Informace o publikaci
Community Radio for the Czech Republic - Who Cares?
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2010 |
| Druh | Konferenční abstrakty |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| Popis | A triad system of public service, commercial, and community radio stations does not exist in the Czech Republic because the nation has never had a community radio sector and isn’t close to implementing one. In fact, the Czech Republic is among the few countries in the European Union without a viable community radio presence. While this may seem like a glaring omission, and to many international community media practitioners and advocates it indeed is, the perception within the Czech Republic may be distinctly different. Alongside freedom of speech, access to the important and powerful terrestrial radio spectrum is a basic tenant of a free and open society. While newspapers, magazines, cinema and theatre operate without the barrier and/or restrictions of the license process, broadcasters face substantial obstacles and fierce competition just for the right to utilize broadcast spectrum. In many cases, legislators and regulators fail to even recognize third sector broadcasting initiatives as legitimate, much less offer them a spot on the dial As a worldwide trend towards the establishment of triad systems of public service/commercial/community radio sectors continues to gain momentum, the Czech Republic remains a bipolar system without a community radio sector. While advocates of community radio and non-governmental organizations might disagree, there appears to be no substantial movement towards implementing such a community radio sector in the Czech Republic. As commercial radio consolidation continues at the expense of local ownership and programming service to the community, coupled with an upcoming battle for spectrum access in new digital technologies, a window of opportunity may develop. The citizens, regulators, and political elites of the Czech Republic may then have the opportunity to take steps towards testing a triad system perhaps using the effective models of their EU counterparts as a roadmap. In any case, a vibrant community radio sector has the potential to greatly contribute to Czech society and help to address the social problems therein |