbroad-castinghasmanagedtosurviveandfindanimportantroleinAmericanmediaNeithergovernmentalnorcommercialinitsorientationyetheavilydependentoneachitprovidesvaluablenoncommercialprogramming(Aufderheide2000b)PublicradioandtelevisionhavealsoledthewayintheUnitedStatesintheinnovativeuseofdigitalandsatellitetechnologyThePBSwebsiteisconsideredtobethemostfrequentlyvisitednonprofitsiteontheInternet(Starr2003)

YetpublictelevisionandradiofallshortofthevisiondescribedinitsfoundingdocumentsTheywere

envisionedasldquohellipaforumfordebateandcontroversyrdquoaspaceforexpressionldquohellipforgroupsinthecommunitythatmayotherwisebeunheardrdquo(CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevision1967)AsJeffChestermediacriticandreformadvocatewritesldquoWhilepublicradioatitsbestcomesmuchclosertothisidealpublictelevisionappearstohavebecomeavictimofitsownsuccessndashfullofartistryandprofessionalismtobesurebutrarelythesourceofthelocalismdiversityandrisktakingthatitsfoundersenvisionedrdquo(Chester2006)Stillitisarguablethatpublicbroadcastingwouldnothavesurvivedtothepresenthaditinsistedonlivinguptotheparticipatoryvisionsofitsfounders

ThePublicBroadcastingServiceNationalPublicRadioandtheirmemberstationscannotuniformlybechar-acterizedascommunitymediaTheirprogrammingandmanagementstructureshavereflectedthetop-downnatureoftheirfundingandtheyhavetendedovertheyearstoemphasisprofessionalismandstationmanagementpreroga-tivesoveracommitmenttodiverselocalparticipationandcommunitybuilding(Engelman1996)

Publicbroadcastingholdsmanyexamplesofexem-plarycommunityprogrammingbutfewerexamplesofrobustprogramschedulingwithcommunity-orientedcom-munity-drivenandcommunity-createdprogrammingForinstance ldquoBasic Blackrdquo from WGBH in BostonwhichhaschronicledtheconcernedandcultureofAfrican-Americanssince1968andthemulticulturalweeklytalkshowsthatareastapleofWYBE inPhiladelphiaarenoteworthyforhavingcreateduniquelocalmediaspacesthatdofunc-tionascommunitymediaInthe1990sthenationalldquoNittyGrittyCityGrouprdquoattemptedtomovepublicbroadcastingbeyondprogramexcellencetobeinganagentforsocialchangeandameansforcitizenempowerment(Larson1993)ItworkedwithgrassrootsgroupstobringattentionandaccesstothecitizensoftheircommunitiesWhilethegroupnolongerexistsitspassionforcommunityengage-mentisstillaliveinstationpersonnelaroundthecountry

ItcanbeseeninmanyoftheSound Partners for Community HealthexperimentsincollaborationsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityhealthorganizationsNewhopefulexperimentsareunderwayfromCPBanditscommunityengagementinitiativewiththeHarwoodInstituteBroaderstationsuccessesinengagingcommu-nitymembersarechronicledinRichardSomerset-WardrsquosConnecting Communities(2000)andhismorerecentBroadband Community Networks(2005)ForexamplethereistremendouspotentialattheintersectionofpublicbroadcastingandonlinecollaborativemediaWHYYhasextendeditson-airradioandtelevisionprogramming

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 7: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

aswellasliveinsomeoneelsersquosshoesItallowspartici-pantsandviewerstoderivebroadermeaningfrompersonalexperienceandprovidesin-depthcoverageofissuesonanintimatelevel

ThestorytellingishumanfromtheheartandnotnecessarilyobjectiveItiscreativeandenablesboldrawrelevantanddiversecontentcriticalforcivicdiscussionAtitsbestitisnotmerelyldquopersonalrdquomediabutoftenstorytellinginservicetolargercivicconcerns

ToframethecommunityrsquosstoriesandexperienceforcivicdiscoursecommunitymediaofteninitiatepublicconversationanddeliberationonimportantandcomplextopicsInthiswaycommunitymediaorganizationsareassumingtheroleofconvenersandauthenticatorsofinfor-mationsharinganddialoguerolesincreasinglybeinglostlocallyinderegulatedcommercialmedia

EmpowermentOnegoalofcommunitymediaistochallengenotionscon-veyedinmainstreammediaAccomplishingthisrequiresputtingcommunicationtoolsinthehandsofindividualssharingaccesswithnonprofessionalsandsupportingself-expressionandcommunitybuildingCommunitymediainstitutionsengageinempowermentindifferentwaysManyoffertrainingprogramstobuildthecapacityofcom-munitymemberstousemediatechnologiesothersassistcommunitiesingrapplingwithamedia-saturatedculturethroughmedialiteracytrainingyetothersemphasizeeco-nomicandworkforcedevelopmentthroughskillstrainingandcontentproductionByenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforper-sonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopmentTheymayeveninspireaudiencestotakeactionleadingtopoliticaltransformationTheyreachthoseoutsidethemainstreamandprovideavoiceforthevoicelessThisdynamicmakestheprocessofcreationasimportantastheproduct(SeeAppendix1)

types of mediAWheredocommunitymediafitinthebroadermedialand-scapeThelanguageweusetotalkaboutmediaculture

andprogramminghasevolvedtokeeppacewithchangingmediaformstechnologyandpracticesIncreasinglythetermpublic mediaisusedtodistinguishmediathataresupportedbythepublicandthatallowthepublictoengageinciviclifeandhaveavoiceintheirdevelopmentWithinthisbroadunderstandingofpublicmediaseveraltermsdescribemediapracticesthatfacilitatepeoplersquosparticipa-tionascitizensCommunity mediaasdefinedabovefitseasilywithinthiscategoryAlsofallingundertheumbrellaofpublicmediaaretermslikealternative media inde-pendent media participatory media citizen mediaanddevelopment mediatheseareoverlappingpracticesthatemphasizevaryingprioritiesbutallmayalsoqualifyascommunitymedia

Forthepurposesofthisreportitisusefultospe-cificallydistinguishcommunitymediafromlocalmediaHerewehavefocusedoncommunitymediathatarelocalgeographicallybutwehavealsodefinedcommunitymediaasmediathatemphasizeinclusivenessandhaveauniquesetofparticipatorypractices

Itisalsousefultonotethatthetermscitizen mediaandcitizenrsquos mediahavetakenontwodifferentandimpor-tantmeaningsinrecentyearsNeithertermreferstomediathatareexclusivelylocalThepossessiveformcitizenrsquos media isatermusedbyscholarClemenciaRodriguezandotherstorefertotheuseofmediathatallowpeopletoacteffectivelyascitizensacrossthespectrumofdailylife(Rodriguez2001)Theothertermcitizen mediaisnowbeingusedwithintheworldofonlinecollaborativemediatorefertodecentralizedpracticesinvolvingvideoandaudiobloggingsocialsoftwareapplicationsandothercollab-orativemediatoolsPractitionersofonlinecollaborativemediahaveadoptedthelanguageandpracticesofpartici-patorymediaThecurrentvisibilityoftheblogospherehascontributedtothemisconceptionthatcitizenmediaandcommunitymediahavejustemergedwiththeInternetandthatparticipatorymediaareafunctionoftechnologyratherthanofpeopleactingascitizensThisconfusionfailstorecognizesixtyyearsofgrassrootsmediaexperience

Storytellingiscentraltocommunitymediaandcanjump-startadeliberativeprocessamongcommunitymembers

Byenablingcitizenstomakeandunderstandmediacommunitymediabecomeatoolforpersonalcommunityandethnicexpressionanddevelopment

CommunitymediaarenotlimitedtoanyparticularvenuesortechnologiesTheyreflectalonghistoryofadaptingnewmediatechnologiesastheyemergeEarlyexperimentsincommunityradiobeganinthe1940sand1950sAbroadermovementfollowedinthe1960swiththeuseofsmall-for-matvideofilmsoundrecordingandtheexpandedFMradiospectrumItcontinuedthroughthe1970sand1980swiththediversificationoftelevisiondistributionnetworksandlocalpubliceducationalandgovernmentchannelsoncableTodaycommunitymediaareavitalfeatureoftheelectronicmediaenvironmentFollowingarebriefdescrip-tionsandhistoricaloverviewsofdifferentplatformswhichprovidecontextforthecommunitymediaprofilescontainedinthisreport

Community RadioGroundedinearliereffortstopreservespectrumspaceforeducationalusescommunityradiofirstappearedinSanFranciscointhe1940swiththecreationofthePacificaFoundationrsquosKPFAradiostationThestationpioneeredanapproachtoradiothatcombinedresponsivenesstolisten-ersthroughsubscriptionfundingandcommunityservicewiththecreationofanopenforumforculturaljournal-isticandsocialexpressionSincethencommunityradioinitiativeshavebeendevelopedinmorethan225communi-tiesintheUnitedStatesandincountlesscommunitiesaroundtheworld

In1975communityradiotookonanationalinsti-tutionalexpressionwiththeformationofthe National Federation of Community Broadcasters(NFCB)anorganizationdedicatedtopromotingcommunityradiodevelopmentintheUnitedStatesThefederationadvo-catedcommunitycontrolnoncommercialownershipandvoluntaryparticipationintheoperationandprogrammingofcommunityradiostationsespeciallybypopulationsandgroupsthathistoricallyhadbeendeniedexpressionintheUnitedStatesNFCBprovidedtraininganddevelopmentsupporttoitsmemberstationsandundertookFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)advocacyontheirbehalfWithinadecadeNFCBhadseventymembersta-tionsand120associatemembersnationwide(Engelman1996)

Ascommunityradiohasevolvedindifferentcom-munitiesinterpretationsofitsmissionhaveexpandedtoincludestationsdedicatedtominoritycommunitiesandownershipforeignlanguagestationsdedicatedtospecificlanguagecommunitiesinalocaleandvaryingcommit-mentstocommunityinvolvementvolunteerproductionandfundingstrategiesWiththisdiversificationhascome

ideologicaldebateovercreepingcommercializationandprofessionalizationofthefieldHoweverdespitedisagree-mentsoverphilosophyandpracticescommunityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupport-ingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthemselvesasuniqueplaces

RadiostationKFAIinMinneapolis-StPaulisonesuchstationAvolunteer-basedcommunityradiostationthatbroadcastsinformationartsandentertain-mentprogrammingitoffersaneclecticmixofprogramsincludingmusiclocalnewspoetryspokenwordpoliticalforumsandinterviewsKFAIemphasizesempowermentthroughtrainingItprovidesboardcertificationtrainingandworkshopsonannouncinginterviewingandprogramdevelopmenttovolunteersCoursesaretaughtinEnglishbutbilingualvolunteershaveaccesstoanyoftheon-airprogrammersforassistanceintheirownlanguage

Low-Power FMCommunityradioreachedanotherstagewiththedevel-opmentoflow-powerFMradioorLPFMTheLPFMmovementwasapoliticalresponsetoincreasingconsoli-dationoflocalradioownershipafterthepassageofthe1996CommunicationsActandasenseamongthoseinthegrassrootsradiomovementthatcommunityradiowasfallingpreytopressurefromtheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting(CPB)tobecomemoreaudience-drivenhomogenizedinprogrammingandprofessionalizedthuslessinterestedincommunityparticipation(Cano2003)Tocounterthesetrendsmediaactivistsbegansettingupmicro-powerradiostationsincommunitiesusinglow-powerbroadcasttransmitterswithanapproximateservicerangeofthree-and-a-halfmilesanareaoftenassmallasasingleneighborhood

In1998thegrowthofLPFMspurredthecreationofthePrometheus Radio Projectfoundedbyactiviststoassistcommunitygroupsinacquiringlow-powerFMradio

Communityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupportingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthem-selvesasuniqueplaces

TheURLsoforganizationssetinboldfaceareprovidedinApendices2(aggregatorsassociations)and3(practitioners)

broadcastlicensesfromtheFCCandingettingtheirsta-tionsupandrunningoncetheywerelicensedAsaresultofthisactivismtheFCCofficiallyacknowledgedlow-powerFMinUSbroadcastingpolicyin2000LPFMstationsarenowlicensedfornoncommercialeducationalbroadcastingonlyandaconstructionpermitisrequiredbeforeaLPFMstationcanbebuiltoroperatedThelowcostoflow-powerradiohasallowedmanyorganizationswithstrongcommit-mentstocommunitycontrolnoncommercialgrassrootsfundingandparticipatoryproductionandmanagementprocessestoenterthecommunityradiomovement

WCIW-LPisalow-powerFMstationinImmokaleeFloridaoperatedbythe2500-memberCoalitionofImmokaleeWorkersItishardtoimagineabetterexampleofcommunityempowermentingrassrootsLPFMthanWCIW-LPItfocusesonacommunitythatisbothacommunityofworkersandageographiccommunitythestationandtransmitterarelocatedinthesamelotwherethecoalitionrsquosmembersboardbusesboundforthetomatofieldsofFloridaLaunchedin2003withthehelpofthePrometheusRadioProjectWCIW-LPproducesnewsedu-cationalprogramsandmusicinSpanishHaitianCreoleandindigenouslanguagesofMexicoandGuatemalaThestationisaprimaryorganizingtoolforthecommunityinitsdefenseoftherightsofLatinoHaitianandMayanIndianmigrantandimmigrantfarmworkers

Public BroadcastingUnlikemanylocationsinEuropeandCanadatheUnitedStateshasnotdevelopedastrongcommunity-focusedbroadcastingsectorseparatefrompublicbroadcastingPublicbroadcastingintheUnitedStatesislargelysynony-mouswiththePublic Broadcasting ServiceandNational Public RadioinstitutionsthatcameintoexistencewiththepassageofthePublicBroadcastingActof1967Theactestablishedafederalsystemoftelevisionandradioheavilydependentonfederalandcorporatefunding

Thoughembattledfromitsinceptionandsaddledwithacumbersomedecentralizedstructurepublicbroad-castinghasmanagedtosurviveandfindanimportantroleinAmericanmediaNeithergovernmentalnorcommercialinitsorientationyetheavilydependentoneachitprovidesvaluablenoncommercialprogramming(Aufderheide2000b)PublicradioandtelevisionhavealsoledthewayintheUnitedStatesintheinnovativeuseofdigitalandsatellitetechnologyThePBSwebsiteisconsideredtobethemostfrequentlyvisitednonprofitsiteontheInternet(Starr2003)

YetpublictelevisionandradiofallshortofthevisiondescribedinitsfoundingdocumentsTheywere

envisionedasldquohellipaforumfordebateandcontroversyrdquoaspaceforexpressionldquohellipforgroupsinthecommunitythatmayotherwisebeunheardrdquo(CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevision1967)AsJeffChestermediacriticandreformadvocatewritesldquoWhilepublicradioatitsbestcomesmuchclosertothisidealpublictelevisionappearstohavebecomeavictimofitsownsuccessndashfullofartistryandprofessionalismtobesurebutrarelythesourceofthelocalismdiversityandrisktakingthatitsfoundersenvisionedrdquo(Chester2006)Stillitisarguablethatpublicbroadcastingwouldnothavesurvivedtothepresenthaditinsistedonlivinguptotheparticipatoryvisionsofitsfounders

ThePublicBroadcastingServiceNationalPublicRadioandtheirmemberstationscannotuniformlybechar-acterizedascommunitymediaTheirprogrammingandmanagementstructureshavereflectedthetop-downnatureoftheirfundingandtheyhavetendedovertheyearstoemphasisprofessionalismandstationmanagementpreroga-tivesoveracommitmenttodiverselocalparticipationandcommunitybuilding(Engelman1996)

Publicbroadcastingholdsmanyexamplesofexem-plarycommunityprogrammingbutfewerexamplesofrobustprogramschedulingwithcommunity-orientedcom-munity-drivenandcommunity-createdprogrammingForinstance ldquoBasic Blackrdquo from WGBH in BostonwhichhaschronicledtheconcernedandcultureofAfrican-Americanssince1968andthemulticulturalweeklytalkshowsthatareastapleofWYBE inPhiladelphiaarenoteworthyforhavingcreateduniquelocalmediaspacesthatdofunc-tionascommunitymediaInthe1990sthenationalldquoNittyGrittyCityGrouprdquoattemptedtomovepublicbroadcastingbeyondprogramexcellencetobeinganagentforsocialchangeandameansforcitizenempowerment(Larson1993)ItworkedwithgrassrootsgroupstobringattentionandaccesstothecitizensoftheircommunitiesWhilethegroupnolongerexistsitspassionforcommunityengage-mentisstillaliveinstationpersonnelaroundthecountry

ItcanbeseeninmanyoftheSound Partners for Community HealthexperimentsincollaborationsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityhealthorganizationsNewhopefulexperimentsareunderwayfromCPBanditscommunityengagementinitiativewiththeHarwoodInstituteBroaderstationsuccessesinengagingcommu-nitymembersarechronicledinRichardSomerset-WardrsquosConnecting Communities(2000)andhismorerecentBroadband Community Networks(2005)ForexamplethereistremendouspotentialattheintersectionofpublicbroadcastingandonlinecollaborativemediaWHYYhasextendeditson-airradioandtelevisionprogramming

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 8: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

CommunitymediaarenotlimitedtoanyparticularvenuesortechnologiesTheyreflectalonghistoryofadaptingnewmediatechnologiesastheyemergeEarlyexperimentsincommunityradiobeganinthe1940sand1950sAbroadermovementfollowedinthe1960swiththeuseofsmall-for-matvideofilmsoundrecordingandtheexpandedFMradiospectrumItcontinuedthroughthe1970sand1980swiththediversificationoftelevisiondistributionnetworksandlocalpubliceducationalandgovernmentchannelsoncableTodaycommunitymediaareavitalfeatureoftheelectronicmediaenvironmentFollowingarebriefdescrip-tionsandhistoricaloverviewsofdifferentplatformswhichprovidecontextforthecommunitymediaprofilescontainedinthisreport

Community RadioGroundedinearliereffortstopreservespectrumspaceforeducationalusescommunityradiofirstappearedinSanFranciscointhe1940swiththecreationofthePacificaFoundationrsquosKPFAradiostationThestationpioneeredanapproachtoradiothatcombinedresponsivenesstolisten-ersthroughsubscriptionfundingandcommunityservicewiththecreationofanopenforumforculturaljournal-isticandsocialexpressionSincethencommunityradioinitiativeshavebeendevelopedinmorethan225communi-tiesintheUnitedStatesandincountlesscommunitiesaroundtheworld

In1975communityradiotookonanationalinsti-tutionalexpressionwiththeformationofthe National Federation of Community Broadcasters(NFCB)anorganizationdedicatedtopromotingcommunityradiodevelopmentintheUnitedStatesThefederationadvo-catedcommunitycontrolnoncommercialownershipandvoluntaryparticipationintheoperationandprogrammingofcommunityradiostationsespeciallybypopulationsandgroupsthathistoricallyhadbeendeniedexpressionintheUnitedStatesNFCBprovidedtraininganddevelopmentsupporttoitsmemberstationsandundertookFederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)advocacyontheirbehalfWithinadecadeNFCBhadseventymembersta-tionsand120associatemembersnationwide(Engelman1996)

Ascommunityradiohasevolvedindifferentcom-munitiesinterpretationsofitsmissionhaveexpandedtoincludestationsdedicatedtominoritycommunitiesandownershipforeignlanguagestationsdedicatedtospecificlanguagecommunitiesinalocaleandvaryingcommit-mentstocommunityinvolvementvolunteerproductionandfundingstrategiesWiththisdiversificationhascome

ideologicaldebateovercreepingcommercializationandprofessionalizationofthefieldHoweverdespitedisagree-mentsoverphilosophyandpracticescommunityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupport-ingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthemselvesasuniqueplaces

RadiostationKFAIinMinneapolis-StPaulisonesuchstationAvolunteer-basedcommunityradiostationthatbroadcastsinformationartsandentertain-mentprogrammingitoffersaneclecticmixofprogramsincludingmusiclocalnewspoetryspokenwordpoliticalforumsandinterviewsKFAIemphasizesempowermentthroughtrainingItprovidesboardcertificationtrainingandworkshopsonannouncinginterviewingandprogramdevelopmenttovolunteersCoursesaretaughtinEnglishbutbilingualvolunteershaveaccesstoanyoftheon-airprogrammersforassistanceintheirownlanguage

Low-Power FMCommunityradioreachedanotherstagewiththedevel-opmentoflow-powerFMradioorLPFMTheLPFMmovementwasapoliticalresponsetoincreasingconsoli-dationoflocalradioownershipafterthepassageofthe1996CommunicationsActandasenseamongthoseinthegrassrootsradiomovementthatcommunityradiowasfallingpreytopressurefromtheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting(CPB)tobecomemoreaudience-drivenhomogenizedinprogrammingandprofessionalizedthuslessinterestedincommunityparticipation(Cano2003)Tocounterthesetrendsmediaactivistsbegansettingupmicro-powerradiostationsincommunitiesusinglow-powerbroadcasttransmitterswithanapproximateservicerangeofthree-and-a-halfmilesanareaoftenassmallasasingleneighborhood

In1998thegrowthofLPFMspurredthecreationofthePrometheus Radio Projectfoundedbyactiviststoassistcommunitygroupsinacquiringlow-powerFMradio

Communityradiostationsremainvitalpartsoftheircommunitiessupportingcivicparticipationandeducationcommunitybuildingandcommunitiesrsquosenseofthem-selvesasuniqueplaces

TheURLsoforganizationssetinboldfaceareprovidedinApendices2(aggregatorsassociations)and3(practitioners)

broadcastlicensesfromtheFCCandingettingtheirsta-tionsupandrunningoncetheywerelicensedAsaresultofthisactivismtheFCCofficiallyacknowledgedlow-powerFMinUSbroadcastingpolicyin2000LPFMstationsarenowlicensedfornoncommercialeducationalbroadcastingonlyandaconstructionpermitisrequiredbeforeaLPFMstationcanbebuiltoroperatedThelowcostoflow-powerradiohasallowedmanyorganizationswithstrongcommit-mentstocommunitycontrolnoncommercialgrassrootsfundingandparticipatoryproductionandmanagementprocessestoenterthecommunityradiomovement

WCIW-LPisalow-powerFMstationinImmokaleeFloridaoperatedbythe2500-memberCoalitionofImmokaleeWorkersItishardtoimagineabetterexampleofcommunityempowermentingrassrootsLPFMthanWCIW-LPItfocusesonacommunitythatisbothacommunityofworkersandageographiccommunitythestationandtransmitterarelocatedinthesamelotwherethecoalitionrsquosmembersboardbusesboundforthetomatofieldsofFloridaLaunchedin2003withthehelpofthePrometheusRadioProjectWCIW-LPproducesnewsedu-cationalprogramsandmusicinSpanishHaitianCreoleandindigenouslanguagesofMexicoandGuatemalaThestationisaprimaryorganizingtoolforthecommunityinitsdefenseoftherightsofLatinoHaitianandMayanIndianmigrantandimmigrantfarmworkers

Public BroadcastingUnlikemanylocationsinEuropeandCanadatheUnitedStateshasnotdevelopedastrongcommunity-focusedbroadcastingsectorseparatefrompublicbroadcastingPublicbroadcastingintheUnitedStatesislargelysynony-mouswiththePublic Broadcasting ServiceandNational Public RadioinstitutionsthatcameintoexistencewiththepassageofthePublicBroadcastingActof1967Theactestablishedafederalsystemoftelevisionandradioheavilydependentonfederalandcorporatefunding

Thoughembattledfromitsinceptionandsaddledwithacumbersomedecentralizedstructurepublicbroad-castinghasmanagedtosurviveandfindanimportantroleinAmericanmediaNeithergovernmentalnorcommercialinitsorientationyetheavilydependentoneachitprovidesvaluablenoncommercialprogramming(Aufderheide2000b)PublicradioandtelevisionhavealsoledthewayintheUnitedStatesintheinnovativeuseofdigitalandsatellitetechnologyThePBSwebsiteisconsideredtobethemostfrequentlyvisitednonprofitsiteontheInternet(Starr2003)

YetpublictelevisionandradiofallshortofthevisiondescribedinitsfoundingdocumentsTheywere

envisionedasldquohellipaforumfordebateandcontroversyrdquoaspaceforexpressionldquohellipforgroupsinthecommunitythatmayotherwisebeunheardrdquo(CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevision1967)AsJeffChestermediacriticandreformadvocatewritesldquoWhilepublicradioatitsbestcomesmuchclosertothisidealpublictelevisionappearstohavebecomeavictimofitsownsuccessndashfullofartistryandprofessionalismtobesurebutrarelythesourceofthelocalismdiversityandrisktakingthatitsfoundersenvisionedrdquo(Chester2006)Stillitisarguablethatpublicbroadcastingwouldnothavesurvivedtothepresenthaditinsistedonlivinguptotheparticipatoryvisionsofitsfounders

ThePublicBroadcastingServiceNationalPublicRadioandtheirmemberstationscannotuniformlybechar-acterizedascommunitymediaTheirprogrammingandmanagementstructureshavereflectedthetop-downnatureoftheirfundingandtheyhavetendedovertheyearstoemphasisprofessionalismandstationmanagementpreroga-tivesoveracommitmenttodiverselocalparticipationandcommunitybuilding(Engelman1996)

Publicbroadcastingholdsmanyexamplesofexem-plarycommunityprogrammingbutfewerexamplesofrobustprogramschedulingwithcommunity-orientedcom-munity-drivenandcommunity-createdprogrammingForinstance ldquoBasic Blackrdquo from WGBH in BostonwhichhaschronicledtheconcernedandcultureofAfrican-Americanssince1968andthemulticulturalweeklytalkshowsthatareastapleofWYBE inPhiladelphiaarenoteworthyforhavingcreateduniquelocalmediaspacesthatdofunc-tionascommunitymediaInthe1990sthenationalldquoNittyGrittyCityGrouprdquoattemptedtomovepublicbroadcastingbeyondprogramexcellencetobeinganagentforsocialchangeandameansforcitizenempowerment(Larson1993)ItworkedwithgrassrootsgroupstobringattentionandaccesstothecitizensoftheircommunitiesWhilethegroupnolongerexistsitspassionforcommunityengage-mentisstillaliveinstationpersonnelaroundthecountry

ItcanbeseeninmanyoftheSound Partners for Community HealthexperimentsincollaborationsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityhealthorganizationsNewhopefulexperimentsareunderwayfromCPBanditscommunityengagementinitiativewiththeHarwoodInstituteBroaderstationsuccessesinengagingcommu-nitymembersarechronicledinRichardSomerset-WardrsquosConnecting Communities(2000)andhismorerecentBroadband Community Networks(2005)ForexamplethereistremendouspotentialattheintersectionofpublicbroadcastingandonlinecollaborativemediaWHYYhasextendeditson-airradioandtelevisionprogramming

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 9: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

broadcastlicensesfromtheFCCandingettingtheirsta-tionsupandrunningoncetheywerelicensedAsaresultofthisactivismtheFCCofficiallyacknowledgedlow-powerFMinUSbroadcastingpolicyin2000LPFMstationsarenowlicensedfornoncommercialeducationalbroadcastingonlyandaconstructionpermitisrequiredbeforeaLPFMstationcanbebuiltoroperatedThelowcostoflow-powerradiohasallowedmanyorganizationswithstrongcommit-mentstocommunitycontrolnoncommercialgrassrootsfundingandparticipatoryproductionandmanagementprocessestoenterthecommunityradiomovement

WCIW-LPisalow-powerFMstationinImmokaleeFloridaoperatedbythe2500-memberCoalitionofImmokaleeWorkersItishardtoimagineabetterexampleofcommunityempowermentingrassrootsLPFMthanWCIW-LPItfocusesonacommunitythatisbothacommunityofworkersandageographiccommunitythestationandtransmitterarelocatedinthesamelotwherethecoalitionrsquosmembersboardbusesboundforthetomatofieldsofFloridaLaunchedin2003withthehelpofthePrometheusRadioProjectWCIW-LPproducesnewsedu-cationalprogramsandmusicinSpanishHaitianCreoleandindigenouslanguagesofMexicoandGuatemalaThestationisaprimaryorganizingtoolforthecommunityinitsdefenseoftherightsofLatinoHaitianandMayanIndianmigrantandimmigrantfarmworkers

Public BroadcastingUnlikemanylocationsinEuropeandCanadatheUnitedStateshasnotdevelopedastrongcommunity-focusedbroadcastingsectorseparatefrompublicbroadcastingPublicbroadcastingintheUnitedStatesislargelysynony-mouswiththePublic Broadcasting ServiceandNational Public RadioinstitutionsthatcameintoexistencewiththepassageofthePublicBroadcastingActof1967Theactestablishedafederalsystemoftelevisionandradioheavilydependentonfederalandcorporatefunding

Thoughembattledfromitsinceptionandsaddledwithacumbersomedecentralizedstructurepublicbroad-castinghasmanagedtosurviveandfindanimportantroleinAmericanmediaNeithergovernmentalnorcommercialinitsorientationyetheavilydependentoneachitprovidesvaluablenoncommercialprogramming(Aufderheide2000b)PublicradioandtelevisionhavealsoledthewayintheUnitedStatesintheinnovativeuseofdigitalandsatellitetechnologyThePBSwebsiteisconsideredtobethemostfrequentlyvisitednonprofitsiteontheInternet(Starr2003)

YetpublictelevisionandradiofallshortofthevisiondescribedinitsfoundingdocumentsTheywere

envisionedasldquohellipaforumfordebateandcontroversyrdquoaspaceforexpressionldquohellipforgroupsinthecommunitythatmayotherwisebeunheardrdquo(CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevision1967)AsJeffChestermediacriticandreformadvocatewritesldquoWhilepublicradioatitsbestcomesmuchclosertothisidealpublictelevisionappearstohavebecomeavictimofitsownsuccessndashfullofartistryandprofessionalismtobesurebutrarelythesourceofthelocalismdiversityandrisktakingthatitsfoundersenvisionedrdquo(Chester2006)Stillitisarguablethatpublicbroadcastingwouldnothavesurvivedtothepresenthaditinsistedonlivinguptotheparticipatoryvisionsofitsfounders

ThePublicBroadcastingServiceNationalPublicRadioandtheirmemberstationscannotuniformlybechar-acterizedascommunitymediaTheirprogrammingandmanagementstructureshavereflectedthetop-downnatureoftheirfundingandtheyhavetendedovertheyearstoemphasisprofessionalismandstationmanagementpreroga-tivesoveracommitmenttodiverselocalparticipationandcommunitybuilding(Engelman1996)

Publicbroadcastingholdsmanyexamplesofexem-plarycommunityprogrammingbutfewerexamplesofrobustprogramschedulingwithcommunity-orientedcom-munity-drivenandcommunity-createdprogrammingForinstance ldquoBasic Blackrdquo from WGBH in BostonwhichhaschronicledtheconcernedandcultureofAfrican-Americanssince1968andthemulticulturalweeklytalkshowsthatareastapleofWYBE inPhiladelphiaarenoteworthyforhavingcreateduniquelocalmediaspacesthatdofunc-tionascommunitymediaInthe1990sthenationalldquoNittyGrittyCityGrouprdquoattemptedtomovepublicbroadcastingbeyondprogramexcellencetobeinganagentforsocialchangeandameansforcitizenempowerment(Larson1993)ItworkedwithgrassrootsgroupstobringattentionandaccesstothecitizensoftheircommunitiesWhilethegroupnolongerexistsitspassionforcommunityengage-mentisstillaliveinstationpersonnelaroundthecountry

ItcanbeseeninmanyoftheSound Partners for Community HealthexperimentsincollaborationsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityhealthorganizationsNewhopefulexperimentsareunderwayfromCPBanditscommunityengagementinitiativewiththeHarwoodInstituteBroaderstationsuccessesinengagingcommu-nitymembersarechronicledinRichardSomerset-WardrsquosConnecting Communities(2000)andhismorerecentBroadband Community Networks(2005)ForexamplethereistremendouspotentialattheintersectionofpublicbroadcastingandonlinecollaborativemediaWHYYhasextendeditson-airradioandtelevisionprogramming

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 10: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

throughaphysicalandvirtualldquocivicspacerdquoinPhiladelphiaand ideastreamthemergeroftwopublicbroadcast-ersinClevelandoffersitsmultimediadigitalfacilitiesandexpertisetoClevelandrsquoscommunityinstitutionsandcitizensRadioprojectslikethePublic Radio Exchange andMinnesota Public Radiorsquos Public Insight Journalismareprovidinginterestingglimpsesofthepotentialofcol-laborativemediaforpublicradioEachexamplesuggeststhatpublicbroadcastinghasgreatpotentialandtechnicalcapacitytomovebeyondsimplenotionsofldquolocalismrdquotoamorerobuststanceofcivicengagementandparticipation

Cable AccessPublicaccesstelevisionorPublicEducationalandGovernment(PEG)accesstelevisionreferstoacollectionofentitiesthatprovidelocalcontentoverdedicatedchan-nelsoncabletelevisionsystemsintheUnitedStatesPEGaccessisrootedintheactivismofthe1960sand1970satimewhenpublicaccessadvocatesenjoyedamutuallysup-portiverelationshipwithanemergingcableindustryeagertodemonstrateitspotentialtodiversifytelevision

In1969theFederalCommunicationsCommissionsawthepotentialofcabletelevisiontoopenuptelevisiontomorelocalprogrammingandbeganrequiringlargercablesystemstodeveloplocalprogrammingexperimentsTheFCCrsquosfirstcomprehensiverulingonthecableindustryin1972includedrequirementsthatcablesystemsinthe100largesttelevisionmarketsdedicateatleastthreechannelsforpubliceducationandgovernmentaccessTherulingsetoffaroundofoptimisticcommunitymediaexperimentsnationwideButthisinformalpartnershipbetweencom-munitymediaadvocatesandthecableindustrycametoanabrupthaltin1979whentheSupremeCourtruledthattheFCChadexceededitsregulatoryauthorityinmandatingthatchannelsbededicatedtoPEGaccessTherulingdidnotpreventCongressandlocalgovernmentsfromrequiringnegotiatedaccesschannelshoweverandby1979accessadvocatesweresufficientlyorganizedtomakePEGastan-dardofferingofcabletelevision

BythistimethecableindustryhadenteredwhatarereferredtoasldquothegoldrushyearsrdquoThesuccessofHBOrsquossatellite-deliveredcableprogrammingservicedemon-stratedthataudienceswithgoodfreebroadcastreceptionwouldpaytoreceiveuninterruptedmoviesandsportsCablecompaniesvigorouslycompetedforfranchisesinthecountryrsquosmostpopulousareasIfalocalcommunityrsquosfranchiseauthorityexpressedadesireforPEGaccesschannelsinitsrequestforproposalsoftenthecablecompanieswouldrespondfavorablyInadditiontochannel

set-asidesarequirementthatoperatorsprovidefundingforequipmentandpublicinterestchanneloperationsbecameuniversalThoughmanyPEGaccesscentershavediversi-fiedtheirfundingsourcesthebulkoffundingforPEGaccesschanneloperationsandprogrammingcomesfromcongressionallyandmunicipallymandatedfeesinreturnfortheuseofpublicrights-of-way

Intheirearlyyearsthemorethan2000accesschannelstheninoperationwereadministeredinvariouswaysAfewcablecompanieswereabletocompetentlyundertakecommunity-basedmanagementofthesechan-nelsbutgenerallythecableindustryhadlittleappetiteorcapacitytosuccessfullymanagetheselocalchannelsInsomecasesthefranchiseauthorityitselfmanagedthechannelsInothercasesitwasthelibrarytheuniversitycommunitycollegeorhighschoolHoweveritsoonbecameclearthatthelocalcommunityneededtomanagethisnewcommunicationcapacityseparatefromcablecompaniesandgovernmentifitspotentialtocreatecommunitymediawastoberealizedTheindependentnonprofitcorporationeventuallybecamethestandardmanagementmodelamongcommunitymediaadvocatesTodaymostsuccessfulaccesscentersaremanagedthroughnonprofitcommunitygroups(Olson2000)

BecausepublicaccesschannelscarryFirstAmendmentprotectionallowinganyoneinthecommu-nitytoplaceprogrammingonthechannelswithoutbeingsubjecttopriorrestraintsomeprogrammingonthesechannelscanseemexceedinglystrangetotheuninitiatedMuchoftheprogrammingonpublicchannelsismadebynonprofessionalsandreflectstheidiosyncraticinterestsofproducersInrecentyearshoweverpublicaccesscentershaveastutelyexpandedtheirmissionsbeyondindividu-allyfocusedprogrammingtoaddresstheneedsofwholecommunitiesthroughmorecomplexnotionsofempower-mentandcommunitybuildingThishasmeantdevelopingmoreprogramminginpartnershipwithassociationsandnonprofitscommunitygroupsagenciesandeducationalinstitutionsthathaveaclearrelationshiptothelifeoftheircommunities(Rennie2006)Significantnumbersofaccesscentershavealsomovedtoincorporateothermediabeyondvideoandtocarryoutalargerrangeofmediaeducationandmediaartsactivitiesbeyondcableprogramming

OverthecourseofcableaccessdevelopmenttheAlliance for Community Media(ACM)hasconsistentlyprovidedbothpoliticalandprofessionalleadershiptothefieldofcableaccessFormedastheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersin1978ACMquicklygrewtooccupyapresenceinWashingtonDCpolicycircles

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 11: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

andhassteadfastlyprovidedavoicefortheinterestsofthe2000accesscenterintheUSCurrentlytheACMisleadingthefightalongwithcitiesinfightingthewaveofstatewidelsquovideofranchisingrsquolegislationthroughwhichthetelephonecompaniesandcablecompaniesareattemptingtogainnear-monopolycontroloflocaltelecommunicationsmarketswhichwouldeffectivelyendcableaccessinmanycommunities

Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN)whichprovidespublicaccesscableservicesinManhattanisoneofagrowingnumberofcableaccesscentersintheUnitedStatesthathaveembracedabroadermissionofmultime-diaeducationandtrainingBeyonditscablechannelstelevisionstudiosandelectronicfieldproductionandpost-productionfacilitiesMNNfunctionsasacommunitymeetingandartsspaceandoperatesagrantingprogramandasupportnetworktositesthroughoutManhattanInrecentyearsMNNhasprovidedarichselectionofitsvideotoInternetstreamingItalsofeaturesaYouth Channeloneofthefirsttelevisionchannelstofacilitatecreativityandsocialandpoliticalparticipationamongdisadvantagedlow-incomeandminorityyouthbyprovidingthemwithaccesstoadedicatedchannelmediaproductionresourcesandtraining

Media Arts OrganizationsMediaartsorganizationswereorganizedinNorthAmericainthe1960sand1970sinresponsetotheavailabilityofnewmoreaffordableandmoreportablemediatech-nologiessuchasfilmvideoandcomputersMediaartsorganizationssupportartthatmakesuseoffilmvideoaudiomultimediaandinteractivemediaIndividualcen-tersoftenfocusononeortwoelementsofthetotalmediaartsinfrastructureprovidingsomecombinationofaccesstomediatoolsproductionproductiontrainingdistribu-tionarchivingandexhibitionofmediaart

Overtheyearscentershaveengagedinanincred-iblerangeofartisticpracticesembracingavantgardeexperimentationinfilmandvideodocumentariesnar-rativeandstorytellingcomputerartandinstallationsusingallmediaThesepracticesintersectwithcommunitymediaintheiremphasisonparticipatoryprogrammingdevelopment

ThehistoryofmediaartsorganizationsiscloselyentwinedwiththetrendsandpoliticsofpublicfundinganddevelopingtechnologyintheUnitedStatesEarlycentersoftenreceivedfoundationfundingtoexperimentwithspecificemergingtechnologiesparticularlyvideoThisinitialphaseofdevelopmentwasgivensignificantsupport

bytheMacArthurFoundationanditsmediaartsprogramfollowedbythecreationoftheNationalEndowmentfortheArtswhichinturnbeganaprogramofconsistentsupportformediaartsorganizationsnationwideTheperiodwasmarkedbythelong-termsupportbyMacArthurFoundationrelativelystablegrowthandaheadyrangeofartisticprac-ticeandexperimentation

Inthepoliticallyconservativeclimateoftheearly1990sasfundersbecameincreasinglywaryofsupportingartthatmightprovecontroversialtheNationalEndowmentfortheArtsgraduallywithdrewmostfundingforthemediaartsBytheendofthedecadetheMacArthurFoundationoneofthemediaartsrsquomostconsistentfundersendeditsyearlysupportformediaartsorganizationsclosingtheeraandforcingaperiodofdevelopmentdiversificationandrestructuringformediaartsorganizations

ThefieldhasprovenextremelyresilientTodaythefieldofmediaartsismadeupofamorediverseandmaturearrayofnonprofitorganizationsandartspracticesAlthoughmediaartsorganizationsnowplacemoreempha-sisonearnedincomeanddiversefundingsourcestheycontinuetobevitalculturalcentersprovidingcommunitiesaccesstobothmediafacilitiesandafullrangeofmediaculturalexperiencesMediaartsorganizationslikeScribeinPhiladelphiaandAppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyforexamplehavenavigatedthetechnologicalandfundingshiftsofthepastthreedecadeswithsurprisingcreativityandsavvy

TheScribe Video CenterinPhiladelphiawhichemergedin1982duringthemediaartsheydayperseveredthroughtheupsetsofthe1990stobecomeanextraordinaryexampleofwhatasocialassetamediaartscentercanbeforacommunityScribereachesouttocommunitiesincludingpeopleofcolorwomenseniorcitizensandteensthattraditionallyhavenothadaccesstovideotrainingorproductionfacilitiesandprovidesthemtoolsforstorytell-ingInadditiontoproductionandscriptwritingworkshopsScribeoffersartistsrsquoservicessuchasfiscalsponsorshipequipmentrentalandeditingfacilitiesOngoingprogramsincludeCommunityVisionsavideoproductionprogramforcommunityorganizationsStreetMoviesafreeoutdoorneighborhood-basedscreeningseriesandtheProducersrsquoForumscreeningandlectureseriesofvisitingartistsandmediaactivistsAdditionallyScribeproducestheDocumentaryHistoryProjectforYouthanannualproduc-tionworkshopformiddleandhighschoolstudents

AppalshopinWhitesburgKentuckyisoneoftheoldestmediaartsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesAsitswebsiteindicatesAppalshopwasfoundedin1969to

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 12: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

enablepeopletousemediatotelltheirownstoriesinordertoldquosolvetheirownproblemsrdquoIthasbecomeanationallyrecognizedmediacenterworkinginfilmvideoaudioandmusicrecordingsliteraturetheaterliveperformanceandradioallfocusedonAppalachiancultureItsworkdocumentstraditionalartsexploreshistoryandaddressessocialissuesthataffecttheAppalachianregiontodayAppalshopprovidesregionallyandnationallyfocusededu-cationandtrainingprogramsTwoofthemostnotablearetheAppalachianMediaInstituteayouthmediatraininginitiativeandCommunityMediaInstitutewhichworkswithgrassrootsgroupsandpublicinterestorganizationsfromtheregionandnationallytoaccomplishstrategiccom-municationplanningaroundsocialjusticeorganizing

TheNational Alliance for Media Arts and CulturehasconsistentlyprovidedthoughtfulleadershiptothemediaartsfieldthroughtechnicalassistanceprogramsandstrategicplanninginitiativesItsDeepFocusprojectin2004usedscenarioplanningtoenvisionthefutureofmediaarts(Blau2004)Asaresultofthiskindofworktheearlynetworkofmediaartsorganizationshasexpandedtoincludeover274mediaartsorganizationsThisrepre-sentsasignificantbroadeningofthefieldofmediaartsencompassingmanysmallermediaartsorganizationswithspecificartisticculturalorcommunityobjectivesThemediaartsfieldhasmostrecentlyseentheemergenceofmanyyouthmediaorganizationswiththecriticalmissionofcreatingmedialiteracysurvivalskillsforyoungpeopleastheynavigatethemediasaturatedsocialenvironmentofthetwenty-firstcentury

Ethnic MediaEthnicmediarepresentagrowingvitalsectorofAmericanelectronicmediathatintersectswithcommunitymediainanumberofimportantwaysHistoricallyethnicmediaout-letshavearisenontheperipheryofUSbroadcastingoftenwithoutnetworkaffiliationtoservepopulationsthatdonothaveaccesstomainstreammediaandpopularcultureThesehaveincludednewimmigrantgroupsnon-Englishlanguagegroupsthepoliticallyoppressedandpopulationsstrivingtomaintainculturaltraditionsandtiestotheirhomelandswhileadaptingtoanewsociety

ThatpatternhasrepeatedwaxedandwanedasdifferentpopulationshavecometotheUnitedStatesinthepastcenturyThekeyhistoricalintersectionbetweencommunitymediaandethnicmedialiesintheearlyyearsofcommunityradiofollowingWorldWarIIwhenawaveofBlackradiostationsandformatsfilledspacecreatedintheshiftingmedialandscapebytheintroductionoftelevision

ThisshiftbroughtawaveofBlackinvestmentandprogramexperimentationthatseriouslyinfluencedthekindsofcommunityradioprogrammingthatevolvedintheUnitedStatesToalargeextenttheimprovisationalradioformatscombiningmusicandpoliticaltalkcultureandcur-rentaffairswerefirstworkedoutinpost-warBlackradio(Barlow1988Lloyd2006)

Ethnicmediaencompassescommercialandnoncom-mercialmediahugemultinationalsandsmalllocallyownedoperationsEthnicandcommunitymediaoftenintersectgeographicallyEthnicgroupsoftenidentifywithaspecificplaceandusemediatoarticulateasenseofsolidarityinthoseplacesLikecommunitymediaethnicmediafrequentlyembodyparticipatoryapproachestopro-grammingandproductionandareoftenresponsestodeepdissatisfactionwiththeownershipstructuresandbiasesofthemainstreammedia

OneofthemostsignificantongoingsourcesforethnicmediahasbeentheCorporationforPublicBroadcastingthroughitsfundingofthefivemembersoftheNationalMinorityConsortiaNational Asian American Telecommunications Association National Black Programming Consortium Native American Public Telecommunications Pacific Islanders in Communications and Latino Public BroadcastingTheseethnicprogrammingnetworksandtheIndependent Television ServiceprovidemillionsofdollarseachyeartotheirnetworksofethnicandindependentprogrammakersforprogramstargetedtothePublicBroadcastingService

CurrentlyethnicmediaareundergoingexplosivegrowthacrosstheUnitedStatesconsistentwithdemo-graphicshiftsTherearesignificantincreasesintheproportionofnon-EnglishspeakersLatinosAsiansMiddleEasternersandPacificIslandersintheUSpopulationandcorrespondingincreasesinethnicmediaDuringthecommunitymediaroundtablesconductedforthisreportparticipantsrepeatedlyexpressedappreciationforthenumberofethnicmediaoutletsthatusedparticipatorystrategiesinsupportingtheimmigrationproteststhatoccurredthroughouttheUnitedStatesin2006

OneindicationofthegrowthandsophisticationofethnicmediaisNew America Media (NAM)thelargestnationalcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsintheUnitedStatesNAMldquoproducesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmediasectoranddevelopspioneeringmarketingservicesonbehalfofcorporationsfoundationsandnonprofitswhoaretargetingethnicmediaandethniccommunitiesrdquoNewAmericaMediaisanetworkedcommunitythatlinksthousandsofethnic

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 13: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

0

mediaorganizationsintheUnitedStatesItsrecentstudyldquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquosurveysHispanicAmericansAfricanAmericansAsianAmericansArabAmericansandNativeAmericans(NewAmericaMedia2005)NAMfoundthatmorethanaquarterofthenationrsquospopulationusesethnicmediainsomecapacity

NewonlinejournalismsitessuchastheTwin Cities Media AlliancersquosDaily PlanetprofiledinthisreportareemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareThe TC Daily Planetaggregatesincreasingnumbersofethnicimmigrantandnon-mainstreamjournalistsinMinneapolis-StPaulAnotherexamplementionedinthisreportRadio Arte (WRTE)maybetheonlybilingual(SpanishEnglish)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheMexicanFineArtsCenterMuseumthiseducationalradiostationhasayouthtrainingandproductiontrainingprogramandapowerfulwebpresenceinadditiontoitsurbanbroadcastfootprint

BothTC Daily PlanetandRadioArteunderscorethecommonalitiesbetweenethnicmediaandcommunitymediaInmanycircumstancesethnicmediaandcom-munitymediacanbevirtuallyindistinguishableThisconvergenceofvaluesgeographyandpoliticscouldeasilyserveasthefoundationforcollaborationandpartner-ingbetweencommunityandethnicmediainspecificcommunities

Civic JournalismBothcivicjournalismandpublicjournalismrefertoamovementwithinprofessionaljournalismthathonorsnewsorganizationsrsquoroleinconveningandfacilitatingpublicdeliberationanddebatesinwhichaudiencesaretreatedasactiveparticipantsratherthanpassiveconsumersThePew Center for Civic JournalismdefinescivicjournalismasldquobothaphilosophyandasetofvaluessupportedbysomeevolvingtechniquesAtitsheartisabeliefthatjournal-ismhasanobligationtopubliclifendashanobligationthatgoesbeyondjusttellingthenewsorunloadinglotsoffactsrdquo(PewCenter2007)Thisphilosophyemergesfromanunder-standingthatcitizensareincreasinglydisengagedinciviclifeandthatnewsorganizationscanreactivateanapatheticcitizenryNewsorganizationspracticingcivicjournal-ismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunitiesresultinginenhancedcredibilityimprovedcommunicationbetweenthemselves

andthecommunityandbettercoverageofissuesoflocalconcern

CommittedtosupportingjournalisticeffortstorevitalizecitizenshipwhileobjectivelyreportinghardtruthsthePewCenterestablishedtheBattenAwardforExcellenceinCivicJournalismin1995OneofthefirstawardswenttoThe Charlotte ObserverofCharlotteNorthCarolinaforanineteen-monthin-depthseriesoncrimeinnineneighborhoodsReportersspenttwoyearsincrime-riddenneighborhoodsencouragingresidentsinthoseneighborhoodstoreportontherootcausesofcrimeandtoparticipateinthesearchforsolutions

Community NetworkingWhilestillinitsearlytext-basedphasetheInternetwasbeingadoptedasacommunity-buildingtoolbyanumberofgeographicallybasedorganizationsManyoftheseearlycommunitynetworksevolvedfromldquofreenetsrdquoalliedthroughtheNational Public Telecomputing Network(NPTN)AtthattimeNPTNwasthefourthmostpopularpubliccom-puternetworkbehindCompuServeAmericaOnlineandProdigy(Schuler1995)

SomeoftheseearlycommunitynetworksweresimplyInternetdestinationswherecommunity-basedinformationwascollectedandpresentedOthersevolvedasadjunctstotheInternetconnectionsprovidedbylocalInternetserviceprovidersLikeothercommunitymediathepioneersofcommunitynetworkingweremotivatedtousethisnewcommunicationstechnologytostrengthentheircommunities

CommunitynetworkingwaschangedirrevocablywiththeadventoftheWorldWideWebandthesurgeindemandforInternetaccessTheWorldWideWebreplacedmostofthesoftwareapplicationsthatwerebeingusedatthattimetomakeinformationaccessibletopeoplethroughacommunitynetworkThisandthedemandsurgelow-eredthepriceofcommercialInternetaccesstothepointwheretherewaslittlemotivationtobecomeamemberofacommunitynetworkastheywerepracticedatthetimeAsaresultcommunitynetworkinghasbecomelessaboutInternetaccessandmoreabouttheculturalpracticeof

Newsorganizationspracticingcivicjournalismaimtoestablishdeeperconversationswithbroadercross-sectionsoftheircommunities

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 14: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

communitynetworkingwithafocusonsocialnetworkingsoftwaredevelopmentandutilizationCommunitynetwork-ershavealwaysenjoyedclosealignmentwithopensourcesoftwaredevelopersandnowareconcernedwithusingtheInternetintandemwithopensourcesocialnetworkingsoftwaretoaccomplishmanyofthegoalsofcommunitymedia(Schuler2004)

The Metropolitan Austin Interactive Network (MAIN)isanonprofitorganizationcommittedtoinfor-mationsharingandcommunicationamongpeopleandgovernmentaleducationalcommercialculturalreligiousandcivicorganizationsItoperatesacommunity-basedwebsitethatprovidesandaggregatesabroadarrayofinformationcriticaltoAustinresidentsfromemploymentinformationtoenvironmentalartsandculturalcontentMAINiscommittedtohelpingitscommunitymakeeffec-tiveuseoftheInternetandothernetworkcommunicationsstructuresbutdoesnotdirectlyprovidenetworkconnectiv-ityMAINprovidesfreewebhostingandwebdevelopmentassistancethroughabroaddigitalliteracyprogramthatincludestrainingingeneralcomputerandInternetusage

SatelliteWhilesatellitetelevisioncannotbeconsideredcommunitymediabecauseitisneitherlocalnorspecificallycom-munity-focuseditdeservesmentionherebecauseofitsexistingandpotentialcontributionstocommunitymediagoalsSatellitetelevisionisfocusedonnationalvideodistributionviacableanddirectbroadcastservicestohomesatellitedishesTofosterthepublicrsquosinterestindiverseprogrammingviasatellitetheFCCin1992imposedcertainpublicinterestobligationsonDirectBroadcastService(DBS)providersThecommissionruledthatDBSprovid-ersmustreservefourpercentoftheirchanneltranspondercapacityexclusivelyfornoncommercialprogrammingofaneducationalorinformationalnatureUnfortunatelytheFCCleftituptotheDBScompaniestodecidewhichprogram-merswouldbeselectedfromeligibleprogrammersManyfeelthepotentialofDBStoservethepublicinteresthasbeensignificantlycurtailedasaresult(Anderson2000)

Neverthelesssatellitehasbecomehometosomeprogrammersthatembodythevaluesandpracticesofcom-munitymediaNotablyDeepDishTVFreeSpeechTVLinkTVandasofApril2007StarfishTelevisionNetworkarealldistributedviasatelliteduetotheset-asiderulesadoptedbytheFCCEachoffersprogrammingthatembodiesvaluesofdiversityandempowermentwhiledemonstratingthenecessityofset-asidepoliciesfornoncommercialfrequency

andbandwidthatalllevelsofthemediainfrastructureifnoncommercialmediaistoflourishTheyconsistentlyrunprogramsproducedbycommunitymediaactivistsandindependentproducersandrepresentonepossiblewayforcommunitymediaorganizationstodevelopanationalprogrammingreachthatcouldfacilitateldquolocaltolocalrdquocommunicationswhiledevelopinganationalnetworkofprogressivecommunityprogramming

Deep Dish TVpioneeredtheuseofsatellitetoestablishacollaborativenetworkamongactivisttelevisionproducersandpublicaccesscablestationsin1986DrawingontheearlierexperimentsofthePublicInterestVideoNetworkDeepDishbegancreatingprograminstallmentsforsatellitedistributionVideoprogrammingselectedfromactivistandcommunitytapesaroundthecountrywerefedtosatellitetransponderswithanationalfootprintwheretheywerepickedupbyhundredsofcableaccessorganiza-tionsandcommunitymediacentersintheUnitedStates(Pierce2003)

DeepDishrsquos1991satellitebroadcastsoftheGulfCrisisTVProjectareconsideredbymanytobehistoricmomentsincommunitymediaandUScommunicationshistoryadirectinterventioninaninternationalcrisisbypublicaccesstelevisionandindependentmediaactivistsDeepDishTVassembledavideoanti-warteach-induringthefirstGulfWarandmadeitavailabletotheirnetworkviasatelliteThesuccessoftheGulfCrisisprojectexpandedDeepDishrsquosnetworktoincludeindependentpublictelevi-sionsitesanyonewithahomesatellitereceiverandothercommunitymediaandmediaartsorganizationsRalphEngelmanwritesthatDeepDishrsquosuseofsatelliteallowedcommunitymediaactiviststofulfilltwooftheircoreobjec-tivesldquograssrootsparticipationandthepresentationofdiversealternativeperspectivesrdquo(Engelman1996)

TheseearlysuccessesinnetworkingcommunitytelevisionviasatellitehavemorerecentlybeenextendedbyFree Speech TVandAmyGoodmanrsquosDemocracyNowprogrammingFreeSpeechTVextendedthetechnicalcapacitytonetworkwithcableaccessbyraisingfundstobuydirectsatellitereceiversforcableaccessfacilitiesinterestedincablecastingFreeSpeechTVprogram-mingThistechnicalnetworkthenbecameaprogressiveprogramnetworkcalledintoexistencealmostsingle-hand-edlybythehighlysought-afterprogressiveprogrammingofDemocracyNowInturnthepresenceofDemocracyNowprogrammingisconsistentlyservingtoincreasetheaudiencesandsupportforcableaccessincommunitiesthroughouttheUnitedStates

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 15: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

AttheirheartcommunitymediaareaboutmakingmediawithpeoplenotmerelyaboutorforpeopleIt

isasoneChicagoroundtableparticipantnotedlikeldquotheneighborhoodgoingouttodinnerrdquoButasanyonewhohaseverhostedalargedinnerpartyknowsthisisnotalwayseasilyaccomplishedInroundtablediscussionswithcommunitymediapractitionersthreestrategiesndashcollabo-ration across sectors and platforms training and outreach ndashemergedrepeatedlyaswaysofsuccessfullyengagingthebreadthanddiversityoftheircommunitiesInadditionafourthstrategyconnecting with immigrant populationsyieldedinsightsintosomeuniquechallengesandbenefits

strAtegies CollaborationMediainstitutionscanplaytheroleoffacilitatorsintheircommunitiesdemystifyingtheprocessofproductionpro-vidingpeoplewithaccesstotheresourcestheyneedandbuildingonthehistoryandgoalsofcivicjournalismThisrolerequiresmediainstitutionstorethinktraditionaljour-nalismandmayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityInvitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescover-agemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversationForinstanceTwin Cities Public Television(TPT)dedicatestimeononeofitsdigitalchannelstolocalandregionalprogrammingincludingprogramstargetedattheLatinoHmongHindiSomaliandVietnamesecommu-nitiesTocreateprogrammingfortheldquoMinnesotaChannelrdquothestationpartnerswithnonprofitorganizationswhopayTPTforproductionsupportandguaranteedbroadcastoftheprogramming

Sound Partners for Community HealthhasshownthatauthenticpartnershipsbetweenpublicbroadcastersandcommunityinstitutionsenableeachpartytoreachlargermorediverseandtargetedaudiencesonhealthissuesimportanttothecommunityCommunityinstitutionspromotedbroadcastsandpublicbroadcastersincreasedthevisibilityoftheirinstitutionalpartnerswhoofferedadditionalresourcesandreferralstoviewersandlistenersandhelpedtodisseminateprogrammingonCDsandDVDsInadditionbymarryingtheexpertiseofcommunity-basedhealthorganizationsandvoicesoflocalresidentswiththeproductionvaluesofhigh-qualityradioandtelevisionpro-grammingSoundPartnerspositionedcommunitymembersasproactiveplannersofandstakeholdersinmediainitia-tivesratherthanpassiverecipientsofmediaattention

Buttherewasinevitabletensioninseparatingjour-nalismfromadvocacywhichrequiredtrustonthepartofallparticipantstoresolveInthecaseoftheSoundPartnerscollaborationsincommunity-basedjournalismpublicbroadcastersneededtotrustthattheirnonprofitpartnerswouldnrsquotadvancetheirownorganizationalagendasattheexpenseoftruthandnonprofithealthorganizationsneededtotrustthattheirbroadcastpartnerswouldrespecttheirexpertise

TheSoundPartnersexperienceaffirmedwhatmanyroundtableparticipantspointedoutmdashtheneedtobuildbridgesacrossmediaaswellSoundPartnersfoundthatcommercialradiostationsandpublicaccesschannelswithcloselinkstoandinfluenceonthecommunityhelpedimplementstrongmediacampaignsincollaborationwithpublicbroadcastingRoundtableparticipantssawcommer-cialmediaoutletsasespeciallyimportantamongimmigrantgroups

Pointingtoanotheraspectofcollaborationround-tableparticipantsimploredmediainstitutionstobeopentosharinginfrastructuretoaccomplishtheirmissionsManynonprofitmediagroupsarestrugglingtosurvivebuthaveassetsthatcanbesharedorintegratedtobetterservetheircommunitiesinacoordinatedefficientwayCreatingcollaborativestructuresasbasicasco-locationoffacilitiesorascomplexasorganizationalmergerscanbeimportantfordisseminatingprogrammingsecuringfundingandprotectingpotentiallycontroversialissueprogrammingForexampleManhattan Neighborhood Networkhashistori-callyleverageditscablefranchise-securedcapitalfunding

engAging community WhAtrsquos Working

Invitingcommunitymemberstohelpwithstoriesmakescoveragemorereflectiveofthecommunitymoreofatwo-wayconversation

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 16: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

tobuildcapacityinothermediaorganizationssuchasastudioandpost-productionfacilitieswithDowntownCommunityTelevisioninChinatownAndinkeepingwiththesamenetwork-buildingapproachtofacilitatingpartici-pationMNNalsofeaturesaYouthChannelconsideredtobethefirstchannelcreatedforyouthbyyouthMNNhasbecomeoneofthecentralhubsinManhattanaroundwhichindependentandcommunitymediagatherforscreeningsadvancededucationalopportunitiesartisticandpoliticaldebatecommunitybuildingandsocialnetworkingcreat-inganexcitingdemocraticmediaculture

Manyparticipantsacknowledgedthatcollaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consumingItplacesdemandsonin-houseknowledgeandconfrontspartneringorganiza-tionsrsquodifferentgoalseditorialpoliciesandresourcesIftheyaretolastpartnershipsneedproperresearchonthefrontendandmulti-leveledsupportChangesinleader-shipcandisruptplanssopartneringcanrsquotbetiedtoonepersonrsquosrelationshiptoanotherpersonitrequiresanetworkofpeopleunderstandingandcontributingtothepartnershipMulti-yearprojectsareimportanttodevelopinfrastructureandsustainefforts

TrainingRoundtableparticipantssawcommunitymediainstitutionsasimportantsourcesbothforjobsandskillstrainingandforbuildingthecapacityoflocalnonprofitgroupsWhileacquiringmediaskillsmaybeacareerpathoutofpovertyironicallycommunitymediaworkisoftenunpaidandpoorpeoplemustprioritizepayingjobsoverparticipationincommunitymediamakingRoundtableparticipantsexpressedconcernthatthereisnotcurrentlyawaytoeconomicallysustaintheeffortsoflow-incomepeoplewhodovolunteerincommunitymedia

CableaccesscenterslikeChicagorsquos CAN-TVandManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkprovidegrantstrainingandequipmenttocommunitygroupswhothendevelopmultimediaproductsandshowcasethemindifferentvenuesThesecentersfacilitatetheexpressionofnon-technology-orientedcommunitymembersandprovidethemwithusefuljobskills

ThetrainingcomponentiscrucialfordevelopingauthenticvoicesinprogrammingBlessedwithadiversetechnology-savvycommunitythatincludesbothHarvard

andMITcampuspopulationsCambridge Community Television CCTVhasbroadeneditseducationalprogramstoincludeadvancedworkshopsandextendededucationalprogramsindocumentarymakingdigitalstorytellingwebsitedesignandstrategiccommunicationsplanningandimplementationCommunitymembersarealsoabletouseCCTVrsquoscomputertechnologycenterfortraininginavarietyofsoftwareapplicationsincludingphotoeditinganddesignandcomputernetworkingThecenterhasbroadeneditsdistributionofvideoprogrammingtoincludeweb-basedmediastreamingofpre-recordedprogrammingpodcastsaudiochannelsandldquoCambridgeCommunityRadiordquowherememberscansignupfortwo-hourblocksofliveradiotimeThecenterrsquosservicesaddresstheneedsofactivistsnonprofitcommunitygroupsmediaeducatorsandpeopleseekingjobskillsthatextendfarbeyondthoseneededtofillthepublicchannelswithvideoItsofferingsareexpand-ingtoincludeworkshopsinpodcastingdigitalaudioproductionvideobloggingandcyberjournalismCCTVtakesdigitalmediaconvergenceseriouslyunderstandingthatmediaproductiontrainingproductionanddistribu-tionarenowapplicableacrossanumberofplatformsandproductionskillsets

Bay Area Video Coalition(BAVC)isanotherorganizationthatmakesemergingvideotechnologyacces-sibletoindependentmediamakersIthasevolvedintoaninternationallyrenownedmediaartscenterthatleadsthefieldinitshigh-qualityproductionandprofessionaldevelopmentsupportfornoncommercialmediamakersThecenteralsoprovidesclassestolow-incomeyouthinmediaartsproductionaswellasworkshopsforcommunitygroupsandnonprofitsBAVChasconsistentlyoffereddevelopmentseminarsandtrainingprogramsthatbringcommercialpro-ducersandnoncommercialproducerstogetherinacommonsettingItoffersoneoftheregionrsquoskeycertifiedtrainingprogramsforcompanieslikeAppleAvidandDigidesignThroughagrantfromtheFordFoundationBAVChasundertakenanationalstudyonldquoDigitalWorkforceDevelopmentrdquoallowingtheorganizationtoestablishitselfasanationalandregionalleaderinprofessionaldevelop-ment(Most2002)Itsprofessionaldevelopmentprogramisasignificantforuminwhichcommercialandnoncom-mercialmediamakerscancometogetherforprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesinsettingsthatrespectthepublicinterestandroleofmediainsocialdevelopment

OutreachOutreachakeytoolformediagroupsmovestherelation-shipbetweencommunityandmediabeyondconsumption

Collaborationishardexpensiveandtime-consuming

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 17: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

tosocialchangeItinvitespeopletointeractwithmediatobeaffectedbyitandtoaffectothersItaskspeoplewhattheyneedandinvitesthemtocometogethertomeetthoseneeds

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearch-ingwhatthecommunityneedsdetermininghowtoreachitmosteffectivelyandhiringstaffwhohaveoutreachskillsandarewellversedinthecultureandlanguageofthegroupsbeingtargetedAChicagofilmmakerrecountedhowtheseconsiderationsimpactedhisdocumentaryaboutworkersrsquorightsOutreachstaffconsideredthepotentialimpactontwoaudiencesalargeaudienceofPBSviewerssittingintheirlivingroomsandasmallerbutmoreengagedaudienceofsteelworkerswatchingthedocumentaryatalocalbarTheyconcludedthatthebarviewerswouldberivetedbecausetheinformationinthedocumentarywasgearedtothemSuccessfuloutreachasksWhatdogroupspayattentiontoWhomdotheytrustWhatplatformauthenticallyrepresentsthem

NationalprogrammingcanbeacatalystforlocaloutreachParticipantsinChicagoandMinneapolis-StPauldiscussedtheexampleofldquoTheNewAmericansrdquoanationalPBSseriesonimmigrantsproducedby Kartemquin Films Active VoiceanationalorganizationthatworkswithmediamakerstobringaboutpersonalandinstitutionalchangeworkedwithKartemquintopackageseriesfootagethatfocusedonnewarrivalstoMinnesotaTheresultwasalocalseriesldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoandapartnershipthatusedmediatoeducatethemainstreamcommunityaboutlocalimmigrantsandtodevelopdiscussionandactivityguidesforcommunityoutreach

Connecting with Immigrant PopulationsMinoritypopulationsandgroupsconcernedwithsupportingtheidentitiesofmarginalizedpopulationshaveincreasinglyturnedtocommunitymediaassourcesofinformationvali-dationofcultureandproductionsupportforthecreationoftheirowncontentCommunitymediahavehelpedcallattentiontothelivesandconcernsofimmigrantcommuni-tiesthatareotherwiseinvisibleoutsidetheirparticularcommunityBecausetheyoftenhavefoundinnovativewaystousecommunitymediafornetworkingandsocialchangeimmigrantpopulationsillustratethepowerofcommunity

mediaandpresentrichopportunitiesformakingcommu-nitymediaorganizationsmorediverseandparticipatoryRoundtableparticipantssharedlessonsinwhatworksandofferedspecificideasforframinganewcommunitymediaprogramaddressingtheneedsofimmigrantsandreceivingcommunitiescalledNew Routes to Community Health

Inreachingouttoimmigrantcommunitiesround-tableparticipantsnotedthatitiscriticaltoidentifyandworkwithexistingagenciesthatimmigrantstrustperhapsachurchorassociationforaparticularethnicgroupButthoughimmigrantgroupsarethemostappropriateconve-nersofsuchcollaborativestheymustalsohavethecapacitytoconvene

TheselectionofplatformalsodeservescarefulconsiderationRoundtableparticipantsnotedthatinadapt-ingtechnologiestotheirownpurposesspecificimmigrantgroupsoftenpreferoneplatformoveranotherForexampleChicagorsquosKorean-AmericancommunityhasbeensuccessfulinusingethnicprintmediatoaddresscommunityissuesThePersianstorytellingtraditionhasmadePersianahugeandgrowinglanguagesegmentonblogsPersianisnowthefourthmostwidelyusedlanguageonweblogs(Macintyre2004)A2000surveyofSomalianimmigrantsinMinnesotashowedthatoverfortypercenteventhenconsideredtheInternettheirmainnewssource(Aynte2006)

RadioinparticularhasshowntremendouspowerinthedevelopingworldpartlyasaresultoftheUnitedNationsrsquoemphasisonradioasthemediumsupportingthemostwidespreadpracticeofcommunitymediaintheworldBecausetheyarefamiliarwithradiobeforecomingtotheUnitedStatesimmigrantgroupsoftenquicklyembraceradiouponarrivalinthiscountryItisalsooneofthemostinexpensiveformsofmediaandthereforeoneofthemostaccessibleldquoIftheycomefromLatinAmericatheyknowthepowerofradiordquoChicagoparticipantsnotedenthusiasti-callyLocalcommercialSpanish-languageradiostationseffectivelyhelpedmobilizeturnoutforimmigrationprotestsinChicagoinMay2006

community spotlightManycommunitiesintheUnitedStatescanpointwithpridetotheachievementsoftheircommunitymediaorganizationsWhenattemptingtoidentifybestpracticesinthenetworkedmediaenvironmentsweseetodayhoweveritisusefultothinkintermsofinterconnectionandcol-laborationnottolooksimplyatindividualmediacentersorbroadcaststationsOftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroupsThe

Thekeytocreatingrelevantoutreachisresearchingwhatthecommunityneeds

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 18: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

communitiesspotlightedbelowhavebegunincorporatingpartnershipsandcross-platformcollaborationintothepracticeofcommunitymediaandhavebeguntoreapthebenefitsofthatapproach

Portland OregonTheMetro Government Community Media InitiativeillustratesthepotentialpowerofcommunitiesworkingtogethertoproducetheirownmediaratherthanhavingtheirstoryframedbycommercialnewsorganizationsAlthoughtheprojecthasnowendeditisincludedherebecauseitprovidedsuchastrongmodelforfuturecommu-nitymediaeffortsTheinitiativewasrootedinaproposalbylocalindependentfilmmakerTomChamberlinthatlocalmediamakerscommunitymediaorganizationscommunitygroupsandgovernmentagenciescollaboratetoproducepublicaffairstelevisionprogramsonissuesofconcerntoOregoniansMetroauniqueregionalgovernmentprimarilyresponsibleforregionalland-useandtransportationplan-ningtookChamberlinrsquosideatoheartWithagrantfromtheFederalHighwayAdministrationMetroandanallianceofcommunityorganizationsandgovernmentagenciesdevel-opedldquoZigZagRealStoriesNewAnglesrdquoaprogrambylocalfilmmakersfeaturingpersonalstoriesfromadiversegroupofregionalresidentsastheygrappledwiththetransporta-tionchoicesaffectingtheirfamiliesneighborhoodsandcommunities

InadditiontothecenterpiecebroadcastonOregon Public BroadcastingtheprojectcreatedaninteractivewebsiteanddistributedaDVDoftheprogramtothearearsquoscableaccesschannelsElementsoftheprojectalsofoundtheirwayontoPortlandrsquoscommunityradiostationKBOOandpacketsincludingextensivesupportmaterialsandDVDsweremadeavailableforscreeninginneighborhoodcentersandindependentmediavenuesTherewasalsoaplanninganddeliberationprocesstostrategizeabouthowcitizensgovernmentsandmediamakerscancollaboratetocreatecommunitydialogueandsolvecivicproblems

Asurbanspaceisincreasinglydefinedbytelecom-municationsasmuchastransportationandlandusetheprojectalsoillustratesthepowerfuloutcomesthat

canresultwhenregionaltelecommunicationsplanningbecomesintegratedwithlanduseandtransportationplan-ningandwhencommunitymediaareintegratedintobothformalandinformalprocessesofplanninganddelibera-tionTheMetroCommunityMediaInitiativeresultedinasignificantandmeasurableriseinregionalawarenessofthetransportationplanningissuesaddressedbytheproj-ectViewershipandDVDusesofthemediaincommunitysettingsexceededexpectations(Metro2004)AlthoughtheprojectwasnotimmediatelyreplicatedPortlandnowenjoyscontinuingcollaborationsbetweenMetrogovern-mentanditsareacommunitymedia

ParticipationintheMetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiative isonlyoneofthemanywaysPortlandrsquosKBOOradiohasdemonstrateditsfullcommitmenttotheoriginaldemocraticintentionsofcommunityradiooverthecourseofitsforty-two-yearhistoryOlderthanNationalPublicRadioKBOOisamongthelongest-liv-ingcommunityradiostationsintheUnitedStatesOfthenoncommercialradiostationsinPortlandKBOOistheonlystationwhosemissioncontainsanexplicitcommit-menttominorityprogrammersandlisteners(SussmanandEstes2004)KBOOrsquoscommitmenttodemocraticpracticeextendstoaboardofdirectorselectedentirelyfromitsmembershipwhichisopentoanyoneandanaggressivetrainingprogramconsistentwiththestationrsquoscommitmenttovolunteer-producedprogrammingmdashallprogrammingisproducedbyvolunteerswithassistanceofpaidstaffTheparticipationofwomenandminoritiesfarexceedthecommunityrsquosracialdemographics(SussmanandEstes2004)

Portland Community Media (PCM)hasarichtwenty-three-yearhistoryinPortlandwhenitcomestousingmediatobuildcommunityPCMstartedoutasacabletelevisionaccesscenterandstillprovidestheadminis-trationandtrainingtoprogramPortlandrsquoscableaccesschannelsbuthasexpandeditsmissiontoembracetheuseofcommunitymediatobringaboutbroaderparticipationincivicandculturallifePCMrsquoswebsitedescribesthecenterldquowiththreewordsndashEducateCommunicateParticipaterdquoCurrentlyPCMhasanumberofcollaborativeprojectssup-portingmedialiteracyandmediaeducationinthepublicschoolsystemitregularlyprogramsmediaproductionsfromPortlandrsquosmediaartscentertheNorthwestFilmandVideoCenteranditisplanningtoexpanditscentertosupporteconomicdevelopmentofmicroenterprisesfornewmedia

The Mt Hood Cable Regulatory Commission(MHCRC)overseesacable-relatedtelecommunicationsdevelopmentforgreaterPortlandOregonServing

Oftenthemostsuccessfulexamplesofcommunitymediaemergeoutofongoingalliancesandcollaborationsamonglocalcommunitymediagroups

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 19: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

thecommunitiesresidentsandlocalgovernmentsofFairviewGreshamPortlandTroutdaleWoodVillageandMultnomahCountyOregonTheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionnegotiatesandenforcescableservicefran-chiseandactsinthepublicinterestoncommunicationspolicyissuesatlocalstateandfederallevelsItwouldbehardtooverstatetheimportanceofMHCRCinfosteringthegrowthofcommunitymediaingreaterPortlandThroughclearandinsightfulregulationofthecablefranchiseithasassuredthatthenecessarynetworksandtelecommu-nicationsinfrastructureareavailabletoallowcommunitymediatogrow

MtHoodrsquosCommunityAccessCapitalGrantsProgramisparticularlynoteworthyTheCapitalGrantsprogramprovidescapitalfundingtocommunicationsprojectsthatsupportsocialjusticecommunityinvolve-mentandtheeffectivedeliveryofservicesthroughcostreductionTheprogramhasallowedscoresofcommunitygroupstoincreasetheircommunicationscapacitythroughtheacquisitionofskillsknowledgeandtechnologyInimplementingthisgrantprogramtheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenextremelystrategicinconveninggranteesandcreatingtheconditionsthatleadtopartnershipsandcollaborativerelationships

TheNorthwest Film and Video Centerisalong-standingregionalmediaartsorganizationservingtheNorthwestregionThecenterprovidesarichprogramnurturingmediaartscultureItfeaturesanactiveexhibi-tionprogramforexperimentalandindependentfilmsahighlyregardedfilmschoolandextensiveyouthmediaprogramsThecenterpresentsanumberofyearlyfilmfestivalsincludingthePortlandInternationalFilmFestivaltheNorthwestFilmandVideoFestivalandtheYoungPeoplersquosFilmampVideoFestivalThecenterrsquosproductionsoftenfindtheirwayontotothearearsquoscablechannelsThecenterisalsoatrustedsourceofequipmentaccessforareaindependentproducersactiveintherichmediacultureofPortlandaservicepartiallysupportedbytheMtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionrsquosCapitalGrantsprogram

Minneapolis-St Paul MinnesotaTheSaint Paul Neighborhood Network(SPNN)isacableaccessstationservingStPaulresidentsThestationprovidesopportunitiestothepublictoproduceandairprogramsononeofitsfivechannelsdedicatedtomulti-faithpubliceducationcommunityandinternationalcontentrespectivelySPNNhasayoutheducationprogramandacommunityproductionsprogramwhichworkswithnonprofitorganizationstocreatepublicserviceadvertise-

mentsorprogrammingWorkshopsincludeproductiongrantproposalwritinglegalquestionsandlightingSPNNisparticularlyeffectiveasconvenerandcapacitybuilderinitscommunityItseducationandtrainingprogramsarefocusedoncommunitydevelopmentandonkeepingthetechnicaltrainingelementsofitsworkinasocialperspective

Minneapolis Television Network(MTN)isSPNNrsquossisteraccessstationservingMinneapoliswithasimilarcommitmenttoprovidingacommunitygatheringplaceOperatingthreepublicaccesschannelsMTNofferstelevi-siontrainingandmedialiteracyclassesandisespeciallyencouragingofyouthparticipationThechannelsserveasabridgeforimmigrantstouseinadaptingtotheirnewhomemanynewimmigrantsusethemtocommunicateintheirnativelanguageswiththeirSomaliEthiopianorVietnamesecompatriotsSomali-languageprogramsforinstanceoffereighthoursaweekofmusicentertainmentcommunitynewsandreligiousinstructiontooneofthelargestsettlementsofSomalipeopleoutsideSomaliaIntoutingSomalitelevisionasthebestpublicaccesscabletelevisionprogramintheTwinCitiesCity Pages saidldquoForsomepublicaccessisanearlyinspiringlessonindemocracyandfreemediardquo(CityPages2004)WantingtostrengthenthenonprofitcommunityrsquosInternetsavvyMTNcreatedandeventuallyspunofftheRiverProjecttoofferInternetdial-upaccessandwebhostingtononprofits

PublicbroadcastershavealsoofferedstrongmodelsofcommunitycollaborationintheTwinCities Twin Cities Public Television(TPT)isthepublictelevisionstationservingtheMinneapolisndashStPaulregionIn2004TPTbegandedicatingtimeononeofitsdigitalchan-nelstoMinnesota-relatedprogrammingAnumberoftheprogramsontheMinnesota Channel(someofwhicharethencablecastonpublicaccesstelevision)aretargetedatLatinoHmongHindiMiddleEasternChineseandVietnamesecommunitiesandproducedinpartnershipwithnonprofitorganizationsTPTisapartnerintheMinnesotaCommunityCampaignthatencouragesurbanandruralareasinandaroundtheTwinCitiestowelcomethetensofthousandsofimmigrantsandrefugeesthathavesettledthereinthepastseveraldecadesSeekingtoeffectpositivechangeonimmigrantissuesthroughartmediaeducationsocialserviceandpolicymakingthecampaignproducedtheldquoTheNewMinnesotansrdquoasixty-minuteprogramthatoriginallyairedonTPTbasedontheKartemquinseriesldquoTheNewAmericansrdquo

InadditiontocommunityradiostationKFAItheTwinCitiesishometoMinnesota Public Radio(MPR)

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 20: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

whichhaspioneeredafreshapproachtojournalismcalledpublicinsightjournalism(PIJ)PIJtapsintothecollectiveknowledgeofMPRrsquosdiverseaudiencetoenrichitsreport-ingCreatingaten-thousand-personPublicInsightNetworkviathewebthestationinvitesthepublictobesourcesofstoryideasreactionsandperspectivesandbrainstormingonpublicissues

TheindependentfilmandvideocommunityworkscollaborativelyintheTwinCitiestosupportandpromoteartistandcommunityperspectivesIFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts Intermedia ArtsandtheWalker Art Center areamongthemulti-disciplinaryvenuesfordiscus-sionandproduction

AndtheInternetishometoanewaggregationofcommunitymediasourcesAccordingtoitswebsitethe Twin Cities Daily PlanetaprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAllianceisldquoacommunitynewswireandsyndicationserviceshowcasingthebestworkoftheneighborhoodandcommunitypressaswellasworkbyTwinCitiesindepen-dentjournalistsandthevoicesofengagedcitizensThepremiseoftheTC Daily PlanetisthatnewtechnologiesaremakingitpossibleforthesecitizenstobecomemoreactiveandpowerfulparticipantsinthenewsproductionprocessrdquoModeledafterKorearsquosOhmyNewstheTC Daily Planetseekstoimprovethequalitydiversityandaccount-abilityofthelocalmediaandtoinvolvetherapidlygrowingimmigrantandethniccommunitiesItrecruitsandofferstrainingtocitizenjournalistsandhaspartnershipswithoverfortyneighborhoodandcommunitymedia

Chicago IllinoisChicago Access Network Television(CAN-TV)offersfivepublicaccesschannelstoChicagolandresidentsThispublicspaceprovidesChicagoansanopportunitytodiscussissuesoflocalconcernpromotehealtheducationalandeconomicresourcesinthecommunityandcelebratelocaltalentandinitiativesCAN-TVprovidesvideotrainingequipmentandfacilitiesforarearesidentsandnonprofitgroupsItvideotapesandcablecastspublicforumstownhallmeetingscommunityeventsandotheractivitiesoflocalinterestThroughthisservicethestationprovidesChicagoanswithaccesstoinformationtheymaynototh-erwisehavethroughcommercialtelevisionForinstanceCAN-TVworkedwitheighttotenAIDSagenciestodissemi-natebasiceducationaboutAIDSpreventionvialivecall-inprograms

CAN-TVsupportsChicagorsquosassociationsandnonprof-itsthroughserviceslikeliveldquohot-linerdquocall-inshowsfrom

automatedstudiosthatonepersoncanoperateproductionservicesthatgenerateprogrammingforcommunityeventsandstrategiccommunicationsplanningworkshopsCAN-TVhasrefusedtofollowasimplisticldquoneutralityrdquoprogram-mingphilosophyinwhichtheaccesscentertransmitsonlyprogrammingthatrandomlycomesfromthecommunityInsteadCAN-TVactivelycreatesprogrammingimportanttocommunitydevelopmentInadditiontoitsfocusonnonprofitsCAN-TVactivelycreatespartnershipswithcon-tent-richgroupssuchaslocalmuseumsandartsgroupsItalsopartnerswithlocalmediaactivistproductiongroupslikeVideoMacheteandStreetLevelYouthMedia(profiledbelow)SimilarlyCAN-TVaggressivelyengagesinprogram-mingforlocalelectionsatypicalelectionseasonwillgeneratearoundtwohundredhoursoforiginalprogram-mingeachmonthandnearlyallthecandidateswillbefeaturedoractuallycreatetheirownCAN-TVprogrammingtocarryouttheircampaigns

Street-Level Youth MediaprovidesopportunitiesforChicagorsquosurbanyouthtousemediaartsandemergingtechnologiesforself-expressioncommunicationandsocialchangeItsstaffprovidesinstructioninvideoandaudioproductioncomputerartandtheInternettohelpyouthaddresscommunityissuesaccessadvancedcommunica-tionstechnologyandgaininclusioninsocietyInoneprojectitcollaboratedwithtwoseventh-gradeteachersandanESLinstructortohelpstudentsresearchissuesaboutimmigrationinoneneighborhoodTheteachersweretrainedtousevideoandthentrainedotherteacherswhoguidedtheirstudentsinproducingvideosforscreeningattheschoolMorethanthirtyvideoswerecreatedandvideotrainingandusehasbeenincorporatedintotheschoolcurriculum

Radio Arte(WRTE)istheonlybilingual(Spanish-English)youth-operatedurbancommunitystationinthecountryItoperateswithafocusonyouthinChicagorsquosPilsenandLittleVillageneighborhoodsAninitiativeoftheNationalMuseumofMexicanArtthiseducationalradiostationhasservedChicagoformorethansixyearstrainingyouthwithapriorityondevelopingindividualandgroupcommunicationcompetenciesthatallowyoungpeopletoenterpubliclifewithconfidencethroughthebroadcastmediumProvidingaforumforyoungpeopletobecreativeandresponsibletothelargestMexicancommunityintheMidwestRadioArteiscommittedtotrainingyoungpeopleintheartofbroadcastingRadioArtersquosuniquetwo-yeartrainingprogramprovidesyouthwithspecialcoursesonwritingforradioandjournalismvoicetrainingand

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 21: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

FCCregulationsaswellasbasiccomputerskillsproduc-tionskillsandon-airtrainingParticipatingintwograntroundsofSoundPartnersforCommunityHealththestationrsquosldquoRadioVidardquoproducedprogrammingonsubstanceabuseandaddictionbyandforLatinoyouth

Casa Guatemala Media Projectisanonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationthatservestheGuatemalanandbroaderLatinAmericancommunityinChicagoandtheMidwestSinceitsfoundingin1986ithasusedmediaincludingwebprintTVandradiotoraiseconsciousnessaboutissuesaffectingcommunitiesfromLatinAmericaInparticularitworkswithCAN-TVtoprovidetheeducationalcomponentofself-authoredmediathatwillpositivelytrans-formcommunitiesthroughworkshopsontheproductionandalternativeusesofemergingtechnologies

Beyond Media EducationworkswithunderservedandunderrepresentedcommunitiesprimarilywomenandyouthtotelltheirstoriesandorganizeforsocialjusticethroughthecreationanddistributionofalternativemediaandartsInarecenteffortitworkedwithaChicagosheltertohelpstreetwalkerstelltheirownstoriesinanefforttoraisepublicawarenessandpromotestate-levelreformsTheorganizationorganizedasix-monthworkshopthatincludedteachingandpracticingstorytellingpublicspeak-ingandvideoproductionskillstooveradozenprostitutesTheirgroundbreakingvideogivesinsightsintoChicagorsquossextradeindustryandrecountsthetriumphofthepar-ticipantsoverhomelessnessviolenceanddiscriminationTheirlobbyinginthestatecapitolresultedinpassageofabilltodestigmatizeanddecriminalizesexworkers

Keepingtabsonandshowcasingmuchofthecom-munitymediaactivityfromajournalisticperspectiveistheCommunity Media Workshop (CMW) CMWservesasabridgebetweensocialactivistscommunitymediaprac-titionersandjournalistsIthostsanannualacademyforprogressiveorganizationsintheChicagoareathatbringsactivistsandjournaliststogethertoshareideasandatti-tudesProminentareatelevisionandnewspaperjournalistsarerecruitedtoserveonpanelsleadworkshopsandgenerallysharetheirideasofhowprogressivegroupscaneffectivelygaintheattentionofthepressThisapproach

leadstobuy-infromkeypersonnelinChicagorsquosmainstreammediawhocannowbetterunderstandthegrassrootsgroupsthatapproachthemandtheirissuesItalsogivescommunityparticipantsattheworkshopstheopportunitytodevelopmorepersonalrelationshipswithkeymembersofthemediaThisapproachalsoenablescommunitygroupstobetterunderstandwhatmotivateseditorsandreporters

ThesethreecommunitiesshowcommondevelopmentpatternsandfactorsCommunitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindivid-ualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommonThisapproachopensthewayforcommu-nityradiomediaartscenterscommunitymediacentersandcableaccesstocreatecommunity-wideprograminitiativesinwhichseveralmediaplatformsareengagedItcreatestheconditionsinwhichitispossibleforcommunitymediaorganizationstoactwithunifiedstancesinpoliticaladvocacyregardingmediaissuesandotherissuescriticaltotheircommunitiesThiskindofcross-platformnetworkingalsocreatesopportunitiesforcommunitymediatoreceivemorediversefundingandsupportfromthecommunityastheyextendthenetworkorcultureofcollaborationtocom-munitydevelopmentgroupsandofficialsintheirregions

Communitymediaorganizationshavebeguntounderstandtheirmissionsintermsofasharedcultureofcommunitymedialookingbeyondtheirindividualmissionstothecommonsocialandpoliticalvaluestheyhaveincommon

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 22: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

ldquoThe boldest experiments in public telecommunica-tions take place when technologies are new and their commercial potential not yet fully apparentrdquo mdash Ralph Engelman 1996

Acrosstheirmanyplatformsandmanycommunitiescommunitymediahavebecomecentralculturalinstitutionsinthecivicculturalandeconomiclife

ofourcommunitiesprovidinginvaluablemediaprogram-mingaccessandeducationTheycaninsuchinstancesenablecommunitiestodevelopinformedcitizensartistsandactivistswhopossesstheskillsandknowledgeneededtograpplewithcomplexmedialiteracyanddevelopmentissuesatthelocallevel

Fordecadescommunitymediaorganizationshaveaddressedtheurgentneedtocreatelocalinstitutionsthatfacilitatecitizenaccesstomedianetworksandeffectiveparticipationinmediacultureforbothcitizensandwork-ersTheyareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunitiesTheyplaymultiplerolessimultaneouslyascriticalculturalenhancementstothequalityofciviclifeasemployersandaseducationalsitesforworkforcedevelopment

difficultyNeworganizationalformsandnewmediaformatslikestreamingarchivingpodcastingandbloggingarebecomingthenormpartofldquoblendedrdquoproductionanddis-seminationpracticesincommunitymedia

neW communicAtion spAces cyberjournAlismTheincreaseinInternetbandwidthandtheavailabilityofonlinesocialnetworkingsoftwarehavequalitativelychangedtherelationshipofjournaliststotheiraudiencesNewwebdestinationslikeMySpaceShutterflyFriendsterFlikrEviteandGooglearedevelopingvirtualcommuni-tiesforsharingvideoattractingyoungeraudiencesandmakingcontentmorethanpassiveandone-directionalSocialnetworkingsoftwareenablespeopletorendezvousconnectorcollaboratethroughcomputer-mediatedcom-municationandformonlinecommunities(Spannerworks2007)PopularsocialnetworksoftwareapplicationslikeweblogsorblogsseemparticularlywellsuitedtoparticipatorycitizenjournalismallowingeasypublishingofinteractivetextphotoaudioandvideocontentTheneweasewithwhichvideoclipscanbepreparedforuseonthewebhasbroughtontheriseofldquovlogsrdquoandsitesthatfacilitatethesharingofvideoclipsandaccompanyingcontentAnenormousrangeofblogsandcyberjournalisticsiteshavesprungupontheWorldWideWebinthepastfiveyearswithanequallywiderangeofeditorialstandardsandpracticesTechnoraticomcurrentlytracksseventeenmillionblogssharingoneandahalfmillionhyperlinks(Rennie2006)APewCenterInternetstudyestimatesthatthenumberofregularblogreadersintheUnitedStatesisequivalenttoalmosthalftheentireradioaudiencewhichisaboutaquarteroftheUSnewspaperreadership(Rennie2006)

Combinedwithaffordablenewdigitalmediaproduc-tioncamerasandrecorderstheseweb-baseddisseminationtoolsmakeitpossibleforcitizensandconsumerstoparticipateactivelyinnewsgatheringNonprofessionalshavebeguntoplayamoreactiveroleintheprocessesofjournalismfromcollectinginformationandreportingtoanalysisanddisseminationJanSchafferwhodirectsJ-LabaUniversityofMarylandincubatorforinteractivejournalismprojectsexplainsthatmanypeoplearebecom-ingmoreactivecitizensthroughjournalisticactivitybutdonotnecessarilyaspiretobejournalistsThenewtechnical

envisioning the future of community mediA

Communitymediaorganizationsareprovingthemselvesvitaltothepoliticalandeconomiclifeoftheircommunities

Communitymediaarealsocontributingimportantvaluespracticesandorganizationalmethodologiestotheemergingcollaborativemediaenvironmentsoftheblogo-sphereWecanlooktothesecontributionsastechnologicalandorganizationalopportunitiesforstrengtheningandexpandingcommunitymediapracticeWiththeInternetamediacultureisemergingthatismoreconsistentwiththenoncommercialpracticesofcommunitymediaproductioncollaborationanddemocraticparticipationinmediamak-inganddistributionConsequentlymanycommunitymediaorganizationsareintegratingthecapacitiesoftheInternetandnewmediaintotheirpracticeswithoutmuchfanfareor

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 23: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

0

capacityforcommunicationsheobservesallowspeopletoldquoparticipateinnewsandinformationinvariouswaysmdashparticipateininteractingwithitquestioningittruth-squadingitandcreatingitAndnowthattheyhavethetechtoolsandthetechskillstodothattheappetitehasonlyincreasedrdquo(Schaffer2005b)

SuchconditionshavesetthestageforintensepopularinterestinwhathasbeenbrandedldquowemediardquoorldquoparticipatoryjournalismrdquoTodaynumerousonlinejournalisticexperimentsbringtogetherprofessionaljour-nalistswithcitizenmediaactivistsandthoseinvolvedineventsMoreandmoretheearliestimagesandinformationregardingbreakingnewsarecomingfromnon-journalistspresentatthemomentoftheeventAsaresultjournalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversationwithlicenseandtimetospeakfrequentlyandhopefullyaccurately(BowmanandWillis2003)

Thiskindofcommunity-centeredcoveragemayentailthere-balancingofeditorialpoliciesndashcommittingtodiversityembracingegalitarianvaluesandreassessingthevalueofeditorialneutralityItputsintoquestiontheroleandsignificanceofofteninnovativeldquopersonalmediardquoexemplifiedbythemillionsofbloggingsitesontheWebIsthiskindofldquonewsrdquoservingapubliccivicpurposeofcommunityproblemsolvingorindividualprivateexpres-sionInaWashington PostopinionpieceonDecember212006GeorgeKWillvoicedskepticismoftheseriousnessofmuchofthewebrsquosamateurjournalisminresponsetoTimemagazinersquosnamingallofusPersonoftheYear

Itisdifficulttopredictthefutureofcyberjournal-ismandbloggingpreciselyintheseearlystagesbutthreeoutcomesseemlikelyFirstbloggingwillcontinueitsrapidintegrationintomainstreammediacontentSecondblog-gingandotherformsofsocialnetworkingsoftwarewillgiverisetonewmediaentitiesthatwillchallengemainstreammedialocallynationallyandglobally

ThethirdoutcomeistheonemostrelevanttoacommunitymediascanCyberjournalismandparticipatory

citizenjournalismseemparticularlywellsuitedtoaddressthecurrentUSmassmediarsquosdifficultyinprovidingcoverageoflocaleventsinsmallercommunitiessuburbanregionsandcommutercommunitiesthataredevelopingoutsideformalpoliticaljurisdictionsCommunity-basedonlinejournalismsiteshavesprungupinhundredsofcom-munitiesaroundtheUnitedStatesTheyaremanagedandorganizedinwidelydivergentways

AnexperimentincyberjournalismandcommunitynetworkingtheTwin Cities Daily PlanetaggregatessomeofthebestjournalismfromMinnesotarsquosTwinCitiesneighborhoodandcommunitypressandindependentjour-nalistsaswellasthevoicesofengagedcitizenspresentingthemtothepublicthroughaninteractivewebsiteandcommunitydatabaseByaggregatingcitizenandneighbor-hoodjournalisminonesiteitincreasesthecapacityofsmallneighborhoodmediatoreachbeyondtheirborderstoawiderregionalaudienceUsingRealSimpleSyndication(RSS)softwaretheTC Daily Planetcanpotentiallyreachaglobalaudience

AprojectoftheTwinCitiesMediaAlliancetheTC Daily PlanetisaverynewformofcommunitymediaemergingfromtherestructuringofthenewspaperindustryandtheuseofbloggingandsocialnetworkingsoftwareAlthoughearlyinitsdevelopmenttheTC Daily Planetisgivingvoicetoanincreasingnumberofethnicimmi-grantandnon-mainstreamjournalistswhilefocusingthecommunityrsquosattentiononafargreaterrangeofpublicationsandideas

TheearliestexpressionsofcyberjournalismaretheIndependent Media Centers (IMCs)orIndymediaIndymediacameintobeingaspartoftheprotestsanddemonstrationsaroundtheWorldTradeOrganizationtalksheldinSeattleWashingtonin1999ThisfirstIMCwasaconvergenceoftheemerginginteractivityoftheInternetwiththeintenseneedofprotesterstogetindependentinformationouttotheworldabouttheprotestsAnetworkofindependentcommunitymediamakersactivistsandjournalistsbandedtogethertopoolresourcesandinforma-tion(Howley2005)

TheIMCsforeshadowedthebloggingandvideodis-tributionthatwasshortlytoemergebyusingtheInternetandtheWorldWideWebinconjunctionwithvideoandaudiodistributiontocreateatrulyunprecedentedmulti-mediaenvironmentIntermsofbothqualityandquantitytheSeattleIMCwasanimpressiveperformancebyanynewsandcurrentaffairsstandardsOverthecourseofthefive-dayprotestsadailynewspaperanddailyradioprogramwerecreatedandcountlessprintstoriesweredisseminated

Journalistsarebeginningtoconceptualizethemselvesnotsomuchasgatekeepersofnewsbutasmoderatorsinaconversation

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 24: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

globallyalsovideofeedsweresentthroughtheInternettopublicaccessandcommunitychannelsaroundtheworldSixyearsaftertheSeattleproteststherewere149Indymediawebsitesinabout45countriesonsixcontinents(Whitney2005)

TheopenformofcommunicationpracticedbymostIMCsiteshasnotbeenwithoutproblemsandcontra-dictionsManysitesarenowclutteredwithideologicaldiatribesanduneditedcontent(Halleck2002Whitney2005)ButthereareanumberofIndymediasitesthatprovidealternativenewsandinformationregardingaglobalscopeofconcernsthatwouldbeverydifficulttoobtainanywhereelseinthemediaAnumberofsitesinplacessuchasNewYorkCityPortlandOregonandtheSanFranciscoBayareahaveestablishedthemselvesasstablepartsoftheircommunityrsquosmediaculture

companiesspecializedsuppliersserviceprovidersandassociatedinstitutionsinaparticularfieldthatarepresentinanationorregionrdquo(Porter2000)Thecompaniesinanindustryclusterhaveacomplexwebofmutuallysupportingrelationshipsthatencompassbothcompetitiveandcollab-orativerelationshipsTheylinkacrossprofitandnonprofitpracticesutilizecommoninfrastructuremakecommoncontributionstothedevelopmentofahighlyskilledwork-forcesharefundingandinsomecasestalentedstaff

Increasinglycommunitydevelopmentpractitionersandanalystsarecomingtounderstandindustryclustersaspowerfulstrategiesforbotheconomicandcommunitydevelopmentinthetwenty-firstcenturyThisisprovingdoublytruefornonprofitcommunitymediaorganizationswhoseroleitistobringpowerfultoolsandknowledgetoanycommunityrsquosdeliberationsaroundcommunityandeco-nomicdevelopmentBroadbandandwirelessnetworksareprovidingthepracticalmeansoflinkingcommunitymediaorganizationswithincommunitiesofferingakeystrategicadvantagebyenhancingtheeffectivenessofcollaborationandpartnershipbuilding

AstheexamplesinthepreviouschaptershowcommunitymediaorganizationsaretakingonnewrolesincludingcombiningproductionandtrainingtakingonworkforcedevelopmentfunctionsandbecomingtechnologycentersfordiffusionofnewmediaBeyondtheseexampleslongstandingsuccessfulcommunitymediaorganiza-tionsaremergingasnetworkclusterslinkingdifferentgroupsandorganizationswithincommunitiestocreateentirelynewcommunitymediaorganizationsorblurringtheboundariesbetweentheirorganizationsOthersarebringinghistoricallyseparatecommunitymediagroupswithinoneorganizationalstructureorunderonerooftosharebuildingsandcommunicationsinfrastructuresinacost-effectivemanner

TheorganizationsthatemergefromthisintegrationmaybesimilarinfunctionthoughtheirnamesremaindifferentAcommunity-basedsiteforcitizenmediaandcyberjournalismforexampleandacommunitynetworklikeMAINinAshevilleNorthCarolinaoracutting-edgecableaccesscenterlikeGrandRapidsCommunityTelevisionbegintolookverymuchalikeintermsof

Increasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

neW orgAnizAtionAl spAces netWorked clusters Perhapsthemostpromisingtrendonthehorizonforcom-munitymediaistheemergenceofnewhighlyintegratedorganizationalstructuresandcollaborativeprocessesIncreasinglycommunitymediadevelopmentishappeningthroughnetworksoflocalnonprofitmediaorganizationsratherthanwithinsingleorganizations

Inmanywaysthesereorganizationsatthecom-munitylevelparalleltherestructuringtakingplaceintheprivatecorporatesectorTherecommunicationsnetworksarebeingusedtosupportcomplexpartnershipsandjointcompanyprojectdevelopmentinteractivenetworkseasetheaggregationoflargeorstrategiccapitalandemployeeskillsetsacrossgeographicandorganizationalboundariesforthepurposesofinnovationandmarketdevelopmentInthelanguageofcommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentthesecomplexpartnershipsareknownasldquocreativeclustersrdquoorldquoindustryclustersrdquoMichaelPorteraleadingtheoristandproponentoftheconceptofclustersdefinesthemasldquogeographicconcentrationsofinterconnected

Successfulcommunitymediaorganizationsaremergingasnetworkclusters

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 25: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

technologyprogrammingactivitiesandtheexperienceofcommunityaudiencesvolunteersandparticipantsEachorganizationreliesonnoncommercialaffordablebandwidtheachplayssomeroleinadvocatingforsupportivegovern-mentpoliciesandeachisexperimentingwiththepotentialofnewcollaborativemediatoolsOftencommittedtoengagingandtrainingvolunteersandcommunitymembersinsomemannertheymayoffertrainingandvolunteerpro-gramsthatrequiresimilarsharableonlinetutorialsandonlineoutreachandschedulemanagementtools

TheexamplesthatfollowdemonstratethewayscommunitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecontributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeingTheyaredoingsointhreeimportantwaysbullfirstbyamplifyingtherolethatartsandculturalgroups

playinenhancingthequalityoflifeandattractingatalentedworkforceandcapitaltothecommunitymdasharolethatisgaininginsignificanceinthetwenty-firstcentury

bullsecondascontributorstocoreeconomicdevelopmentfunctionsinthecommunityincludingworkforcedevelop-mentandtrainingasmicro-enterpriseincubatorsandascreatorsofnewknowledgeandeducationalexperiencesand

bullthirdasfacilitatorsandcatalystsofcommunitydialoguecommittedtoembracingmarginalizedvoicesandallow-ingthecommunitytoundertakeitsowndevelopmentdemocratically

Lowell MassachusettsLowell Telecommunications Center(LTC)isapublicandgovernmentaccesschannelandmediaandtechnologycen-terItprovideseducationandtraininginmediacreationincludingwebdesigndigitalphotographyandtelevisionproductionLTCworksincollaborationwithotherlocalcommunity-basedorganizationsmunicipaldepartmentsandeducationalentitiestoproducediversemulticulturalprogrammingthatmeetsthecommunityrsquoscommunica-tionandinformationneedsLTChasbecomeaconvening

organizationforbuildingcapacityamongLowellrsquosnonprofitcommunity-basedorganizationsintheiruseofparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementstrategies

LTCismorefocusedthanothercommunitymediaorganizationsoncommunitybuildingandcommunicationtechnologyThecorporationisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValleyThroughaUSDepartmentofEducationgrantLTCacquiredfundingandstafftohelpitspartnerorganizationsbecomeInternet-capableassesstheirinformationtechnologyneedsacquiretechnologyupgradestoaddressthoseneedsandundertakethetrainingtousethetechnologyeffectively

RatherthanwaitingforgroupstocometoitscenterLTCcreatedacircuitridertrainingprogramthattookthetrainingprogramintothecommunityThroughLTCrsquosinformationtechnologycenterscoresofcommunitygroupshavereceivedtrainingdesignedandcreatedwebsitesanddevelopedstrategiccommunicationsplansforthefutureThosedevelopmentsincludeweb-basedhistoricalarchivesGISmappingsystemsmultimediamaterialsandInternetvideoTohelporganizationsacquirethesoftwaretheyneedtocarryouttheirmissionsLTCcreatedtheCommunitySoftwareLabwhichdevelopsuniquesoftwaretofittheneedsofareanonprofitsThelabhasbeenspunofftocreateaseparatenonprofitentityjoiningthegrowingnumberofindependentorganizationsthatnetworkthroughLTC

ThemostrecentLTCinitiativeisldquoDigitalBicyclerdquoapeer-to-peernetworkthatallowsmediacentersworldwidetodownloadandsharelocalcontentLTCstaffenvisionDigitalBicycleasanonlinecommunityforcableaccessmediaartsindependentmediaandothernoncommercialmedia

Grand Rapids MichiganldquoBuildingcommunitythroughmediardquoThissimplemissionstatementguidedtheGrand Rapids Community Media Center(GRCMC)asitevolvedfromatypicalcableaccessoperationtobecomeabroad-basedmultimediacenterandamodelforthedevelopmentofcommunitymultimediacentersintheUnitedStatesOverthepasttwentyyears

Communitymediacreativeclustersaremakinguniquecon-tributionstotheircommunitiesrsquoqualityoflifeandeconomicwellbeing

LTCisworkingtobuildanetworkforparticipatorymediaandcivicengagementthroughouttheMerrimacRiverValley

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 26: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrellaandtakentheleadinarticulatingthepotentialforaggregatingnoncommercialnetworkedcommunicationsthere

Theevolvingnetworkofmediaplatformsdis-ciplinesandculturalgroupsthatconvergetobecomeGRCMCnowincludesthefollowingcentersofpracticeGRTVacommunitytelevisioncenterthatprogramsmultiplecableaccesschannelsWYCEacommunityradiostationGrandnetacommunitytechnologyandnetworkcenterthatprovidescitizenandnonprofitaccesstotheInternetandtheGrandRapidsInstituteforInformationDemocracyacriticalmediaeducationandresearchcenterthattracksmediaandlocalpublicinterestissuesandpub-lishesinformationonmediaaccountabilityandreform

ButtheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterismorethanthesumofitspartsThecomponentsofthecenterworktogetherinamutuallyreinforcingwholethatcreatesapowerfulcommunitymediapresenceinGrandRapidsandallowsthecentertoundertakefarmoreambitiousprojectsandprogrammingthanwouldbethecaseseparatelyOneexcellentexampleistheMobileOn-LineLearningLabforInformationEducationKnownasMOLLIEtheprogramprovidesskilledtrainersanddigitalvideoproductionequipmenttoschoolsandcommunityorganizationsforspecialprojectsOriginallyfundedbyafederalDepartmentofEducationgrantMOLLIEfillsintechnologygapsinGrandRapidseducationalinstitutionsandnonprofitsInthehandsofalessintegratedinstitutiontheMOLLIEprojectcouldeasilybeatechnicallyorientedequipmentloanandtrainingprogramInthehandsofthecenterMOLLIEhasbecomeasophisticatedmediaandtechnologyeducationalinitiativeprovidingatrainingprogramthataddressesmediaeducationfromtheperspec-tiveofallthecomponentsoftheGrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenter

Asheville North CarolinaOneofthemostarticulateeffortsmergingthecreativeclustersideawithparticipatorycommunicationhascomeaboutinAshevilleNorthCarolinaThroughapersistent

collaborationbetweenforwardlookingregionalgroupsandorganizationsndashinvolvingabroadnetworkofindi-vidualscommunitymediaandmediaartsgroupsintheAshevilleregionndashAshevillehaslaidthefoundationforacommunitymediadevelopmentcenterthatwillfunctionasacableaccesscentermediaartscenterandnewmediamicro-enterpriseincubatorAtthecenterofthiseffortisaninformalcoalitionoffourimportantgroupsinAshevilleMountainAreaInformationNetworkMediaArtsProjectBoncombeCountyEconomicDevelopmentCommissionandURTVThegroupsrepresentdistinctpointsofviewandconcernsaswellasconverginginterests

Eachgroupsharedtheinsightthatcivicparticipa-tionandeconomicsuccessinthetwenty-firstcenturyaredirectlyrelatedtohavingaccesstocommunicationstechnologyandknowledgeEachalsounderstoodthattherenegotiationofthecablefranchisesintheCityofAshevilleandsurroundingBoncombeCountywasastrategicmomenttocatalyzeandassociateanumberofcommunity-basedinformationandmediaartsactivitiesalreadyinplaceorplannedinAshevilleThegroupsusedthecablefranchisingprocesstocreateacommonorganizationalandfacilitiesinfrastructuresupportingtheuseofmediaforbothcivicandeconomicdevelopment

The Media Arts Project(MAP)isanetworkofmediaartiststhatcultivatesinnovativeartsandtechnol-ogyinwesternNorthCarolinaMAPworkedtirelesslytoframecableaccessasacommunitydevelopmentissuebridgingthemediaactivistcommunitiesandthemoreforward-thinkingfactionsamongeconomicdevelopmentprofessionalsintheregionWiththerecentopeningofURTV IncAshvillersquoscableaccessorganizationandfacilityMAPanditsnetworkofpartnersarenowturningtheirattentiontofundingthemediaartsandeconomicincubatorelementsofthevision

AshevillersquosinterestinsupportingcommunitymediaarisesfromthepresenceoftheMountain Area Information Network(MAIN)Inthetraditionoftheruralcooperativesthathelpedspreadthereachofelectricityinthe1930sMAINisanonprofitInternetserviceproviderofferingreliablelow-costInternetservicebothinwesternNorthCarolinaandnationwideItisauniquecommunitynetworkwithabroadvisionofitsroleinthecommunitythatencompassesmedialiteracyeconomicdevelopmentstrategiescommunitylow-powerradioacommunity-basedwebportalandtheprovisionofInternetconnectivitytoruralwesternNorthCarolinaMAINislargelyresponsiblefortheremarkableexpansionofInternetaccessibilityinwesternNorthCarolinaallowingthousandsofpeopleto

GRCMChaspulledthediversecommunitymediaactivitiesofGrandRapidsunderoneorganizationalumbrella

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 27: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

spendtheirInternetaccessdollarswithalocallycontrolledandaccountableorganizationMAINdemonstratesthevalueofthecommunitynetworkingconcepttoareasthatarelagginginconnectivityduetofailuresofthemarket

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundariesItscommunitynetworkrunstheBlueRidgeWebMarketwhichprovidesafreecustomizableInternetpresencetohundredsofsmallbusinessesthroughoutwesternNorthCarolinaItsLatinoDigitalLiteracyProjectofferstrainingtohelpthearearsquosgrowingLatinopopula-tionsaccesstheInternetMAINhasbeenoneofthekeypartnersinbringingacableaccesscentertoAshevilleandhasbeenthedrivingforcebehindWPVMWNCrsquoslow-powerFMradiostationbroadcastinglocalnewsviewsandmusicover-the-airintheAshevilleregion(andtheworldviawebcast)

Cleveland OhioPerhapsthemostrobustcommunity-basednonprofitnetworkintheUnitedStatesOne ClevelandprovideswhatitcallsldquoultrabroadbandnetworkingservicesrdquotoClevelandareaeducationgovernmentresearchartscultureandhealthcareorganizationsOneClevelandoperatesafibernetworkringthatcoversmuchofthecityofClevelandandmanyofitssurroundingsuburbsSubscriberstothenetworkconnectatgigabitspeeds

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmediaItsfoundersareClevelandmainstreaminstitutionsCaseWesternReserveUniversityCuyahogaCommunityCollegeClevelandStateUniversityTheCityofClevelandGreaterClevelandRegionalTransitAuthorityideastreamCuyahogaCountyPublicLibraryandNorTechThenetworkhasformedrelationshipswithtechnologycompaniestomaintainup-to-dateapplicationsthatleveragethepotentialofsuchapowerfulnetwork

Oneofthenetworkrsquoskeypartners ideastream illustratesthesignificanceofworkingtogethertomakehigh-speedconnectivitypubliclyavailablethroughoutacommunityonitsowntermsBybuildingahigh-speednet-workOneClevelandhascreatedacivicnetworkspaceandinfrastructurethatallowsanewkindofmultimediapublicmediaorganizationtobecreatedIdeastreamresultedwhenWVIZPBSTelevisionand903WCPNRadiopublicbroad-castersmergedtoformanewnonprofitldquomultimediapublicserviceorganizationrdquoIdeastreamisabletoextenditsmediaexpertisebeyondbroadcastingtoonlinetechnologiesandapplicationsofalltypesmdashwhenyouareconnectingtothenetworkatthegigabitspeedsofOneClevelandrsquostherangeofapplicationsandtheirpotentialarehuge

MAINhastakenaleadershiproleinbuildingacommunitymediacultureinAshevillethatdemonstratestheeasewithwhichdigitalmedialeapsorganizationalboundaries

OneClevelandrepresentswhatcanhappenwhenpowerfulcommunitydevelopmentforcescometoaconsensusregardingtheircommunityrsquosneedforhigh-speedconnectivitytoglobaleconomiesandmedia

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 28: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

Inthecourseofpreparingthisreportndashpouringovertheliteratureandsynthesizinghoursofstructuredround-tableconversationsandone-on-oneinterviewswith

opinionleadersandsuccessfulpractitionersofcommunitymediandashonethingisextremelyclearThewayoursocietymakesandsharesinformationknowledgeandcultureisinaheightenedstateofchangeTheinteractivenatureoftheInternethasdemonstratedthatitispossibletoorganizecommunicationsinamuchmoredemocraticfashionSomehaveconcludedwearewitnessingthetransitionfromanindustrializedinformationenvironmenttoanetworkedinformationenvironmentTheoldindustrialmediastruc-turesbasedonexclusivehigh-costproductionprocessesarebeingchallengedbyanemergingmediasectorinwhichthecostofcreatinginformationknowledgeandculturehasbeenprofoundlyreducedandtheproductsareintercon-nectedwidelythroughnetworksliketheInternet(Benkler2006)IndeedthereisincreasingevidencethatthesenewmediaanddigitalnetworksareparticularlyconducivetononcommercialandnonprofitculturalproductionaswellasmoreparticipatoryandcollaborativemediapracticesInmanywaysthelong-standingvaluesandintentofcommu-nitymediaforeshadowthisnewmediaenvironment

ThescanresearchfocusedonfourkeyareasofinquiryWhataretheuniquecharacteristicsthatdistin-guishcommunitymediaWhatmakesmedia-communitycollaborationssuccessfulWhattypesofcommunitymediaorganizationsbestleveragenewtechnologiesHowmightcommunitymediaengageunderservedpopulationsinprogrammingtailoredtotheirneedsIneachinstancewefoundthatcommunitymediacombinedwithgreaterafford-ablebandwidthandopen-sourceapproachestoproductiondohavetremendouscommunitydevelopmentpotentialHowevernoneofthatpotentialwillcomeaboutmagicallyThecommunitymediasectorisfacingthechallengingtaskofmanagingextensivechangeandtransformation

chAllengesThesuccessdisappointmentsandsocialvalueofthepastsixtyyearsofcommunitymediainitiativesmustbejudgedinhistoricalcontextConsistentmisrepresentationinthemainstreammediaandlimitedunaccommodatingsocialpolicyhaveresultedininadequatevisibilityandfinancialsupportforcommunitymediaAnydiscussionofitssuccessesorfailuresmustincorporateanunderstand-

ingoftheseexternalconstraintsInthislighttheexistingexpressionsofcommunitymediaattheirbestarewildlysuccessfulsocialexperimentsgivingcauseforgreatoptimism

NeverthelesscommunitymediafacebothexternalandinternalchallengesTheinternalchallengesarisefromstructuraltensionsthatoccurinanyattempttocreateorganizationsandculturesthatembodydiversitydemocraticexpressionandequitableaccessRatherthanbeingexpressedasldquoweaknessesrdquoasissooftenthecaseinmainstreammediaandacademiatheseinternaltensionsaremoreproperlyunderstoodaspredictabledevelopmentalproblemsandopportunitiesthatpractitionersshouldbepreparedtograpplewithinanycommunitymediasetting

Balancing Free Expression and Audience Development CommunityradioandpublicaccesscablehavehistoricallyprivilegedtheinterestsofproducersbygrantingthemgreatpoliticalfreedominmakingdecisionsregardingwhatprogrammingtocreateandwhataestheticandformattingapproachestouseThetrade-offforacultureofactivistvolunteerismandfreeexpressionhasbeensmalleraudi-encesandlowerlevelsofproductionandprogramsupportProgramproducerscarryanintensecommitmenttoindi-vidualownershipoftheirprogramminginitiativesthatmaynottaketheaudiencersquosinterestsfullytoheart

Whiletheseapproachesinradioandcableaccesshaveresultedinadiversityofprogrammingandpoliticalviewpointstheyhavealsopreventedradiostationpro-grammersorcableaccessorganizationsfrombuildingaflowofprogramsthatcandefineandconstructanongoingaudienceinthecommunityEachprogramorscheduledprogramslotcarriesitsownmicroaudienceldquofragmentedpublicsrdquothatareoftennotpartofanintegratedflowofpro-grammingthatattractsanaudiencetothechannelsoverall(Higgins2002)

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrain-ingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopmentThesuccessofAmyGoodmanandDemocracyNowsoundlydemonstratesthisInfactmanycommunitymediaorgani-zationshavecreatedprogramminginitiativesthatcombinesophisticatedmeasurementsofsocialoutcomeswith

conclusions

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 29: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

trainingandparticipatoryprogramplanningTheyhavenotonlyraisedthesocialvalueoftheirprogrammingtotheircommunitiestheyhavealsoincreasedthesizeandloyaltyoftheiraudiences(Aufderheide2003)Asinteractivemediabegintocreatetheconditionswherenicheprogram-mingcanbefarmoresuccessfulthetensionbetweenfreeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentisnotonlyachal-lengebutalsoatremendousopportunity

Programming MetricsStillroundtableparticipantsrepeatedlynotedthatevenwhenprogrammingmeetscommunityneedscommunitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpactTheyfeltthatfundershavegenerallynotyetaddressedtheroleofmediainpopularcultureorthepowerofpopularcultureinaddressingsocialproblemsInaddi-tionfundersfindithardtoestablishcost-benefitmeasuresofsocialimpactfortheirmediaexpenditures

ParticipantsaskedformodelsofaudiencefeedbackandoutcomesmeasurementthatgobeyondaudiencenumbersTheyacknowledgedthedifficultyofquantify-ingnotionsofsuccesswhichtendtobeverysubjectiveandofusingsuccessstoriesinthecommonprogrammingmetricsofthedayManyrecognizedskepticismamongfundersabouttheimportanceofcommunitymediaasuspicionaboutagendasandafearofthecostsinvolvedmakingcommunitymediaahardsellEventhoughafewgoodevaluationeffortswereacknowledgedtheircollectiveresultshavenotbeenincorporatedintothethinkingofthewiderfundingcommunity

FundingMulti-yearstablefundingsupportforcommunitymediainitiativesiscriticaltostabilityinnovationandgrowthRoundtableparticipantsdiscussednumerousinstancesinwhichprojectswithmulti-yearsupporthadpowerfulpositiveimpactsextendingbeyondtheinitialprojectgoalsMulti-yearfundingcreatesthestabilitytoundertakeproperstrategicplanningandpartnershipdevelopment

Thereissomeearlyevidencethatamultiple-plat-formnonprofit-orientednichemarketcouldemergeasasignificantopportunitytoprovideenhancedrevenueforthecommunityandnoncommercialmediasectorsTheinterac-tivecapacityofthenewnetworkssignificantlyincreasestherevenuepotentialforcooperativeandsubscription-styleprogrammingflowsHoweverstrongmarketsforcommer-ciallyfundedparticipatorycommunityexpressionhavenotyetemergedinthedigitaleraduetothelimitedsizeofpopulationsandavailableadvertisingsupportIfthereistobeavitalsectorofcommunity-basedmediasomeformofsignificantpublicfundingwillbenecessaryevenininstanceswherecommunitymediaorganizationsmightrealizesignificantrevenuefromnewmarketsInordertomakethemostefficientuseofpublicfundingcommuni-tiesmustevolvefundingandgovernancestructuresforcommunitymediathatcanfacilitatetheaggregationoffundscoordinatemultiple-organizationprojectsandactastrustedconvenersofprogramminganddevelopmentdiscus-sionsincommunities

Policy ThreatsWhiletheconvergenceoftechnologyandpracticescreatesincreasingpotentialsforaunifiedcommunitymediasectorthereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframeworkforcommunitymediaThegovernmentpoliciesandregulationsthatexistforcommunitymediahavebeenretrofittedinthearenasofUSbroadcastingandtelephonypolicyWhiletheyrepresenthard-wonpoliticalvictoriesandstrategicinsighttheydonotaddresstheneedsofcommunitymediainaholisticway

Inthecurrentpoliticalclimatebroadcastmediaownershipcontrolandprogrammingwillcontinuetobecentralizedinfewercorporationsleavingcommunitieswithlessoptionsforcontrollingtheirlocalmediaenviron-mentsAtthesametimethetelephonecompanieswillenterthemarketforvideotelephonyandbroadbandbydeployinghigh-capacitydigitaltelevisionnetworksinmanycommunitiesintheUnitedStates

ThecurrenttrendofcentralizationinUStele-communicationspolicyisthreateningtheabilityoflocal

Freeexpressionandaudiencedevelopmentarenotmutuallyexclusivenordoparticipatorymanagementstructuresvolunteerinvolvementandproducertrainingprogramsneedtoimpedeaudiencedevelopment

Communitymediaorganizationscanfinditdifficulttodocumentimpact

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 30: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

governmentstomandatecommunity-basedcommunica-tionsnetworksandprogramminginitiativesasrentonthepublicrights-of-wayThesefundingmechanismscurrentlysupportPublicEducationandGovernment(PEG)accesscabletelevisioncentersmediaartscentersandmanymunicipalcommunicationnetworksWhilefarfromperfectregulatorymechanismstheyareoneofthemostsuccess-fulformsofpublicmediasupporttoariseinthelastthirtyyears

Overthenextfiveyearsthesesuccessfulfundingstrategieswillbeunderheavyattackbythetelephonecom-paniesandthecabletelevisionindustryinastrugglewithgovernmentsforcommunitycontrolofthepublicrights-of-wayThesamedynamicthreatensequitableInternetaccessIncreasinglybroadbandcommunitynetworksaremunicipallyownedormandatedWhilesomeofthesemunicipalbroadbandnetworksweredeployedforinternalmunicipalpurposestimehasshownthatsuchnetworkscanserveanumberofnon-governmentalcommunity-basedpurposesincludingwirelessISPconnectionsforresidentsbusinessesandvisitorsManycommunitiesareseeking(andsomehaveobtained)ldquoCommunityBenefitsAgreementsrdquowithproposedwirelessbroadbandvendorsthatsetasideasmallfranchisefeeongrossrevenuestosupportdigitalinclusionactivitiesfollowingtheexampleofcablecompaniessupportofPEGaccessHowevermunicipalbroadbandandmunicipalwirelessareunderattackbyindustriestryingtoreservethesedevelopmentrightsforthemselves

Theoutcomeofthedebatesaroundcontroloftherights-of-waywillhaveasignificantimpactonthefuturepathofcommunitymediadevelopmentThesedebateswillrangeacrosstheregulatoryspectrumtheyarenowbeingwagedinlocalstateandnationallegislativearenasandthecourtsTheresultingcommunicationsinfrastruc-tureandregulatoryframeworkwillbeabletorealizethepotentialsofcommunitymediaifandonlyifcommunitiesareabletotakeleadershipinprovidingsubstantialpublicaswellasprivatefundingAsanoldtruismnotesldquomoneyispolicyrdquo

Therearenopoliticalortechnicalguaranteesthatdigitalmedianetworkswillremainopenandparticipa-toryastheyevolveItisunlikelythatmarketforcesalone

willservetorealizethedemocraticpotentialoftodayrsquosparticipatorymediatechnologyBuildingarobustsectorofcommunity-baseddemocraticnewmediawillrequireeffectivecitizenactivismclearandresponsivegovern-mentpoliciesandeffectivepoliticalstrategiesCommunitymedianeedsseparaterecognitionandsupportwithinfed-eralstateandlocalcommunicationspolicyandregulatorystructuresinordertoensureequitableandstablefundinganddevelopment

models for the futureThegovernmentregulationsandsubsidiesthatunderpincommunitymediahaveevolvedinahodgepodgefashionoverthepastsixtyyearsItcanbearguedthatcommunitymediashouldbetreatedasaseparatesectorwithinte-gratedfundingstructuresconsistentinfrastructureandtaxandsubsidypoliciesthatareseparateanddistinctfromexistinglocalmediapoliciesandalsofromthepoliciesunderpinningpublicbroadcastingPossiblemodelsforamoreunifiedapproacharenumerousbuttwoappearpar-ticularlywellsuitedtocommunitymediarsquosdiverseformsorganizationsandprogrammingapproaches

Public Funding FindingappropriatemethodsofincreasingpublicfundingforcommunitymediainashiftingregulatoryenvironmentiscrucialCurrentlocalcablefranchisingregulationstosupportcableaccessandthecommunitybenefitsagree-mentsofmunicipalwirelessnetworksoffersuccessfulmodelsbutarenowbothunderattackThelawsrequiringcommercialcableproviderstosetasidebandwidthchan-nelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfundingbasedonapercentageofcommercialrevenuescouldbeextendedtoincludevoicevideoanddataEssentiallythenanycommercialproviderusingthepublicrights-of-wayorthewirelessspectrumwouldberequiredtocontributeanequitablepercentageofbandwidthandrev-enuetosupportthecommunitycommunicationssector

Community Media DevelopmentAdequatelevelsoffundingareonlypartoftheequationWhilefundingshouldsupporttheoverallgrowthofthe

Thereisunfortunatelynocohesiveandunifiednationalpolicyframe-workforcommunitymedia

setasidebandwidthchannelcapacityforthepublicinadditiontooperatingfunding

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 31: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

communitymediasectorinasensiblefashionanyfundingsolutionmustaddressthedifficultynowexperiencedbyfundersindealingwithcommunitymediahowtoprovideoverallsupporttoasectormadeupofsmallindependentorganizationswithanextremelydiversesetoffundingsourcesandmissionsOneeconomicdevelopmentapproachseemsparticularlyusefulhereProgressivecommunityeconomicdevelopmentstrategieshaveevolvedtosupportthegrowthofadiversityofsmallenterpriseswithinacom-monsectorwhilerecognizingthattheseenterprisescanatdifferenttimesbecollaboratorspartnersorcompetitorsSimilarstrategiescanguidedevelopmentofthecommunitymediasector

Thereareatleasttwoshort-termstepsthatcouldassistinthedevelopmentofcommunitymediaorgani-zationsandsupporttheircitizensrsquoabilitytocopewithcommercialmediaandinformationsaturationOneisforcommunitiestobuildorsecureaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommu-nitybenefitsagreementinsupportofdigitalinclusionHundredsofcommunitiesacrossthecountryeitherhaveorarelaunchingsuchwirelesscommunitynetworksmanyincollaborationwithwirelessvendorswhoinordertowinaservicecontractwiththemunicipalityinquestionaresup-portingdigitalliteracytraininginexpensiverefurbishedcomputersandlocalcontentdevelopmentndashinshortprogramsofdigitalinclusionandexcellence

AsecondopportunityidentifiedbyroundtableparticipantsisthepotentialforanationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizationsAnationalsupportnetworklinkingcommunitiesandtheircommu-

nitymediapractitionersandinstitutionscouldfacilitatearangeofactivitiesincludinglocal-to-localcommunicationorexchangesofinformationandprogrammingbetweencommunitiesvirtualspaceforanationalnetworkofcommunitymediaorganizationstohelptoorganizeuni-fiedpolicyadvocacywiderdistributionofpastproductsformationofissue-responseteamstoadvanceinterestsofcommunitygroupsandtapintolocalresourcesandshareddirectoriesofpractitionerstrainersandfacilitiesConveningleadersfromtheaggregatorsandassociationsservingcommunitymediaintheirvariousforms(listedinAppendix2)mightbeagoodnextsteptoexplorethisopportunity

the promiseThepracticeofcommunitymediahasmanagedtogrowandevolveoverthepastsixtyyearsdespiteunevenandgenerallylowlevelsofsupportandinconsistentgovernmentpoliciesEllieRenniearesearchfellowattheInstituteforSocialResearchSwinburneUniversityofTechnologyhaswrittenthatcommunitymediaareoftendefinednegativelyforwhattheyareopposedtoratherthanpositivelyforwhattheyhaveachieved(Rennie2006)Weareawarethatcom-munitymediahaveoftenbeendismissedasmarginalandidiosyncraticbuttheexamplescitedinthisreportprovidepowerfulevidencetothecontraryItistimetodefinecommunitymediabywhattheyhaveachievedCommunitymediaattheirbesthaveconsistentlydemonstratedtheirpotentialtoempowercommunitiesandindividualstoparticipateascitizensincommunityandeconomicdevelop-mentartseducationcommunitydialogandpoliticaldebateInmanyinstancestheyhavebecomecentralcul-turalsurvivalinstitutionsasourcommunitiesdealwiththeimpactofcommercialmediasaturationandglobalization

Duringtheroundtablediscussionsthattookplaceaspartofthisscanitwasobviousthatthevalueofcom-munitymediatocommunitiestranscendsthemeasurableeffectsofcivicengagementandcommunitydevelopmentCommunitymediacanallowindividualsincommunitiestohaveprofoundexperiencesofactivelyexpressingthem-selvesthroughmediaForpeoplewhohaveseenthemselvesaspassivereceptorsatthebottomofacascadeofpackagedmediaexperiencesandmessagesactiverepresentationoftheirownlivesandcircumstanceshasatransformativeeffectthatgoesbeyondsimplephraseslikeldquocivicengage-mentrdquoThevalueofcommunitymediatoindividualsandthecommunitiestheyliveinisincalculable

hellipaffordablebroadbandandwirelessnetworkinfrastructurewithastrongcommunitybenefitsagreement

anationalsupportnetworkforexistingcommunitymediaorganizations

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 32: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

Appendix 1 Community media empowerment StrategieS

empoWerment Activity ApproAch infrAstructure or venue

AccessAccesstocommunicationsinfrastructureproductiontools

MakingavailablemediaproductiontoolscomputerstelevisionandradiodistributionInternetsoftwarecommunitycommunicationsinfrastructuremeetingspacewebservers

Democraticcitizenaccesstocommunicationstoolsanddisseminationinfrastructure

CablebroadbandmunicipaltelecomInternetWiFiWiMAXlocalandpublicservicebroadcasting

AlternativeContent CreationofvideoaudiofilmwebsitesInternet-basedcitizenmediaP2Pmediabloggingsocialnetworkingsoftwaredatabasesandprintproduction

Contentpositionedtocounterorsupplementmassmediacontentandinformationfrommainstreamsources

AllplatformswithanincreasingexpansionwithinIPNetworksandcross-platformproductionanddissemination

CompetencyLiteracyMedialiteracyinformationliteracydigitalliteracyandculturalliteracy

Mediaartsandaestheticeducationlearningtogainacivicvoiceinamediaculturearticulationofmediabiasesengaginginmediaandpoliticsunderstandingcommoditycultureparentinginamedia-saturatedhome

Interventioninthecomplexmanipulationofsymbolsandculture

Allmassmediaprintelectronic

CommunityBuilding Workforcetrainingandskillbuildingmicro-enterprisedevelopmentbusinessinfrastructuredevelopment

Communityorganizingparticipatoryplanningdemocraticeconomicdevelopmentworkforceandinfrastructuredevelopment

Localmediamunicipaltelecominfrastructurecomputerandtechnologyincubatorsandtechnologycenters

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 33: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

0

Itisdifficulttounderstandthefullscopeofcommu-nitymediaculturewithoutknowingofthefollowingorganizationswhichsupportcommunitymediaand

independentmediapracticesTheyplayanumberofrolesasnationalassociationsrepresentingnetworksofcommu-nitymediaorganizationsandmediaartsorganizationsasproducernetworksandstrategiccommunicationsplannerslinkingcommunityorganizationswithcommunitymediaorganizationsasorganizationsofcommunityactivistsandproducersworkingtomoreeffectivelysupportandusecommunitymediaandascollaboratorsandpartnersincommunitydevelopmenttrainingandeducation

ActiveVoicehttpwwwactivevoicenet

AllianceforCommunityMediahttpwwwalliancecmorg

AssociationforCommunityNetworking

httpwwwafcnorg

CommunityMediaWorkshophttpwwwnewstipsorg

CommunityTechnologyCentersrsquoNetwork

httpwwwctcnetorg

DeepDishTVhttpdeepdishtvorg

FreeSpeechTVhttpwwwfreespeechorg

IndependentTelevisionServicehttpwwwitvsorg

IndependentMediaCenterIndymedia

httpwwwindymediaorg

LatinoPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwlpbporg

LinkTVhttplinktvorg

LPFMDatabasecom

httpwwwangelfirecomnj2piratejimlpfmhtml

MediaTankhttpwwwmediatankorg

MediaWorkingGrouphttpwwwmwgorg

NationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture

httpwwwnamacorg

NationalAsianAmericanTelecommunicationsAssochttp

asianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NativeAmericanPublicTelecommunications

httpasianamericanmediaorgindexhtml

NationalBlackProgrammingConsortium

httpwwwnbpctv

NationalFederationofCommunityBroadcasters

httpwwwnfcborg

NationalPublicRadiohttpwwwnpr

NationalPublicTelecomputingNetworkhttpwwwnptnorg

PaperTigerTelevisionhttpwwwpapertigerorg

PacificIslandersinCommunications

httpwwwpiccomorg

PewCenterforCivicJournalismhttpwwwpewcenterorg

PrometheusRadioProject

httpwwwprometheusradioorg

PublicBroadcastingServicehttpwwwpbsorg

PublicRadioExchangehttpwwwprxorg

ReclaimtheMediahttpwwwreclaimthemediaorg

StarfishTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwstarfishtvorg

WebsitesofUSPEGAccessChannels

httpwwwbevcamorgpeg

WorldAssociationofCommunityRadioBroadcasters

httpwwwamarcorg

Appendix 2 aggregatorS and aSSoCiationS

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 34: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

Appalshophttpwwwappalshoporg

BayAreaVideoCoalitionhttpwwwbavcorg

BeyondMediaEducationhttpwwwbeyondmediaorg

CambridgeCommunityTelevisionhttpwwwcctvcambridgeorg

CasaGuatemalaMediaProjecthttpwwwcasaguatemalaorg

CharlotteObserverhttpwwwcharlottecom

ChicagoAccessNetworkTelevisionhttpwwwcantvorg

GrandRapidsCommunityMediaCenterhttpgrcmcorg

GrandNethttpwwwgrcmcorgnposervicesitphp

GRTVhttpwwwgrcmcorgtv

ideastreamhttpwwwideastreamorg

IFPMinnesotaCenterforMediaArtshttpwwwifpnorthorgabouthtml

IntermediaArtshttpwwwintermediaartsorg

KartemquinFilmshttpwwwkartemquincom

KBOOhttpwwwkbooorg

KFAIhttpwwwkfaiorg

LowellTelecommunicationsCenterhttpltcorg

ManhattanNeighborhoodNetworkhttpmnnorg

MediaArtsProjecthttpwwwthemaporg

MetroGovernmentCommunityMediaInitiativehttpwwwmetro-regionorg

MetropolitanAustinInteractiveNetworkhttpwwwmainorg

MinneapolisTelevisionNetworkhttpwwwmtnorg

MinnesotaChannelhttpwwwtptorgmnchannelnew

MinnesotaPublicRadiohttpminnesotapublicradioorghttpminnesotapublicradioorgpublicinsightjournalism

MountainAreaInformationNetworkhttpmainncus

MtHoodCableRegulatoryCommissionhttpwwwmhcrcorg

NewAmericaMediahttpnewsnewamericamediaorgnews

NewRoutestoCommunityHealthhttpwwwnewroutesorg

NorthwestFilmandVideoCenterhttpwwwnwfilmorg

OneClevelandhttpwwwoneclevelandorg

OregonPublicBroadcastinghttpwwwopborg

PortlandCommunityMediahttpwwwpcmtvorg

RadioArtehttpwwwwrteorg

SaintPaulNeighborhoodNetworkhttpwwwspnnorg

ScribeVideoCenterhttpwwwscribeorg

SoundPartnersforCommunityHealthhttpwwwsoundpartnersorg

StreetLevelYouthMediahttpwwwstreet-levelorg

TwinCitiesDailyPlanethttpwwwtcdailyplanetnet

TwinCitiesMediaAlliancehttpwwwtcmediaallianceorg

TwinCitiesPublicTelevisionhttpwwwtptorg

URTVhttpwwwurtvorg

WalkerArtCenterhttpwwwwalkerartorgindexwac

WCIW-LPhttppacificanetworkorgradiocontentview17542httpwwwciw-onlineorg

WGBHhttpwwwwgbhorg

WHYYhttpwhyyorg

WPVMhttpwwwwpvmorg

WYBEhttpwwwwybeorg

WYCEhttpwwwgrcmcorgradio

YouthChannelhttpwwwyouthchannelorg

Appendix 3 Community media praCtitionerSWebsitesofthosepractitionersmentionedinthetext

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 35: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

AndersonRachelBenton Digital Beat Extra Noncommercial Networks on DBSWashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

AufderheidePatricialdquoCableAccessTVandthePublicSphererdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000a

AufderheidePatriciaIn The Battle for Reality Social Documentaries in the USWashingtonDCAmericanUniversityCenterforSocialMedia2003

AufderheidePatricialdquoTheWhatandHowofPublicBroadcastingrdquoinThe Daily Planet A Critic on the Capitalist Culture BeatMinneapolisandLondonUniversityofMinnesotaPress2000b

AynteAbdirahmanldquoSomaliWebsitesACompetitiveAlternativeMediaandaFarcetoReckonWithrdquoHiiraan Onlinehttpwwwhiiraancomnews2006aprsomali_websitesaspx

AzzouzBushraTomChamberlinandMarleneFarnumThe Community Media Project Building Community through Media(Aproposedmodelforafive-yearinitiativetoproducelocaltelevisionprogrammingthatbroadensthedialogueonissuesimportanttotheOregoncommunityandcreatesastrongsenseofplace)PortlandORMetroDecember2000

BarlowWilliamldquoCommunityRadiointheUSTheStruggleForADemocraticMediumrdquoinMedia Culture and SocietyVol10(1988)

BenklerYochaiThe Wealth of Networks How Social Production Transforms Markets and FreedomNewHavenYaleUniversityPress2006

BentonFoundationDigital Alliances Partners in Public

Service Models for CollaborationUniversityParkPAThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity2002

BlauAndrewDeep Focus A Report on the Future of Independent MediaSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2004

BowmanShayneandChrisWillisWe Media How Audiences Are Shaping the Future of News and InformationEditedbyJDLasicaRestonVATheMediaCenteratTheAmericanPressInstitute2003httpwwwhypergenenetwemediadownloadwe_mediapdf

BurnettRonldquoFromCommunityMediatoInternationalNetworksrdquoCritical Approaches to Culture + Communications + HypermediaNovember182005httpwwweciadca~rburnettWeblogarchives200511from_communityhtml

CanoAndrealdquoMicroradioAToolforCommunityEmpowermentrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

CarnegieCommissiononEducationalTelevisionPublic Television A Program for ActionNewYorkBantam1967

CastellsManuelThe Rise of the Network Society The Information Age Economy Society and CultureVolumes12amp3MaldenMABlackwellPublishersInc2005

ChesterJeffBeyond Broadcast Expanding Public Media in the Digital AgeWashingtonDCCenterforDigitalDemocracyFebruary2006httpwwwdemocraticmediaorgBBBBfrontphp

ChristensenPaulNanMcIntyreandLynnPikholzldquoBridgingCommunityandEconomicDevelopmentAStrategyforUsingIndustryClusterstoLinkNeighborhoodsandtheRegionalEconomyrdquo(reportfundedbytheFordFoundation)ClevelandShorebankEnterpriseGroup2005

ldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman ReportsCambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005eMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

City PagesldquoBestPublicAccessCableTVProgramSomaliTVrdquoBestoftheTwinCities2004MNApril282004httpcitypagescombestof2004artsandentertainmentbestof2379asp

bibliogrAphy

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 36: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

CruzRossanaReguilloldquoTheOracleintheCityBeliefsPracticesandSymbolicGeographiesrdquoinGlobal Cities of the South (Social Text)EditedbyAshleyDawsonandBrentHayesEdwardsTranslatedbyBrentHayesEdwardsandNoraNicoliniDurhamNCDukeUniversityPress81(Volume22Number4)Winter2004

DeLasCasasLucywithSimonBurallJohnMorrisonDavidKaleteandJagadanandaldquoGlobalMediaReformandAccountabilityReportfromtheNationalMediaReformConferencerdquoStLouis2005httpwwwoneworldtrustorgpagesdownloadcfmdid=281

DevineRobertHldquoVideoAccessandAgencyrdquoConferencepresentationTheNationalFederationofLocalCableProgrammersStPaulMNJuly171992

DirlinMartyandCathyMelioldquoTheGrassrootsRadioMovementintheUnitedStatesrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

DowningJohnDHwithTamaraVillarealFordGeneveGilandLauraSteinRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovementsThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

EgerJohnldquoCreativeClustersandtheUrbanEconomyrdquoGovernment and Technology(February62006)httpwwwgovtechnetnewsnewsphpid=98345

EgerJohnMThe Creative Community Forging The Links Between Art Culture Commerce amp CommunityTheCaliforniaInstituteforSmartCommunitiesSanDiegoStateUniversity2005httpwwwsmartcommunitiesorgcreativeCreativeCommBroFINALpdf

EngelmanRalphPublic Radio and Television in America A Political HistoryThousandOaksCASagePublications1996

GillespieGilbertPublic Access Television in the United States and CanadaNewYorkPraegerPublishers1975

GillmorDanWe the Media Grassroots Journalism by the People for the PeopleSebastopolCAOrsquoReillyMediaInc2006

GrahamStephenandSimonMarvinTelecommunications and the City Electronic Spaces Urban PlacesLondonandNewYorkRoutledge1996

HalleckDeeDeeHand-Held Visions The Impossible Possibilities of Community MediaNewYorkFordhamUniversityPress2002

HigginsJohnWldquoAlternativeMediaandtheCultofIndividualismExperiencesfromUSPublicAccessTVrdquoPaperpresentedattheldquoOurMediardquopre-conferenceoftheInternationalAssociationforMediaandCommunicationResearchCommunityCommunicationSectionBarcelonaSpainJuly202002httpwwwourmedianetorgpapersom2002Higginsom2002pdf

HowleyKevinCommunity Media People Places and Communication TechnologiesCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress2005

HoynesWilliamldquoThePBSBrandandtheMerchandisingofthePublicServicerdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

JankowskiNicholasWldquoCommunityMediaResearchAQuestforTheoreticallyGroundedModelsrdquoThePublicVol1015(2003)httpmokkbmehucentreconferencesreactivismFPfpNJ

JankowskiNicholasWandOlePrehnedsCommunity Media in the Information Age Perspectives and ProspectsCresskillNJHamptonPress2002

LashScottThe Critique of InformationLondonSagePublications2002

ListerMartinJonDoveySethGiddingsIainGrantandKieranKellyNew Media A critical IntroductionLondonandNewYorkRoutledge2003

LloydMarkldquoRadioandLocalismWhatWhenWrongrdquoinContext(publishedbytheCenterforCommunicationsandCommunityUCLA)IssueNo4(WinterSpring2006)

MacintyreBenldquoWelcometotheNewTomPainesrdquoTimesOnlineNovember132004httpwwwtimesonlinecouktolcommentarticle390484ece

MaherVincentTowards a Critical Media Studies Approach to the BlogosphereNewMediaLabPublicationSchoolofJournalismandMediaStudiesRhodesUniversitySouthAfrica2006

MetroCommunity Media Project Evaluation Report PortlandORMetroJuly2004

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml

Page 37: What’s GoinG on · What’s GoinG on in Community media Benton Foundation 1625 K Street, NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (202) 638-5770

MostStephenldquoBAVCandTheBigPicturerdquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

NewAmericaMedialdquoEthnicMediainAmericaTheGiantHiddeninPlainSightrdquoPollconductedbyBendixenampAssociates2005httpnewsnewamericamediaorgnewsview_articlehtmlarticle_id=0443821787ac0210cbecebe8b1f576a3

OlsonBillThe History of Public Access Television2000httpwwwgeocitiescomiconostarhistory-public-access-TVhtml200415

PewCenterforCivicJournalismldquoDoingCivicJournalismrdquo2007httpwwwpewcenterorgdoingcj

PierceSteveldquoDBSandthePublicInterestOpportunityinSatelliteTelevisionrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

PhilipsSusanldquoTrueCommunityTowardaCollaborativeEthosScribersquoslsquoTrueCommunityVisionrsquordquoinA Closer Look Media Arts 2002EditedbyHelenDeMichielSanFranciscoNationalAllianceforMediaArtsandCulture2002

PorterMichaelEldquoLocationCompetitionandEconomicDevelopmentLocalClustersinaGlobalEconomyrdquoEconomic Development Quarterly14no1(February2000)15-34

ProjectforExcellenceinJournalismldquoMajorTrendsrdquoinState of the News Media 2006 An Annual Report on American Journalismhttpwwwstateofthenewsmediaorg2006nar-rative_overview_eightaspcat=2ampmedia=1

PrometheusRadioProjectldquoOurFifthBarnraisingmdashWCIW-LPinImmokaleeFloridardquohttpprometheusradioorgcontentview48952006

RennieEllieCommunity Media A Global IntroductionLanhamMDRowmanandLittlefieldPublishers2006

RodriguezClemenciaFissures in the Mediascape An International Study of Citizenrsquos MediaCresskillNJHamptonPress2001

SchafferJanldquoCitizensMediaHasItReachedaTippingPointrdquoinldquoCitizenJournalismrdquoissueofNieman Reports CambridgeMATheNiemanFoundationforJournalismatHarvardUniversityVol59No4Winter2005aeMprintNewsbookhttpwwwniemanharvardedureports05-4NRwinterNR05W_Citizen_Journalismpdf

SchafferJanInterviewonThe NewsHour With Jim Lehrer PBSEveningNewsNovember162005b

SchulerDouglasldquoTheRiseofCommunityNetworksrdquoInternet WorldDecember1995

SchulerDougandPeterDayShaping the Network Society The New Role of Civil Society in CyberspaceCambridgeandLondonMITPress2004

ShirkyClayPower Laws Weblogs and Inequality EconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingspowerlaw_webloghtml

ShirkyClaySocial Software and the Politics of GroupsEconomicsampCultureMediaampCommunityBlog2005OpenSourcehttpshirkycomwritingsgroup_politicshtml

Somerset-WardRichardBroadband Community Networks Building the Digital CommonsAreportfortheHaasCharitableTrustsPhiladelphia2005

Somerset-WardRichardConnecting Communities WashingtonDCBentonFoundation2000

Spannerworkse-bookWhat is Social MediaJanuary2007httpwwwspannerworkscomebooks

StarrJeroldMldquoPublicTelevisionintheDigitalAgeTownHallorCyberMallrdquoinPublic Broadcasting and the Public InterestEditedbyMichaelPMcCauleyEricEPetersonBLeeArtzandDeeDeeHalleckLondonMESharpe2003

SteinLauraldquoPublicAccessTelevisionandGrassrootsCommunicationintheUnitedStatesrdquoChapter20inRadical Media Rebellious Communication and Social MovmentsEditedbyJohnDowningThousandOaksCASagePublications2001

SussmanGeraldandJREstesldquoCommunityRadioinCommunityDevelopmentPortlandrsquosKBOORadiordquoinThe Portland Edge Challenges and Successes in Growing CommunitiesEditedbyConniePOzawaPortlandStateUniversityIslandPress2004

WhitneyJenniferldquoMakeMediaMakeRealTroubleWhatrsquosWrong(andRight)withIndymediardquoLiPMagazineJune212005httpwwwlipmagazine

orgarticlesfeatwhitney_indymedia_phtml


What’s Going On Socially?

RESERVOIR MIXING – WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON …wioa.org.au/.../DannyRoberts_ScottBradshaw.pdf · RESERVOIR MIXING – WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON ... Danny Roberts & Scott Bradshaw

Rosemont Copper - What’s Going on in Arizona

What’s Going On in Your Brain?”

What’s Going On???

What’s going on at your campus vol. 5

So, what’s going on today???

7. What’s going on at New Madrid?

Look what’s going on at Hillsmeade ………….. Hillsmeade

What’s going on august vol 29

What’s going on @ your campus vol 25

What’s So Good About Going Digital?

What’s been going on in the media center

What’s Going to Happen to Me?

What’s going in Venezuela ?

Revitalizing U.S. Manufacturing: What’s It Going To Take?

What’s Going On in Our Minds?

What’s going on @ your campus vol 32

What’s going on around here?

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH PVC ... - Champion Fiberglass

“ What’s Going On “ All Star Tribute

What’s Going On Extra performance date announced …

NIST Update: What’s new? What’s going on?€¦ · What’s new? What’s going on? Erica Romsos Peter Vallone, Becky Steffen, Lisa Borsuk, Kevin Kiesler, Sarah Riman, Katherine

Routing Basics What’s going on the back …

Dreaming: What’s Going on?

What’s Going on With D&O?

What’s Going On?

What’s going on - arab spring/Occupy mvmt

What’s Really Going On - New Economy Project

What’s going on at Glasscock Elementary School?

What’S Going On In Financial Markets

Government Law and RELU 2016—What’s Going On? · 2018-02-02 · Government Law and RELU 2016—What’s Going On? ii. GOVERNMENT LAW AND RELU 2016—WHAT’S GOING ON? SECTION

WHAT’S GOING ON IN GEOSPACE?

What’s going on @ your campus vol. 21

What’s going on @ your campus