Community Radio Around the World: [creative-radio] Digest Number 2566

There are 8 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Brazil: Lula to Decriminalise Unlicensed Community Radios
From: George Lessard

2. Do-it-yourself pirate radio kits available now
From: George Lessard

3. Windsor, Ontario, Canada - CJAM licence in jeopardy
From: George Lessard

4. Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur: Community radio station to b
From: George Lessard

5a. Chennai,India: Growth of community radio on the upswing
From: George Lessard
5b. Re: Chennai,India: Growth of community radio on the upswing
From: Vickram Crishna

6. Burkina Faso: Médias : Une radio communautaire pour la commune de
From: George Lessard

7. MENA Fw: Egypt: Concerns with Draft Broadcast Law
From: tamara aqrabawe

Messages
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1. Brazil: Lula to Decriminalise Unlicensed Community Radios
Posted by: "George Lessard" media@web.net themediamentor
Date: Wed Feb 11, 2009 5:30 pm ((PST))

Brazil: Lula to Decriminalise Unlicensed Community Radios
Amisnet - Italy
A cura di Francesco Diasio • 11 Febbraio 2009

<http://mediascape.amisnet.org/2009/02/11/brazil-lula-to-decriminalise-unlicensed-community-radios/>

In January 2009, Brazilian President Lula sent a bill to Congress which
would decriminalise the operation of a community radio without a license.
This is a long-standing demand by community radio associations and freedom
of expression organisations in Brazil.

ARTICLE 19 has in its work repeatedly highlighted the obligation on States
to promote pluralism and diversity in the media, as an aspect of the right
to freedom of expression. International law recognises the important
contribution that community broadcasting, along with commercial and public
service broadcasters, can make to realising media pluralism. We therefore
welcome this initiative.

At the same time, we note that far more needs to be done to create a
proper enabling environment for public interest broadcasting in Brazil.
Current Brazilian regulatory policies and practices are not conducive to
the development of community broadcasting. Thousands of community radios
around the country are waiting to receive a license, in part due to the
lengthy and inefficient licensing process, which is not adapted to their
needs or situation, and in part due to the fact that an inadequate number
of licences have been allocated for community radio use. Community radios
still face potential civil or administrative measures for operating
without a licence, which can also have a harsh impact on them.

Data provided by the Federal Police in 2007 indicate that by August 2007,
1,800 community radios had been closed down and had their equipment
confiscated, and many individuals have been criminally charged for
operating 'illegal' radios. There are many accounts of intimidation and
violence by police officers and other authorities relating to these
closures.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the Brazilian government to undertake a comprehensive
reform of the regulatory regime for broadcasting, including creating an
enabling environment for community broadcasters. Urgent measures should
also be taken to speed up the processing of existing licence applications.

Messages in this topic (1)
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2. Do-it-yourself pirate radio kits available now
Posted by: "George Lessard" media@web.net themediamentor
Date: Wed Feb 11, 2009 5:32 pm ((PST))

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: [MRN] Do-it-yourself pirate radio kits available now
From: "radtimes" <resist@comcast.net>
Date: Wed, February 11, 2009 20:02
To: Recipient list suppressed:;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do-it-yourself pirate radio kits available now

http://artthreat.net/2009/02/do-it-yourself-pirate-radio-kits-available-now/

February 2009

Ever wanted to make your own pirate radio station? Well, you're in
luck. The folks at Free Radio Berkeley http://www.freeradio.org/
have put together a short video that walks you through the actual
making of a 10 watt FM transmitter. That's enough radio juice to
broadcast in a 3-4 mile radius.

[See URL for video.]

The fun thing is they will send you all the parts – they sell the
kits for between $280 (15 watts) and $1050 (300 watts). And all you
have to do is sit down with your soldering iron (and leadfree
soldier) and follow along. Now, I own a 2 watt transmitter that I
built under the tutelage of Canadian performance artist (and former
electrical engineer) Bobbi Kozinuk, who in turn developed the
transmitter design from Tetsuo Kogawa's pioneering work in the 1980s in
Japan.

Owning your own portable radio station is pretty much the funnest
thing you'll ever do. I've broadcast a show in East Vancouver about a
movement to stop a disastrous transportation plan, and also in Cape
Breton with the Chapel Island First Nation, the first time they had
ever heard their own voices, music and language broadcast locally. A
microtransmitter is also a wonderful art tool – used it once to help
stage a performance in a parkade across the street from a gallery,
audience on the roof, performers engaged in clandestine movement,
music, and delight.

To be fair, it is a little complicated to put together a transmitter,
soldering is a skill and some of the components can be fried by too
much heat, but it seems like the folks at Free Radio Berkeley are
doing this for all of the right reasons and will likely be available
to help you get through any tricky patches.

Overall, the video is a great introduction, maybe not quite enough to
have you broadcasting to your friends and fellow citizens
immediately, but with a little dedication, patience, a few emails and
maybe a telephone call or two to the Free Radio Berkeley pirate radio
champions, a radio station could be yours. Radio Free Berkeley is a
pirate radio station that has been broadcasting in the Berkeley area
on a 50 watt transmitter since 1993. Props to Ceci Moss at Rhizome
for picking up on the video.

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3. Windsor, Ontario, Canada - CJAM licence in jeopardy
Posted by: "George Lessard" media@web.net themediamentor
Date: Wed Feb 11, 2009 5:54 pm ((PST))

CJAM licence in jeopardy
Windsor Star - Ontario, Canada

Published: Wednesday, February 11, 2009

After 25 years on the air, University of Windsor's community radio station
CJAM-FM (91.5) could lose its licence in an international turf war between
the U.S. and Canada.

Adam Fox, CJAM manager, said there is a real concern the station's FM
frequency will be taken over by a commercial radio station in Michigan.

"The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has already granted a licence
to a station in China Township," said Fox.

It is located in St. Clair County, north of Port Huron, but its signal
power would reach the Detroit-Windsor market and the frequency would no
longer be available to CJAM.

[..]

The FCC earlier forced its Canadian counterpart, the CRTC, to impose
restrictions on CJAM because it claimed the signal was interfering with
WUOM-FM (91.7), the University of Michigan student radio service in Ann
Arbor.

In response, CJAM has applied to move its signal up the FM dial to 99.1,
and seek protected status under CRTC-FCC regulations. That would protect
other stations from effectively jumping CJAM's claim.

"We need our audience to write the CRTC and voice their approval," said
Fox. "Otherwise, we could find ourselves off the air."

Interventions for or against the application can be made online at
www.crtc.ca, by fax at 819-994-0218, or by mail to: CRTC, Ottawa, Ont.,
K1A 0N2.

While CJAM has occupied a spot on FM for 25 years, its history as a
community and college radio service stretches back to the early 1950s.

It began as the Assumption Music Appreciation Society on AM radio in 1952,
eventually becoming the Assumption Radio Club before joining Canada
Student Radio network. It operated as CSRW (Canada Student Radio Windsor),
a low-power community station on 550-AM until 1977 when the CRTC approved
its name change to CJAM.

The move to FM came in 1983. In 1997, CJAM boosted its signal power from
50 to 1,000 watts, but that's where some of the trouble started.

When it increased its signal power, it could be heard in Metro Detroit,
and raised the ire of stations in Michigan. The FCC, in an effort to
protect the interests of WUOM, forced the CRTC to retain CJAM's
lower-power designation, making it an unprotected signal.

By moving to 99.1, Fox said, the station will continue to be heard in
parts of Metro Detroit, but it should not pose a problem to other
broadcasters in the same spectrum.

CJAM is a community radio station with a mandate to broadcast
non-mainstream music content, which restricts it to less than 12 per cent
of current hits. Fox said the station seldom plays more than one or two
per cent hits.

The station also offers community promotions, multicultural content on
weekends, and programs which address such things as women's issues, gay
rights and labour.

More at:

<http://www2.canada.com/windsorstar/news/entertainment/story.html?id=2f4306f2-c8e3-44f3-8a82-60837f05a91a>

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4. Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur: Community radio station to b
Posted by: "George Lessard" media@web.net themediamentor
Date: Wed Feb 11, 2009 5:57 pm ((PST))

IIT's community radio station to benefit unskilled labourers, housewives

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200902102081.htm

New Delhi (PTI): The government on Tuesday approved setting up of a
community radio station by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
aimed at students, housewives, skilled and unskilled labourers in the
vicinity.

The station to be set up at the Media Technology Centre of IIT Kanpur is
expected to be operational within three months as per a Grant of
Permission Agreement with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

The community radio station will disseminate information on healthcare,
agriculture, science and technology in addition to the literacy programmes
for children and adults. The station will also provide a platform to run
awareness campaign on social issues.

The ministry has encouraged the community radio station with the view that
it promises to provide an opportunity to local communities to express
themselves and particularly empower women, youth and marginalised groups
to take part in self-governance and cultural development of the area.

Messages in this topic (1)
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5a. Chennai,India: Growth of community radio on the upswing
Posted by: "George Lessard" media@web.net themediamentor
Date: Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:02 pm ((PST))

Growth of community radio on the upswing
Hindu - Chennai,India

Chennai (PTI): The growth of community radio in the country is on the
upswing and number of functional Community Radio Stations (CRS) has grown
from 27 last year to 41 today, with 38 of them located in educational
institutions, a top official of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry
said.

'The Ministry has issued letters of intent to about 129 institutions for
setting up CRS. This includes 70 educational institutions, 31 NGOs and
nine state agricultural universities among others," Esther Kar,Additional
Director General, Press Information Bureau (PIB), said in her inaugural
address at the Second Capacity Building Workshop on Community Radio here
on Tuesday.

Out of these, 21 institutions have received their Standing Advisory
Committee on Radio Frequency Allocation (SACFA) clearance and eight have
signed the Grant of Permission Agreement, she said. As a word of wisdom
for those running CRS, she said frequency was a national and "currently
somewhat limited resource" and urged them to use it "optimally."

Terming broadcast as a "hungry monster" which called for "constant, rich,
relevant and meaningful feed," she said operators can tie-up with
like-minded organaisations in the same area if they could not generate the
content by themselves.

<http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200902101736.htm>

Messages in this topic (2)
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5b. Re: Chennai,India: Growth of community radio on the upswing
Posted by: "Vickram Crishna" v1clist@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Wed Feb 11, 2009 11:23 pm ((PST))

"As a word of wisdom for those running CRS, she said frequency was a national and "currently somewhat limited resource" and urged them to use it "optimally." Terming broadcast as a "hungry monster" which called for "constant, rich, relevant and meaningful feed," she said operators can tie-up with like-minded organisations in the same area if they could not generate the content by themselves."

What warm memories this news brings back!

High school days, discovering George Orwell, first Animal Farm.... then 1984, and the Ministry of Truth working overtime to help citizens rediscover the truth, or newspeak... and Shakespeare.

We now know that the number of stations has gone up (to 42 by our count, but the Ministry has said it is 41, and the Ministry is full of honorable people), but now we can cheerfully update our memories, given this heartening information, that the Ministry had announced the purpose of its Policy was to have 4,000 independent stations on the air at the end of 2008.

Foolishly*, we had believed in a rosy vision, that they would be stations run by ordinary persons for their own informational benefit. The Ministry has done otherwise**, allocating over 92% of the stations to persons graced by their educational qualifications, who have the virtue of belonging to a sector that has proven its elite credentials, by leaving gigantic swathes of the country functionally illiterate - oh sorry, did I say illiterate? I mean of course having the ability to leave less than illegible marks on paper purporting to represent names.

*misguided by our utterly naive and false memories of leader after
leader over the past 67 years telling us about our infinite capacity for self-reliance

**And the Ministry must be right, for they are all honorable persons

By the way, I attended the Nasscom (IT industry association) annual forum yesterday, to find out that the partner country is Brasil (which, just like India, is the largest country in its region, with diverse people and languages). What a shame that the our democracy is unable to take a leaf from Brasil's example, given the current news that President Lula has moved a bill to decriminalise community broadcasters running unlicensed stations.

Vickram
http://communicall.wordpress.com
http://vvcrishna.wordpress.com

________________________________
From: George Lessard <media@web.net>
To: creative-radio@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, 12 February, 2009 7:33:31
Subject: [creative-radio] Chennai,India: Growth of community radio on the upswing

Growth of community radio on the upswing
Hindu - Chennai,India

<http://www.hindu. com/thehindu/ holnus/004200902 101736.htm>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Messages in this topic (2)
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6. Burkina Faso: Médias : Une radio communautaire pour la commune de
Posted by: "George Lessard" media@web.net themediamentor
Date: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:21 pm ((PST))

Médias : Une radio communautaire pour la commune de Bama
LeFaso.net - Burkina Faso

<http://www.lefaso.net/spip.php?article30560&rubrique6>

Le lundi 26 Janvier 2009, le Gouverneur de la région des Hauts-Bassins
Pascal T. Bénon a procédé à l'inauguration de la radio communautaire de la
commune rurale de Bama appelée radio « Bama Pile ». Ce qui veut dire le
communicateur de Bama. M. Bénon a été assisté du parrain de la cérémonie
et de la radio, le député Alfred Sanou.

D'un coût estimatif de 67 millions FCFA, la radio « Bama Pile » émet sur
la bande de 97.1 avec une puissance de 300 Watts. Sa portée est de 70km.
Cette radio communautaire est le fruit de la bonne coopération entre la
commune rurale de Bama, le Conseil général de la Haute-Vienne, et Radio
France internationale (RFI) qui a contribué pour la partie technique. Le
parrain Alfred Sanou a remercié les partenaires français qui ont contribué
à la réalisation de cette Radio FM. M. Sanou a souhaité que Dieu renforce
ce partenariat.

En outre, il a invité le comité de gestion de la radio et les habitants à
veiller à la bonne gouvernance et à l'autonomie de la station. Car, a-t-il
ajouté cette radio doit pouvoir offrir des émissions de qualité qui
répondent aux besoins d'informations, de culture, d'éducation, de
développement et de divertissement de toute la communauté. Bama étant une
commune rurale cosmopolite, la radio « Bama Pile » doit refléter cette
diversité de langue et de culture. A ce propos, le parrain a dit que cet
aspect est déjà pris en compte, car les animateurs sont en formation pour
les langues parlées dans la commune à savoir le bobo, le dioula, le
fulfulde et le mooré.

S'adressant aux autorités locales et conseillers de Bama, aux ONG, aux
différentes associations de femmes, d'hommes, de jeunes, M. Sanou leur a
fait savoir qu'ils ont à présent un formidable outil de mobilisation et de
promotion. Pour ce qui est de la coopération entre la commune rurale de
Bama et le département de la Haute-Vienne, une collectivité territoriale
française qui vient d'offrir ce joyau aux populations de Bama, le maire de
ladite commune a indiqué que ce partenariat très fructueux date de plus de
20 ans. Et pendant ces 20 ans, beaucoup de réalisations ont été faites par
la Haute-Vienne au profit de la commune rurale de Bama.

Quant au représentant des partenaires français M. .Jean-Jacques Dubouchaud
Vice-President du conseil général de la Haute-Vienne à Limoge, il a
déclaré que leur souhait, celui de l'Etat burkinabé et son conseil
supérieur de la communication est que cette radio soit une radio
citoyenne, la radio de l'ensemble des habitants de Bama et non pas la
radio d'un groupe, d'une ethnie ou d'un parti politique. Profitant de cela
le chef de la délégation française a remercié particulièrement la
présidente du Conseil supérieur de la Communication du Burkina Faso, Mme
Béatrice Damiba et ses collaborateurs pour leur soutien quant à
l'aboutissement rapide et positif du dossier qui a permis la réalisation
de cette infrastructure médiatique.

Pour ce qui est de l'entretien de cette radio M. Dubouchaud a souligné «
si l'inauguration de ce matin de cette radio est un moment important, il
faut garder en tête que ce n'est que la naissance de la radio « Bama Pile
». Il lui reste maintenant à grandir et à devenir forte. Pour cela, il
faudra que chacun de vous veille sur elle comme son enfant, la protège et
la soutienne jusqu'à sa maturité. Radio « Bama Pile » s'est choisit un
parrain qui sera son tuteur. Et je sais qu'il veillera sur elle et saura
l'appuyer en cas de besoin ».

Avant la coupure du ruban symbolique de la radio par le Gouverneur de la
Région des Hauts-Bassins, la délégation française s'est présentée aux
autorités et aux populations. Cette délégation est composée de M.
Jean-Jacques Dubouchaud chef de la délégation, de Mme Monique Plazzi
Vice-Présidente du Conseil général, de M. Jean Claude Fauvet Conseiller
général, de M. Jean Duchambon Vice-President du Conseil général, Jean-Marc
Gabouty Conseiller Général, Mme Carine Directrice de Cabinet, Mme Béatrice
Arquetout, attaché territoriale, M. Thibaut Maisonneuve, journaliste à
France Bleu Limousin, et M. Patrick Baudet responsable technique à France
Bleu Limousin.

Félix G. OUEDRAOGO Correspondant à Bobo-Dioulasso

L'Hebdo

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7. MENA Fw: Egypt: Concerns with Draft Broadcast Law
Posted by: "tamara aqrabawe" aqrabawe@yahoo.com.au aqrabawe
Date: Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:24 am ((PST))

ï¿½
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: ARTICLE 19 <press@article19.org>
To: aqrabawe@yahoo.com.au
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 3:09:05 PM
Subject: Egypt: Concerns with Draft Broadcast Law

For Immediate Release ï¿½ 12 February 2009 ï¿½ Arabic to follow

Egypt: Concerns with Draft Broadcast Law

ARTICLE 19 and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information have serious concerns with the draft Broadcast Law released by the Egyptian authorities. A detailed analysis of the draft Law conducted by ARTICLE 19 highlights these concerns, including the fact that the oversight body, the National Audiovisual Broadcasting Regulation Authority, would be controlled by government rather than being independent, as required under international law.
The draft Broadcast Law was released in July 2008 and we understand that the Egyptian government plans to present it to the Peopleï¿½s Assembly in due course. ARTICLE 19 and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Informationï¿½s key concerns with the draft Law, in addition to the lack of independence of the Authority, are as follows:

* It requires not only broadcasters, but also companies which deal in broadcast equipment, to be licensed.
* It allocates broadcasting licences on the basis of the highest bidder, as opposed to public interest approach and fails to recognise community broadcasting as a third type of broadcaster.
* It provides for excessive restrictions on broadcasting content.
* It fails to set out a framework of rules for regulating ownership concentration and for ensuring competition in the broadcasting sector.
* It provides only for heavy penalties, instead of putting in place a graduated system of sanctions for breach of the law, and fails to place appropriate conditions on the imposition of heavy penalties.
ARTICLE 19 and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information call on the Egyptian authorities to amend the draft Law before putting it to the Peopleï¿½s Assembly so as to rectify these problems and to bring it into line with international standards in this area.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
ï¿½ The Submission is available in English at: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/memorandum-on-the-draft-egyptian-broadcast-law.pdf and in Arabic at: http://www.anhri.net/press/2009/pr0216.shtml
ï¿½ For more information, please contact Toby Mendel, Senior Legal Counsel, ARTICLE 19, a19law@hfx.eastlink.ca, +1 902 431-3688, or Gamal Eid, Executive Director, Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, gamaleid@anhri.net, 0101936884.
ï¿½ Arabic Network for Human Rights Information is a non for profit institution works on promoting the human rights in Arab World and defending opinion makers and free expression activists in the region.

________________________________

ARTICLE 19
ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works globally to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech. For more information on ARTICLE 19 please visit http://www.article19.org

6-8 Amwell Street London EC1R 1UQ United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 7278 9292 - Fax: +44 20 7278 7660 - info@article19.org - www.article19.org

*If you would like to edit your preferences (name, organisation, region, etc) or edit which mailing lists you currently subscribe to, please visit this link
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