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The History of Community Radio

Activism

  by Michel Sénécal and Roger Fritz Rhéaume

 


 


Social and community activism

by Michel Sénécal

The term activist is usually applied to people involved with social and political issues and struggles. Nonetheless, it is quite appropriate to speak of the pioneers of community radio and community media generally as communications activists. Starting in the 1960s, many of these activists were on the job to defend a particular vision of the media. They wanted the media to give a voice to citizens, to representatives of grassroots and community groups and to up-and-coming artists, in short, to those whom the traditional media, electronic or written, commercial or public, rarely handed over the microphone.

 

Many or most of these activists were already active in other arenas besides communications. They were aware of the need in civil society  for the media to give a voice to those who did not have one, and so their attention soon turned to the issue of access to the media.

 

Thus in the early 1970s, activists in Lac Saint-Jean inaugurated a cable TV initiative to respond to the need for schooling and popular education. Other experiments of the same type were set up in other regions of Quebec. In the same period, community newspapers began to make an appearance, particularly in urban contexts. A few years later, community radio took to the airwaves: in 1973, CKRL FM, broadcasting from Laval university in Quebec City; then in 1974, CINQ FM (Radio Centre-Ville) from Montreal. All these media had more or less the same objectives, to let the people be heard.

 

Over the past thirty years, since community media appeared on the media map of Quebec, hundreds of individuals have worked really hard, often out of the spotlight, to develop community media. They have worked to set up their radio stations and to lobby government departments; they have participated on different committees, produced series of broadcasts, worked as volunteer journalists, etc. Some were students in communications. Other, the vast majority, had never planned on doing radio or television. Some may have worked on salary for a time, but most of the time, most of them were volunteers. Through their activism, all contributed to one of Quebec’s finest experiments in grassroots and cultural education, an experiment in free, community communications.

 

 

 


 

Activists and the media

by Roger Fritz Rhéaume

 

The term activist is usually applied to people involved with social and political issues and struggles. Nonetheless, it is quite appropriate to speak of the pioneers of community radio and community media generally as communications activists. Starting in the 1960s, many of these activists were on the job to defend a particular vision of the media. They wanted the media to give a voice to citizens to representatives of grassroots and community groups, of up-and-coming artists, in short, to those whom the traditional media, electronic or written, commercial or State, rarely handed over the microphone.

 

Many or most of these activists were already active in other arenas besides communications. They were aware of the need in civil society  for the media to give a voice to those who did not have one and so their attention soon turned to the issue of access to the media.

 

Thus in the early 1970s, activists in Lac Saint-Jean inaugurated a cable TV initiative, to respond to the need for schooling and popular education. Other experiences of the same type were set up in other regions of Quebec. At the same period, community newspapers began to make an appearance, particularly in urban contexts. A few years later, community radio took to the airwaves: in 1973, CKRL FM, broadcasting from Laval university in Quebec City; then in 1974, CINQ FM (Radio Centre-Ville) from Montreal. All these media had more or less the same objectives, to let the people be heard.

 

Over the past thirty years, since community media appeared on the media map of Quebec, hundreds of individuals have worked really hard, often out of the spotlight, to develop community media. They have worked to set up their radio stations, to lobby government departments, they participated on different committees, produced series of broadcasts, worked as volunteer journalists, etc. Some were students in communications. Other, the vast majority, had never planned on doing radio or television. Some may have worked on salary for a time, but most of the time, most of them were volunteers. Through their activism, all contributed to one of Quebec’s finest experiments in grassroots and cultural education, an experience in free, community communications.

 



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