Add to calendar
iCal calendarPublics, Participants and Policies: Examining Community Broadcasting in Austria and the Czech Republic
Abstract:
While the values of community broadcasting can be found in a rich mix of scholarly theories, advocacy interventions, organizational charters, and regulatory guidelines, research about the importance of these values to participants is quite limited. This research deployed online surveys to volunteer participants in separate case studies of community broadcasting in Austria (n=340) and the Czech Republic (n=85), first to measure the importance of community broadcasting values, and second to evaluate the alignment of community broadcasting policy to the views of those participants. This project revealed that many of the widely-recognized values commonly attributed to community broadcasting are also highly-important (with notable exceptions) to the survey respondents in Austria and the Czech Republic. In addition, the selected policy documents from Austria and the Czech Republic show generally positive alignment with the views of the respective nation’s survey respondents. The findings and conclusions add to the understanding of community broadcasting, and are applicable to the practice, advocacy, and regulation in the sector.
About the speaker:
Henry Loeser is a research fellow in MEDIT and teaching member of the Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School faculty. Dr. Loeser earned his PhD in 2016 for research into the societal attributes of Community Media at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, and holds a MA in European Politics, BS in Business Administration, and AS in Mechanical Engineering. He founded the Media Innovation Center at Masaryk University, establishing the new university broadcast operations of student radio and TV. He also is an independent media advocate, serving on the board of directors of the Community Media Forum Europe. Since 2003, he is founder and director of Radioexpert, an NGO that is active in Community Media projects worldwide.
About MEDIT seminars:
MEDIT seminars are invited speaker events organised by the Centre of Excellence in Media Innovation and Digital Culture (MEDIT). They feature scholars from the Baltic Sea region and beyond who study media and digital technologies. Each seminar consists of a 50-minute lecture, followed by a discussion. All are welcome to attend!