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The History of Community Radio |
- Social and community activism - Michel Sénécal
- Activists and the media - Roger Fritz Rhéaume
- See also Community groups find a voice - Michel Sénécal
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.
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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