mediadev library

Introducing a Social Benefits Approach to Community Radio: A Compendium of Stories

Seán Ó Siochrú, Paul Butler

Community Radio Ireland (Craol); Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) (2020), 88 pp.

"What really differentiates community media from their local commercial counterparts is that they see themselves, from their foundation, as part of the community. They do not just serve the community, or reflect the interests of the community, they engage directly with the community and the communit ... more

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Community Radio Delivering Social Benefit

Seán Ó Siochrú, Paul Butler

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI); Community Radio Ireland (Craol) (2020), 49 pp.

"We present a Social Benefit Framework to help understand the kinds of benefits that, in principle, are generated by community radio. It goes through the distinct types, six in all, that have been identified by looking through the literature and research and talking to community radio stations and t ... heir organisation, CRAOL. As well as identifying the types, the Framework gives a summary indication of how a station actually achieved this benefit [...] The Framework thus describes types of benefits and examples of ways that specific community station actions – many of them unique to community radio - can contribute to each type. It is intended to be of practical use, and the next section Putting the Framework to Work gives a flavour of what it can do, but as part of the wider methodology developed in another part of this project. This briefly illustrates the main components of that methodology and where the stories fit in. After this, a more elaborate Theory of Change map is presented. This takes a further step, to look the wider logic and operations of a community station, and of the environment within which it is embedded, intersecting to enable the Station to bring about change. It is called a Theory of Change because it first looks at the overall objectives of a community station, and then, bearing in mind the challenges that it faces, it tries to map out the logical linkages and preconditions of how to get from the here and now, to the final objective sought i.e. to map out a theory of the how change can happen. In this case the final objective is to maximise the benefits that can be brought to the community by the Station, by means of the same six areas identified in the Framework [...] However, the real star of this report is the Stories from the Community Radio Sector. In researching and documenting these Stories, part of a wider process of developing a methodology to be able to measure social benefit of community radio the researcher was struck by two things when visiting radio stations: First how the station’s staff and volunteers would recount, often in passing, arresting anecdotes about people who have been in touch to thank them, and stories about how the Station engaged with all kinds of the amazing things going on in the community. And second, when pressed for detail, how little of this was actually documented." (Pages 6-7) more

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Evaluation of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC)

Seán Ó Siochrú, Geoff Geurts

Paris: UNESCO (2018), 122 pp.

"The evaluation found that IPDC interventions have achieved important outcomes in several key areas. Furthermore, some of the results achieved are directly associated with features that are specific to IPDC and derive from its unique governance structures and instruments. In terms of key challenges, ... more

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Spectrum Innovation for Small-Scale Community-Owned Mobile Telephony: Strategic Considerations

Seán Ó Siochrú

AMARC World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters; World Association for Christian Communication (WACC); FAO (2017), 39 pp.

"This manuscript documents an innovative approach to providing access to mobile telephony and eventually internet services to communities in remote, rural areas. The innovation consists of the use of new technologies to access previously unused spectrum in these areas, and of a participatory and com ... more

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Broadcasting, Voice, and Accountability: A Public Interest Approach to Policy, Law, and Regulation
Top Insights

Steve Buckley, Kreszentia Duer, Toby Mendel, Seán Ó Siochrú

Washington, DC: World Bank (2008), 402 pp.

"According to the introduction, this 'guide is intended as a tool for media reform particularly in developing and transitional democracies. At the same time, it should be useful anywhere people aspire to a deeper democracy. Building democracy is a process, often long-term, and promoting free, plural ... more

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Global Information Society Watch 2007: Focus on Participation

Karen Banks, Roberto Bissio, Willie Currie, Anriette Esterhuysen, Chat Garcia Ramilo (eds.)

Association for Progressive Communications (APC) (2007), 215 pp.

"The experience of citizen involvement in public policy advocacy around the world has shown that the status quo tends to prevail unless political will to implement change is strengthened by active citizen participation. A “Global Information Society Watch” is needed to make governments and inter ... more

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Manual para la evaluación de los derechos a la comunicación

Seán Ó Siochrú

Campaña CRIS (2005), 96 pp.

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Assessing Communication Rights: A Handbook
Key Guidance

Seán Ó Siochrú (coord.)

CRIS Campaign (Communication Rights in the Information Society) (2005), 87 pp.

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Who Owns the Media: Global Trends and Local Resistances

Pradip N. Thomas, Nain Zaharom (eds.)

Penang: Southbound (2004), 330 pp.

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Communicating in the Information Society

Bruce Girard, Seán Ó Siochrú (ed.)

Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) (2003), 223 pp.

"The contribution in this book cast a spotlight into dark, often neglected, corners of the "information society" as articulated in the World Summit on the Information Society. Several very different layers are illuminated, from the philosophical underpinnings of the role of information in society, t ... more

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Global Media Governance: A Beginners Guide

Seán Ó Siochrú, Bruce Girard

Amy Mahan (contrib.)

Lanham, Md.; Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield (2002), xiv, 202 pp.

"This book is a primer on media governance at a global level and the key influencing forces and organizations, such as ITU, WTO, UNESCO, WIPO, and ICANN. Anyone interested in the media and its progressively rising influence over so many dimensions of society can look here for an introduction to medi ... more

Broadcasting, Voice, and Accountability: A Public Interest Approach to Policy, Law, and Regulation Top Insights

Assessing Communication Rights: A Handbook Key Guidance

Broadcasting, Voice, and Accountability: A Public Interest Approach to Policy, Law, and Regulation
Top Insights

Assessing Communication Rights: A Handbook
Key Guidance