edition-dw-akademie-in-the-service-of-the-public-functions-and-transformation-of-media-in-developing-countries-pdf

of community radio and establishing a joint working route.The relationship is more that of partners rather than that ofclient and technical advisor.AMARC is a leading reference for community radio in LatinAmerica. Its methods include lobbying, alerts on violations ofjournalists’ human rights, conferences and visiting missions,workshops, political dialogue, comparative studies, and supplyof news content. At the introduction of the new Argentineanlegislation on communication (Ley 26.522 de Servicios de ComunicaciónAudiovisual), AMARC made a significant contributionby means of discussion, consensus building, and legaladvice. The new legislation guarantees up to 33 percent of thefrequencies for “community-oriented media of popular nonprofitorganizations.” There are several good practices facilitatedby AMARC, so, for instance, methods for the interactionwith audiences and for impact assessment. “AMARC is a wellestablishednetwork that facilitates the exchange of programcontent. Its legal advice services for community radio are essential,”remarks Petra Berner. 78The Friedrich Ebert Foundation’s C3 Project is a kind ofthink tank and has been publicly positioning key issues relatedto the transformation of the Latin American media landscapeand the use of new technologies. It is a solid source of informationon Latin American tendencies and has a good network ofpolicy makers, media organizations, and journalists with severalpublications related to community radio.Transformation ApproachesCommunity radio should be considered a third media sector,on equal terms with private and public media, as recent legislationsin Latin America established, for instance in Argentina,Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Accordingto this new approach, community radio should have itsplace in the media landscape, dispose of a part (usually onethird) of the frequencies and should have the support of thestate to be enabled to adequately develop. The idea of threetypes of broadcasting with equal relevance is the result ofmany years of international discussions, best summarized inan international declaration written by representatives of theUN system, experts, academics and policy makers in Amsterdamin 2007:“Different types of broadcasters – commercial, public service,and community – should be able to operate on, and haveequitable access to, all available distribution platforms. Specificmeasures to promote diversity may include reservation of adequatefrequencies for different types of broadcasters... Communitybroadcasting should be explicitly recognized in law asa distinct form of broadcasting, should benefit from fair andsimple licensing procedures, should not have to meet stringenttechnological or other license criteria, should benefit from concessionarylicense fees, and should have access to advertising.” 79Community radio in Latin America can make a very significantcontribution to pluralism in media, to empowermentof local communities, the construction of multiple identities,the sense of local belonging and the defense of human rights,especially the right to freedom of expression and of access toinformation. In some cases, it can even serve as mediator andmoderator in social conflicts and has proved to be the mosteffective communication channel in the case of emergencies(such as earthquakes). Community radio networks areresourceful and creative in using new technologies and theyrapidly pick up on hidden issues and urgent social questions,for instance, on intercultural issues or environmental matters.As we have seen in the three case studies presented here, thetransition from informal (or private) radio stations into fullysustainable community broadcasting is a long one. The newlegislation in the region is a window of opportunity to reorganizeand restructure this rather informal and underestimatedsector. This would mean community radio could interact in acordial and complementary fashion with the two other mediasectors, which are much better positioned and organized.This analysis suggests that there are very few examples ofstrategic and long-term commitment of media developmentorganizations with community radio in Latin America likethe abovementioned involvement of DW Akademie. UN anddevelopment organizations (the World Health Organization –WHO, the United Nations Development Programme – UNDP,German Development Cooperation GIZ, and the US AgencyUSAID) have been working with community radio in the regionfor many years. However, generally these developmentagencies use community radio as a vehicle to reach marginalizedpopulations and to promote developmental goals. 80 Theydo not usually perceive it as a strategic partner in the longtermtransformation of the media landscape or as a key elementof a coherent development strategy. Community radionetworks usually receive financial support to implement theprojects and goals of other organizations. They are rarely seenas a sector to be developed for its own sake, as Kivikuru pointsout: 81 “Public Service Broadcasting has not been assessed as achallenge, but rather as an institution belonging to the past.” 82Certainly, there are many understandable reasons for thisreluctance to support them directly: Firstly, it is difficult toidentify and select the few good practices and eligible initiativesfrom hundreds of “fake” community radio stations, suchas those, for instance, that are converted into political propagandamachines during election periods or are simply lucrativeprivate enterprises. 83 In addition, Latin American governmentspossibly don’t want development agencies to supportdemocratic platforms where critical voices predominate, especiallywhen those platforms use disrespectful and unconventionallanguage. Finally, many community radio stations havelimited impact in specific communities and it is not clear howto scale these results up to a more aggregated impact on a nationallevel. These challenges could be adequately addressed ina more comprehensive strategy which we will propose below.Community radio compensates for profound gaps in the242