As the convergence review team pour over the many submissions that have come in for this stage of the review process, a range of views are being aired on convergence and how it should be treated in the new media environment. The CBAA says community broadcasting “offers a deeper level of participation in the selection and production of locally produced content” than either the ABC or commercial radio. This week radioinfo looks in detail at the CBAA’s submission, written by General Manager Kath Letch.
The CBAA says it is keen to enable “a free and diverse media” in Australia because “a sense of society and culture is developed and nourished by the availability of diverse and free?to?air mass media services.”
Community broadcasting contributes unique characteristics and benefits to the media landscape, says the submission: “enacting diversity of media ownership and content, participation in media operations, production and programming, providing public interest outcomes, and the provision of meaningful local content.”
The CBAA wants the role of community broadcasting to be “clearly articulated and affirmed in any new legislation.”
The submission takes issue with the Review’s assertion that a level of government funding is provided to the community broadcasting sector. “It might more accurately be stated as community broadcasters who rely predominately on voluntary community support and sponsorship, with some government funding,” says the submission.
The sector has a “unique role in Australian broadcasting,” says the submission because it is based on community participation and control; and renowned for its innovation in programming and scope, with a high level of commitment to localism and diversity. “It is recognised internationally as one of the most successful examples of participatory media.”
Community broadcasting “clearly distinguishes itself from other media by providing citizens with the opportunity to participate in media production, operations and management, and the presentation of locally produced media content.” There are currently 23,000 volunteer broadcasters and support staff in the sector.
Community radio stations provide “a greater number of independently developed local program services than the total number of the other two sectors,” government and commercial, combined. Community licences were first issued in 1972 to not?for?profit organisations to provide alternative and complementary broadcast services to those provided by the commercial and national sectors, as well as opportunity for communities to generate their own local media content.
There are more than 350 community radio licensees and over 80 community television licensees in Australia (this includes remote indigenous television services). More than 70% of community broadcasting stations are located in rural, regional and remote areas.
The CBAA “supports the view that diversity of broadcasting services is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy,” and warns that diversity of ‘voices, views and information’ does not in itself guarantee a diversity of services. “A diversity of services is clearly necessary to ensure there can be a genuine diversity of voices, views and information.” The CBAA submits that the first principle of the review “should include reference to access to a diversity of services.”
It also submits that “broadcasting services should be defined, and clearly articulate the role of the different broadcast sectors.”
“Community broadcasting can be identified as not?for?profit services that arise from an expression of need by either a geographic community or a community of interest. Community broadcasting is unique in its participatory structures for programming, operations and management. The participatory nature of its operation should not be confused with activities such as the national broadcaster’s recent notion of ‘user?generated?content’ or a commercial broadcaster offering do?it?yourself music selection. Community broadcasting offers a deeper level of participation in the selection and production of locally produced content, the opportunity for collaborative program production, and a much broader community engagement process.”
“While the recent explosion of social media has highlighted the value people place on participation, the nature of community broadcasting has demonstrated this value for the past forty years and represents a collective participation process within Australian communities.”
The CBAA believes it is difficult to achieve a meaningful ‘diversity of services, voices, views and information’ without diversity in media ownership and control and stresses that “each of the 300 plus community radio services across the country are community owned and controlled. Community broadcasting maintains a strong commitment to Australian content produced at a local level and to programming that develops cultural identity.”
Principle 3 in the review paper raises the issue of media literacy in the community. “The CBAA draws the Review’s attention to the contribution the community sector makes to the local production industry. Recent data confirms that in excess of 23,000 people around the country are actively participating in community radio and television stations at any time. All of these people are offered training in media production skills, and many undertake formal training processes, while all obtain production experience through their involvement in community stations.”
As far as music goes, “it is well recognised in the Australian music industry that community radio plays a critical role in providing airplay to both emerging and established Australian artists, and often well before any airplay is achieved by either national or commercial broadcasters,” says the submission.
The CBAA also draws the Review’s attention to community television’s high level of Australian content, with the vast majority of programming on community television being locally produced.
The CBAA agrees with the review’s opinion that media services are the main tool for the provision of locally relevant news and information to communities, and makes the point that community radio broadcasts 1,734 hours of community information each week. The average station broadcasts 6.5 hours of community information on behalf of 53 organisations, groups or individuals each week.
“As increased networking of commercial media reduces the sources of information, and technological change broadens exposure to internationalised perspectives, the retention of access to local services and information is critical. Community radio has increasing relevance and value as inherently local media, generating awareness and discussion of local issues and events within locally produced content.” Local content constitutes 77% of community radio broadcast content.
The CBAA agrees that a framework based on self or co?regulation must remain consistent with community standards, views and expectations of the Australian public and is not pushing for any changes to the current regime of renewal of the community broadcasting Codes of Practice every five years.
The CBAA argues that the media environment is increasingly one where ‘users’ are also content makers and suggests a change to the phrasing of Principle 6, to read: “Australians should have access to and opportunities for engagement with the broadest range of content across platforms and services as possible.”
On he subject of digital radio, the CBAA says the amount of digital capacity available to community broadcasting services needs to be sufficient to provide for the full diversity of legitimate community broadcasting services to operate with digital capacity equivalent to commercial and national broadcasters.
“The current arrangements in the first phase do not necessarily provide for that outcome in each or any city, and so the community broadcasting services are constrained. The CBAA submits that further planning for digital radio must address this constraint so that Australians can have access to the broadest range of content across platforms and services as possible.”
The CBAA maintains that all of the various facets of community, Indigenous, and national broadcasting or media services should remain freely available to the public without any on?going charges via new platforms such as internet streaming. “Legislative, policy and regulatory frameworks must be put in place to ensure the free?to?air delivery of those services.”
The fact that community broadcasting is committed to meaningful participation by members of the community is a cornerstone. This level of participation – in management as well as the operations and programming – should never be confused with the recent rush to engage with audience by other sectors. Song requests, SMS text comments or even user?generated content is not necessarily meaningful participation. The submission quotes this analysis:
The irony of the online world is that the newfound capacity for media participation is not being matched with the kinds of community?based structures that would ensure access and collaboration at all levels.
Jim Remedio, chair of the Australian Indigenous Communications Association, says that the government’s approach to online content development is backward, displaying no real understanding of grassroots innovation or media autonomy. ‘The town square metaphor is mediaeval,’ he says. ‘Putting community development in the hands of the ABC will eliminate local ownership. For the Indigenous sector, this kind of centralisation is akin to assimilation.’
The paper discusses delivery on various platforms and looks at a range of technical solutions, then makes the point: “Irrespective of the approach, there should be legislative and regulatory mechanisms to ensure that, on a per location basis, nominated ‘broadcast’ media services are able to be delivered with guaranteed certainty and with maximum spectrum efficiency to devices that are readily available; and on a free?to?air basis.”
The CBAA’s document will set the tone for debate on community broadcasting’s role in the converged media future of Australia. It is available in full at the convergence review website, at the link below