RadioActive101 Practices (original) (raw)

Radiocracy Rulz! Microradio as electronic activism

International Journal of Cultural Studies, 2000

This article explores the cultural dynamics of the microradio movement in the USA. Viewed in the wider context of political economy and participatory democracy, I argue that the microradio movement is an expression of the felt need of local populations to reconnect with the civic and cultural life of their communities. Furthermore, I contend that the unique features of the medium - its ubiquity, low-cost and low-tech credentials - make microradio particularly well suited to meet the needs of diverse urban neighborhoods and underserved rural communities alike. The article concludes that, in its efforts to reinvent radio as a vehicle of participatory democracy and a resource for community development, the microradio movement not only demonstrates the medium's significance to our understanding of community, democracy and citizenship, but underscores the role media activism plays as an agent of progressive social change. �

Radio on the Internet: Opportunities for new public spheres?

This article investigates the potential for radio on the Internet to enhance processes of communication and media practice in the context of public sphere principles. Exploring the unique qualities of both radio and the Internet as mediums, I argue that radio, " remediated " on the Internet, can draw from the perceived technological benefits of associated mediums. Liberal and oppositional conceptions of the public sphere provide a set of principles for three case studies. These are Unwelcome Guests, an anti-corporate radio programme produced " off the grid " in upstate New York, SW Radio Africa, " the independent voice of Zimbabwe " broadcast from London, and NH Making Waves, the radio arm of a community peace activist group based in New Hampshire in the United States. Each case study examined the interplay between Internet and radio practices. I conclude that although such interplay was limited, placing radio content on the Internet presents new opportunities to diversify content and audiences. This can be accomplished through collaborative production and improved distribution. In each of the case studies the potential for fully realised public spheres were not met mainly because the traditional conventions of radio broadcasting prevailed.

Community Radio: An Emerging Platform for Awareness and Empowerment

South Asian Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2022

Community radio plays an important role in the communication of a certain community and is a form of public-service broadcasting. It upholds the principles of participatory communication. The present study was conduct to know about the role of Radio Dhadkan, a community radio, in sensitizing and empowering the Sahariya tribe of Shivpuri district in Madhya Pradesh of India. Here mainly secondary sources of data have been used. There are some development gaps in meeting the needs of Sahariyas and other marginalized communities living in villages and urban slums of Shivpuri district. To fill these gaps, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in association with Sambhav Social Service Organization, has set up a community radio station – Radio Dhadkan. The present study reveals that Radio Dhadkan has been successful in promoting collective action through radio programs and has been instrumental in creating awareness and empowering the target communities. It has shown an extraordinary dynamism due to its diverse endeavors. It has really helped in connecting, entertaining and educating the Sahariyas in a way that was not possible through any other medium. It has also provided opportunity for employment generation and community capacity building. Thus, the Radio Dhadkan approach has potential applicability in achieving developmental goals. Keywords: Radio Dhadkan, Community Radio, Participatory Communication, Awareness, Empowerment.

RadioActive101-Learning through radio, learning for life: an international approach to the inclusion and non-formal learning of socially excluded young people

International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2020

A. Ravenscroft, J. Dellow, M. J. Brites, A. Jorge & D. Catalão: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/wdNiQkUivVNPfTDRU9yI/full This article describes an original international approach to inclusion and non-formal learning of socially excluded young people, through participatory internet radio - RadioActive101. First, we critically discuss the social and digital exclusion of young people. We then describe our approach - that includes participatory action research methods that are influenced by the work of Dewey and Freire, and operate as a process of complex intervention. This supports the inclusive co-production of radio content in ways that support non-formal learning in two EU contexts – the UK and Portugal. We then summarise and compare a qualitative investigation of RadioActive101. This showed positive results, with important similarities and differences between the two contexts. Participants reported that RadioActive101 was motivating and contributed to the development of contemp...

Radio as a means for democratization: the use by students

This paper is based on research carried out with students of a Radio and TV graduate course in São Paulo, Brazil, about the use of new technologies. It analyzes radio’s potential as an instrument to democratize communications. The work tries to confront this specific use and the migration to digital support to the reality of radio in Brazil. In this country, radio can be an important tool in the process of democratization of information and communications, due to the low costs of installation, transmission, and reception when compared to other media. In a country where oral culture is privileged, radio also plays an important role in the democratization of relationships, and can serve as foundation for the development of social inclusion. This perspective has been broadly proven by projects carried out by nongovernmental organizations and governments, which have relied on radio broadcasting language to educate needy populations on how to exercise citizenship. Additionally, traditionally voiceless groups in the media have started to use radio, as evidenced by the rising number of legalized community radio stations that have surfaced in recent years, by the thousands that wait for an authorization to operate, and by many others that operate illegally. Still under the same theme, we recently observed a significant increase in the number of graduate degrees in Audiovisual techniques, the so-called Radio and TV courses, as well as the growing demand by students coming from several regions of the country and social backgrounds. Therefore, it tries to clarify how future radio professionals will position themselves to face the emancipating potential of the vehicle, starting from the use they makes of it now.

Learning for life: A case study on the development of online community radio

Santos, S., Brites, M.J., Jorge, A., Catalão, D. e Navio, C. (2015). Learning for life: A case study on the development of online community radio. Cuadernos.info, (36), 111-123. doi: 10.7764/cdi.36.610 URL: http://www.cuadernos.info/index.php/CDI In a context of social disaffection and economic crisis, acquiring the skills that promote employability and social participation is an increasing priority. RadioActive Europe is a project that addresses these issues, offering non-formal learning through Internet radio. This article analyzes the implementation of the project in Portugal amongst groups of young people in vulnerable contexts. Our findings suggest that participatory action-research and media education are valuable ways of empowering youngsters from deprived contexts, complementing the constraints of formal schooling.

Community Radio and its Prospects in Education

Indian Journal of Educational Technology Vol.1 (2), 2019

Radio is a powerful mass medium that informs, educates, is inclusive, preserves the local identity of communities and helps reach out to and empower marginalized sections of society. In developing countries, it can add value in several ways, particularly in areas where information, knowledge and technology come at a cost. It has the potential to fill the gap that exists in schools by providing quality education, vocational and skill training to disadvantaged students. The article begins by tracing the history of radio with a focus on the experiments of radio in education across the globe. This ranges from, the BBC's schools broadcasting services in 1924, and programmes for underprivileged children by AIR Madras, to the educational FM channel Gyan Vani being launched in India in 2011. Steering towards the importance of Community Radio and its potential to reach out to underprivileged communities, the paper highlights the educational initiatives launched with community radios by National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) in India. The paper also addresses Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI)-a teaching methodology that makes learning fun and evaluating its success stories in India and abroad. Various local-level efforts that have helped in reaching out to the marginalized sections in lieu of improving education has also been discussed. German playwright and author Bertolt Brecht wrote, "Radio is one sided when it should be two. It is purely an apparatus for distribution, for mere sharing out. So, here is a positive suggestion: change this apparatus over from distribution to communication. The radio would be the finest possible communication apparatus in public life, a vast network of pipes. That is to say, it would be if it knew how to receive as well as transmit, how to let the listener speak as well as hear, how to bring him into a relationship instead of isolating him. On this principle the radio should step out of the supply business and organise its listeners as suppliers (Thomas, 2011). The playwright's words highlight the sole purpose of communication as participatory when radio and all other mediums were treated by the state as a source for distribution of information. Citizens are reduced to passive audiences who lend out their ears to mere propaganda and news about various welfare schemes. Their voices are ultimately absent or get lost. This is exactly what can change if Radio serves as an interactive and collaborative medium for communication-a tool for education. Radio is a powerful mass medium that informs and educates, is inclusive, and preserves the local identities of communities and helps reach out to and empower marginalized sections of society. In particular those, who have missed out on access to opportunities on account of not