The Historical Overview of Community Radio in the US

The Historical Overview of Community Radio in the US
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The Historical Overview of Community Radio
Introduction
Alternative media constitutes different media categories, encompassing other media organizations that position themselves against the mainstream media in various dimensions. The research on alternative media is deeply rooted in the media skepticism of the 1970s. The aim of alternative forms of journalism was construed to challenge the mainstream media, which appeared to be more dedicated to the “bourgeois” (Haller, Holt & de La Brosse, 2019). Alternative media producers wanted to give voice to minority groups and other special categories of people that the mainstream media disregarded. Community radio is an alternative media because it is different from commercial and public broadcasting radios which are majorly for profit (Cibin, Teli & Robinson, 2019). While commercial and public radio seeks to reach a diverse audience, community radios focus on a local, specific audience. Community radio tends to be operated and owned by the communities they serve. Unlike mainstream radio stations requiring a relatively huge amount of capital investment, community radios are amateur and require much less capital investment. The insignificant capital investment is crucial because it implies no need to invest much money when commencing the project. This paper delves into the historical development of community radio in the US. In particular, the paper will demonstrate the challenges community radios have faced and how they have overcome them.
Meaning of Community Radio
The “community” in the case of community radio denotes a geographical area in which the signal of a particular radio can be heard. However, it is not enough for geography to define a radio station as a community radio. The particular radio station needs to broadcast to a geographic region with an understanding of the various ethnic and social groups in the area. In particular, the particular radio station should have its airwaves open to the members of the community who are not heard by other media. Community radio has unique aspects that differentiate it from mainstream radio. Firstly, a community radio exists to provide access to community members who have not previously had such access (Tucker, 2013). In other words, community radio gives a voice to the voiceless and those who may not get opportunities in public forums. Here, all public members can speak and discuss issues of concern, even where the mainstream media has marginalized them. Secondly, community radios must demonstrate the participation of the community members. They are supposed to ensure the maximally participatory of the local citizens in all aspects of their operations. For instance, the management, planning, and production should mirror the community and allow the members to participate in running the radio station.
Thirdly, community radios are not-for-profit entities. While they may receive business funding or organize fundraisers and make sales to increase their funding, the proceeds should be channeled to the station itself or the foundation that manages it. Additionally, community radio should be community owned. The idea of having a community radio is having a radio station started, operated, and run by the community where it operates. In other words, community radio cannot be started, owned, and operated by individuals outside the community. It is impotent to note that while it may receive support from government and non-governmental organizations, the ultimate control must be with the community members (Tucker, 2013). The community members own their community radios through community-elected boards and membership subscription services for the community. Furthermore, a community radio should be volunteer-run. Since a community radio is not for profit, it generally has a large number of staff of volunteers. Volunteers, often representing community sections, are responsible for the daily operations of the community radio stations. However, having paid staff members does not conflict with being run by volunteers since the station may pay a few key staff members and then supplement the reminder with volunteers. Lastly, community radio is local, focusing on local artists, music, and culture. The station exists to meet the needs of the local community. It may provide regional or national coverage, but it should benefit the locals. The idea is to support the local community members through local programming.
Origins
Since the emergence of radio in the 1920s, commercial broadcasters have dominated the American airwaves. While in other countries, radio stations were controlled by their respective governments (e.g., BBC in Britain), in the US, the control was mainly on corporate sponsorship. As a result, American shows were meant to cast favor on their commercial sponsors. However, the advent of FM radio after World War II made noncommercial broadcasting technically and economically feasible. Noncommercial radio emerged in the universities. The aim was to train, educate, and inform students on the radio. The radio stations operated as learning laboratories that learners programmed with their faculty advisors' supervision. In 1945, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reserved the lower portion of the new FM radio band (88.1 to 91.9) for “educational broadcasters” (Robb, 2009). FCC probably intended for the reserved band to be dedicated to learning institutions. However, some visionaries had other ideas regarding the new development. In 1946, Lewis Hill and other radio professionals incorporated themselves into the Pacifica Foundation, intending to free radio from what they thought were commercial bonds. While many college-based radio stations went on air, nothing much happened with community radio until the late 1950s, when the Pacifica Foundation established KPFK (Los Angeles) in 1959 and WBAI (New York) in 1960.
In the 1960s, the first community radio emerged. Lorenzo Milam, a non-conformist, established KRAB in Seattle, the first real community radio (Lewis & Booth, 1989). Unlike the Pacifica radio stations, KRAB had a sound and programming formula. KRAB indicated that anyone could learn how to do radio, hence removing commercial stations' restrictions regarding who could be behind the microphone. KRAB allowed anyone who wanted to present an opportunity to do so, even where they did not have formal training in radio broadcasting. The station played all manner of music and allowed individuals with diverse opinions. KRAB created a platform where community members could express themselves without fear of censorship.
The 70s experienced the growth of community radio stations in the US. People realized that community radio was possible and opened them in different states. At that time, America was experiencing a counterculture, which was reflected in the programming of the community radio stations. For instance, call letters like WORT, WEVL, KUSP, and KBOO were common and demonstrated a departure from mainstream media broadcasting where such words would otherwise not be used (Lewis & Booth, 1989). The National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) started in the same decade. The NFCB aimed at lobbying the government on behave of community radio to advance its cause. In 1979, FCC started denying licenses to low-powered radio...