Founded 1996, the Grassroots Radio Conference is an annual gathering of college and community radio stations for the sharing of ideas, technology, and camaraderie. The event is hosted by a different station each year.

The GRC Steering Committee is proud to anounce that this year's Grassroots Radio Conference will take place in Spokane, WA hosted by KYRS Thin Air Community Radio! It will be great to finally return to the Pacific side of the country and experience the majestic landscape of this area! Stay tuned for conference dates and more information. Hope to see you there!

US Senate bill would protect the independence of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and uphold the First Amendment

The proposed legislation aims to prevent any revocation of broadcast licenses based on the viewpoints expressed by broadcasters.

The bill stipulates that the FCC must operate as an independent agency, free from political pressures and retaliatory actions based on the content it oversees. It also explicitly prohibits the FCC from revoking any licenses or authorizations based on broadcast viewpoints or imposing conditions on transaction approvals influenced by such viewpoints.

From the New York Times

The U.S. government has been the world’s largest supporter of independent foreign media, principally through U.S.A.I.D., since the early 1980s. The funding is meant to foster democracy through transparency, as part of the country’s larger portfolio of soft power efforts. It has helped finance some of the most consequential investigative journalism of the past decade, including the Panama Papers, which won a Pulitzer Prize for uncovering international money laundering, and the FinCEN Files, which showed how banks facilitated corruption around the world.

But the financial support — less than three-tenths of 1 percent of America’s overall foreign aid budget — has been criticized in recent years by some conservatives, who argue that it is little more than paid propaganda for U.S. interests. They have cheered President Trump’s move to freeze nearly all foreign aid, which is now being litigated in court.

The defunding of global newsrooms is the latest fight in an increasingly hostile war between the Trump administration and the press. The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, has ordered investigations into PBS, NPR and Comcast. Government agencies have suspended subscriptions to news outlets. Mr. Trump himself has amplified a baseless conspiracy theory that Politico was funded by the federal government, and has restricted The Associated Press’s access because of its refusal to use the name Gulf of America rather than Gulf of Mexico.

Last week, the Global Forum for Media Development, a Brussels-based network of institutions that support journalism, published a letter calling on donors to help struggling outlets.

“We urge governments, donors and stakeholders to take immediate action to address this crisis,” read the letter, which was signed by more than 100 press freedom and media development organizations.

Reprinted from the Columbia Journalism Review

The public and not-for-profit community broadcasting system needs more stable funding, a greater emphasis on local content, and reduced reliance on private financing and syndicated programs.

It might seem like an odd moment to call for more investment in media. And yet a growing awareness of the disappearance of local news, and a growing awareness that we need news and programming from beyond the coasts and the largest cities, just might create an opening for such an argument. 

Even without Congress, the public can secure stable, long-term journalism funding from our local and state governments. We can seek journalism funding through ballot initiatives, city councils, or state legislatures. Voters can demand multidecade bonds to pay for local journalism and insist that all revenue from the bonds go into a fund that politicians cannot touch. 

Legislatures might also consider allowing each citizen to allocate tax dollars to a local news outlet of their choosing. This way, newsroom funding would be insulated from electoral politics and newsrooms would be incentivized to compete for subscriptions from all members of their communities equally. Washington, DC, and Seattle are both considering versions of this proposal.

To be eligible for funding, newsrooms could be required to be physically rooted within their communities; to maintain a governing board that represents the community’s geographic and economic diversity; to provide all community members with access to content regardless of income; to commit to providing high-quality local news coverage; and to have every employee make at least a living wage. These content-neutral requirements would ensure that those who receive funding are actually making journalism for their communities without infringing on the freedom of the press.

MYM {Million Youth Media} is one of the fastest growing independent youth-platforms in the UK. The films often cut deep; raising awareness, challenging perceptions and changing mindsets.

                                
MYM was founded by Fully Focused Productions, a youth-led media company that specialises in creating content for the next generation that is real, raw and relatable. Most of the content is written, directed and produced by the Fully Focused team, where young people work closely with industry professionals to achieve award-winning results. They also showcase films made by our team in training and by some of the most exciting filmmakers across the UK and beyond.

Connect @ukfullyfocused on all socials and @officialMYM on Tik Tok!
New film every Thursday!

Films can be submitted to the channel, all submissions are approved by a youth panel. If you want one of your films featured, contact submit@fullyfocusedproductions.com

The Fix, a media industry publication and consultancy has partnered with a coalition including Dutch Media NGO Are We Europe, Jnomics and Ukrainian NGO Media Development Foundation, and various publishers around Europe, to run a fundraising initiative and cover both current and future operational needs of Ukrainian media.

You can support by donating on the GoFundMe platform.

For more information go here.

Congratulations to Salzburg's FS1-TV for 10 years of local community television broadcasting!

Founders Alt Altendorf, Marcus Weisheitinger and Regina Wurtz have led a dedicated group of volunteer producers - both young and old - to provide quality local programs for Salzburg and the surrounding region.

You can learn more here.

Particular attention has been paid to the attempts to introduce DAB as a digital platform for terrestrial radio. However, DAB replacing FM radio is something that radio listeners never asked for. Dissatisfaction with the FM has ever been reported.  Today, FM radio is merely challenged by digital radio via the Internet.

DAB is literally a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. It is estimated there are at least 6 billion FM receivers in the world, and 2.5 billion smartphones - all perfectly capable of delivering high quality reception of any audio service.

Continued funding of DAB will be like pouring money into a black hole. There is no evidence that an already outdated broadcast system will ever come out of the shadow of the worldwide platforms FM and Internet.

Those who want to listen to audio programs with both news and current affairs as well as entertainment, especially music, do not care if this is delivered analogue or digital, on FM, DAB or the Internet. Accessibility, diversity and sound quality will be crucial. The global market will be the best guide to future success for any sound and healthy business.

It is highly unlikely that DAB ever will be accepted in the world's eleven largest nations; China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, Mexico and Japan, which together muster half the world's total population.

Excerpted from Digital Radio FM Insider.

KDIF 102.9 FM, a low-power FM station in South Phoenix has created a sense of belonging, and that’s something people in South Phoenix need.

KDIF’s focus is not simply local but hyperlocal. As a low-power FM station, KDIF has a broadcast radius of about three miles. Its FCC license requires that it air a certain amount of locally produced content each day. “Locally produced” means the content must be made within 10 miles of the station. KDIF is allowed to use 102.9 as a broadcast frequency, but the low-power license does not protect KDIF from interference from a commercial radio station with the same frequency.

KDIF is another example of how community radio fills a need that advancing commercial interests and digital audio will not replace completely. Community radio is a space where people who lack power, access or agency can speak to people in power, and community radio is the place for a community to talk with itself. “Hearing people like us on the radio when you walk into a restaurant or an auto shop,” says the station’s executive director, Franco Hernandez, “makes you feel like South Phoenix is yours, too.” Radio’s power is to create a feeling of belonging, and community radio like KDIF supports belonging where other stations falter.

Thanks to Ian Derk for this article.

Radio Survivor reports the debut of a new USA radio network targeted at African-American audiences.

The format mirrors that of conventional 24-hour all-news stations like KCBS, Los Angeles’ KNX, New York’s WINS or Philadelphia’s KYW, with regular headline news, business and entertainment segments alongisde breaks for local weather and traffic. But that’s also supplemented with short segments on Black history and other topics for Black audiences.

Though different in approach and tone than what many folks from progressive community radio might prefer – it is definitely more mainstream – the emphasis on Black issues, history and culture is nevertheless front and center, and the network does not shy away from the politics of race. The mix is lively and useful.

The network is owned and operated by the large commercial iHeart Radio conglomerate. You can learn more here.

Instead of letting public access channels wither due to commercial market fluctuations, we should publicly fund and expand the precious communication infrastructure that access media offers.

Access to local news and information is critical, especially during pandemics, elections, and other high-stakes moments. Yet it’s increasingly clear that a profit-driven news system alone cannot provide everyone with the media they need to navigate daily life. As local journalism’s commercial model continues to collapse, public and nonprofit media institutions can serve as informational safety nets.

Although skeptics see PEG channels as relics from a bygone analog era and incapable of producing stories without encountering government interference, most public access channels today stream their channels online, upload content to app-based platforms such as Roku and leverage social media to promote audience engagement.

As we continue to face an ever-worsening journalism crisis, it is worth reimagining how investments in PEG outlets could help address local information and communication needs. We should leverage and expand such invaluable community infrastructures — before they vanish altogether.

For more on this subject, go here.

The ngo Global Voices is seeking media ecosystem analysts to work as researchers in their Civic Media Observatory.

Global Voices is a global, virtual media organization with staff, contractors and volunteer contributors on every continent. Contributors undertake writing, research, advocacy and translation to highlight stories and perspectives from around the world that are underrepresented in international mainstream media.

They are hiring researchers with expertise in the following countries and languages: India (Hindi, Bangla, Assamese, English), Pakistan (Urdu, English), Bangladesh (Bangla), Afghanistan (Dari, Pashto), Mali (Bambara, French), Turkey (Turkish), Russia (Russian), Nicaragua (Spanish). Researchers should either be based in or have strong knowledge and ongoing access to local information from these countries.

For more info go here.

Legislation jointly introduced by the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Sen. Ron. Wyden (D-OR), the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) — seeks to provide a pathway to financial viability for local news in newspapers, in digital only publications, and on television and radio stations through a series of tax credits. The legislation mirrors a similar bill introduced in the House by Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA), which has strong bipartisan support.

“The decline of local news has had devastating effects on our communities. Local news has often been the only window into the city council or mayor’s office. Without these outlets, these important institutions in our communities go uncovered. Further, the decline of local news has only fueled the growth of misinformation, as Americans lose their most trusted sources of information. As the son of a journalist, these developments trouble me greatly. Our bill would provide financial support to local news at this critical time for our democracy,” said Sen. Wyden.

The first tax credit provides a tax credit of up to $250 for consumers to either subscribe to a local newspaper or donate to a local nonprofit news organization. The second is a five-year credit for local news organizations to employ journalists. The last of the three credits is a five-year tax credit that incentivizes small businesses to advertise with local newspapers, as well as local radio and television stations. (More on the details of the bill here)

"This is a hugely important step to help strengthen communities, by addressing the collapse of local news," said Steven Waldman, president of Report for America and chair of the Rebuild Local News Coalition. "When local news goes down, it leads to more waste, corruption, pollution, and polarization. Stronger local news leads to greater civic engagement and ability to solve local problems. This nonpartisan bill — which empowers consumers, small businesses and local publishers — will help create better local news, without endangering the editorial independence of journalists."

To learn more, and/or take action, go here.

Since returning to power in 2010, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has waged a scorched-earth campaign against his country's independent media, seizing control of most outlets and leaving those that remain cowering on the sidelines. Worse, other autocrats have taken notice.

The Hungarian Media Council’s decision last September not to renew the broadcast license of Klubradio, the country’s last remaining opposition radio station, surprised no one. The council did not bother to offer corroboration for its claims that Klubradio repeatedly violated media laws, nor did anyone expect it to. The episode is merely the latest installment in the Hungarian government’s long-running campaign against independent media.

The effect of such centralization of media ownership and control – not been seen since the pre-1989 communist era – has been profound. Last summer, the editor-in-chief of Index, Hungary’s leading news portal, was fired on obviously political grounds, prompting a mass exodus of journalists who resigned in protest.

Though tackling media capture is an uphill battle, there are at least some partial solutions in sight. One is to reform how public media are funded; however, this is perhaps the most difficult approach, because it targets the central mechanism by which autocrats themselves tend to control the media. Another option is to increase reliance on funding from other donors, be they private foundations, entrepreneurs, or philanthropies – many of which already support independent media. Finally, with their disproportionate influence over the current media ecosystem, today’s tech giants could be pressured to elevate, protect, or otherwise privilege independent journalism on their platforms.Without a firm response, the epidemic of media capture will continue to spread. As long as it does, no country will be safe from the threat. -Marius Dragomir