3CMedia
Journal of Community, Citizen's and Third Sector Media and Communication
ISSN 1832-6161
Issue 2 (October) 2006
The trouble with community radio research, or, how methodological setbacks can inform theoretical development (263KB PDF)
Kitty van Vuuren Page 1
Participatory research design appears as an attractive option in the study of community media organisations. It puts the generation of the research question, the design of data collection methods, and the analysis of the results in the hands of the researched. This approach can demystify the research process and can be an empowering experience. But, as I found out with my doctoral research, the researcher needs to carefully assess an organisation’s capacity to undertake do-it-yourself research, because, when things go wrong, this approach can also reveal conflicts within an organisation, as well as give rise to tension resulting from the divergent needs of the researcher and those of the researched. This paper describes the troubles that arose during fieldwork conducted at a community radio station, how these unexpected events forced a reformulation of the research question, and how this eventually led to an improved theoretical insight.
A comparison of new British community radio stations with established Australian community radio stations (263KB PDF)
Janey Gordon Page 15
A community radio pilot scheme was run in the UK during 2002 and the pilot stations have been allowed to continue operating pending the first full licensing process, which took place in 2005 and 2006. This paper is the first report of a study conducted in the summer of 2005. The study examined a sample of new UK community radio stations and compared these with a sample of established Australian stations, which parallels the UK group, for example urban stations, communities of interest and geographic communities. Community radio is well established in Australia and serves wide and diverse audiences. The study of these stations will help give a ‘vocabulary’ of terms with which to examine UK stations and also give indicators as to good practice and measurements of success.
Ro-TV: Process and participation (249KB PDF)
Michelle Johnston Page 30
RO-TV is a community television program, produced in collaboration with Rotary WA that demonstrates the ideals and objectives of community media. This paper discusses the pilot series of RO-TV in both a theoretical and practical sense. The production technique employed by the program and the experience of the program’s participants is explored in terms of the theoretical principles and ideals of community media.
Kevin Howley (2005). Community Media: People, Places, and Communication Technologies. Cambridge University Press: New York. ISBN 521 79228 7 pb. (112KB PDF)
Review by Ellie Rennie Page 43