Internet, new media supports community radio, but it’s too early to solve its problems

New media and the Internet have made it easier than ever for organizations to share information and capture new audiences—but for the moment community radio stations don’t appear to be maximizing its potential. During the CRTC’s hearings on the review the campus and community radio sector, which concluded last week, it became clear that many campus and community radio stations are not making the most of new media. At the hearings, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) argued that the Internet could allow campus and community stations to reach listeners without an over-the-air signal. But the community and campus radio sector seemed unsure about the degree to which media over the Internet can supplant FM radio. “I don’t believe that radio will be replaced by new media,” said Ken Stowar, the program director at the University of Toronto campus station CIUT, at a hearing last week. “When you think about it, radio is already where new media strives to be: wireless, broadband, available everywhere, and it’s free.” The station viewed new media as something that could add to core community radio programming—but not replace it. “With all new media, social media included, like Facebook and Twitter, we see it as an adjunct to our core programming,” said Brian Burchell, CIUT’s station manager. Jim Ellinger, vice-president, North America, for the World Association of Community Radio, told The Wire Report that radio stations that fail to adapt to new technologies risk becoming irrelevant. “Those who fail to adapt will be left behind as surely as buggy-whip repairmen,” he said. Ellinger added that some campus and community radio stations in Canada have completely embraced new media, while others have lagged behind. One representative, from McGill University station CKUT, shared CIUT’s outlook. “We see that we have a lot of web-based listeners,” Andrea-Jane Cornell, CKUT’s music programming coordinator, said before the commission last week. “However, large parts of our local community listen to the radio in their homes and in their automobiles. The two modes of diffusion are complementary.” Several participants in the hearings said it was difficult for the campus and community radio sector to create new media content when many stations are struggling just to fund their on-air programming. “Participating in the new media environment is very challenging,” said Brenda Grunau, station manager of University of British Columbia station CiTR. “For smaller stations, the purchase of equipment is difficult due to finances.” Grunau said the Internet is useful for people who do not receive her station’s signal very clearly. CiTR’s signal is spotty throughout Vancouver and there are a number of dead spots around the city where new media can offer a viable alternative, she said. “From a cost perspective, the opportunities have never been greater for people who are willing and able to embrace new technology,” Michael Tippett, the CEO and co-founder of NowPublic, a successful user-generated social news website based in Vancouver, said in an interview. Tippett said that it is increasingly important for organizations like campus radio stations to build relationships with bloggers and other members of their communities who have a strong online presence. “Increasingly, information choices are being made through people’s social filters,” he said. Tippett added that Google has become a “kingmaker” in the world of online media. More links to content increase a website’s chances of attracting multiple visitors. At the hearings, some campus radio stations argued that the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) has created a grey area in terms of playing music on podcasts. To avoid paying any royalties, some stations, like CFUV in Victoria, only carry spoken word content for their podcasts. Randy Gelling, CFUV’s station manager, said his station went as far as cutting out any music from the spoken word shows that they archive as podcasts. Chris Gordon, president of CHUM Radio, told the commission that Internet radio represented a viable alternative in situations where spectrum scarcity would make it difficult to license a new FM community or campus radio station. The campus and community radio stations, however, maintain that costs and the limited potential reach of online media do not work in their favour. In the practical world of community radio broadcasting, it doesn’t appear that the Internet—at least yet—will deliver the answers.

Internet, new media supports community radio, but it’s too early to solve its problems

News | 01/29/2010 10:01 pm EST

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