‘Community media’ - refers to any form of media
created and controlled by a community, with the aim of
serving that community.
This can include community radio and television
stations but also local magazines, ‘grassroots’
journalism and alternative or citizen media – whether
online and offline.
Community Media aids in the process of building
citizenship and raising social awareness.
"Participation" and "access" are a large aspect in the
rise of community media.
Modes of community media
- Print
- Radio
- Television
- Web-Based
- Mixed Media (Assemblages, sculptures and etc)
The United Nations has played a leading role in
promoting human rights and duties.
The UN Declaration on Human Rights promotes a
culture of dialogue and community, a culture of human
rights
The right to communication/expression - a basic
human right, which points to every human being’s basic
need to express what he or she thinks about any
matter.
Since all democratic relationships presuppose
interactions that are mutual, there can be no
relationship without dialogue. To enter into
relationships, to establish communities, to survive,
people must communicate. Genuine communication is
therefore a basic human need—like food, clothing and
shelter (Fisher & Harms, 1983).
The right to information.
The citizens of a country have the right to know
everything that affects them in the social, political,
cultural, and economic spheres, including that state’s
plans for development.
A community radio station is one that is operated in
the community, for the community, about the
community and by the community
The community can be territorial or geographical – a
township, village, district or island. It can also be a
group of people with common interests, who are not
necessarily living in one defined territory. Consequently,
community radio can be managed or controlled by one
group, by combined groups, or of people such as
women, children, farmers, fisher folk, ethnic groups, or
senior citizens.
What distinguishes community radio from other media
is the high level of people’s participation, both in
management and program production aspects.
Furthermore, individual community members and local
institutions are the principal sources of support for its
operation.
Characteristics of Community Radio
- It serves a recognizable community.
- It encourages participatory democracy.
- It offers the opportunity to any member of the
community to initiate communication and
participate in program making, management
and ownership of the station.
- It uses technology appropriate to the economic
capability of the people, not that which leads to
dependence on external sources.
- It is motivated by community well-being, not
commercial considerations.
- It promotes and improves problem solving.
Principles of Community Radio Operation
a. Access to the facility is the primary step towards
the full democratization of the communication
system. People have access not only to the
media products but also to the media facilities.
The feedback channel is always open and full
interaction between the producers and
receivers of messages is maintained.
b. Participation in the production and
management of media is the logical step after
access. Citizen’s participation in radio is allowed
at all levels – from planning to implementation
and evaluation of the project. It involves the
citizens in the decision-making process,
including making decisions about the contents,
duration and program schedule. The citizens, or
their representatives, also have a voice in the
management and financing of radio program.
 c. Self-management of the communication facility
follows participation. Once the community
members gain necessary experience and
assimilate the required skills there is no reason
for preventing them from managing and owning
the radio station.
d. Community mandate is the inevitable result of
the process of democratizing the
communication system. Community mandate
encompasses not only management but also
ownership of the radio.
e. Accountability is exercised. There is no sense in
having the opportunity to operate, control and
manage the station when accountability is not
in the hands of the managers and broadcasters
Distinct Features of Community Radio
- A community radio often uses the basic
production and transmission equipment
appropriate for the size, needs and capability of
the community. Usual transmission equipment
is comprised of a low-power FM transmitter of
20 to 100 watts. The production facility can
range from a simple tape recorder or a karaoke
playback machine to a simple studio that
consists of an audio-mixer, tape decks, CD
player and microphones.
FACILITIES
Much, if not all, of the resources needed for operating
the community radio come from individuals, institutions
and organizations within the community. Private
individuals are motivated to contribute to the station.
Various fund raising schemes such as raffles draws,
benefit dances, selling of FM receiver set are held.
Institutional advertisements or sponsorships or outright
donations are accepted. Host institutions such as
schools, foundations, cooperatives, local government
units and religious organizations may provide backstop
support
SOURCES OF SUPPORT
- The management of a community radio station
is entrusted to the Community Radio Council
(CRC). The CRC is a multisectoral body, which
obtains its mandate from the community to run
the station.
- The management of a community radio station
is entrusted to the Community Radio Council
(CRC). The CRC is a multisectoral body, which
obtains its mandate from the community to run
the station.
MANAGEMENT
- A core of selected community members who
have the time, ability and enthusiasm are
chosen to prepare regular programs. The
program makers undergo training on preparing
programs of various formats such as radio talk,
interview, magazine, music, news, drama,
documentary, or plugs.
- The program makers are volunteers from the
community. Although most of them do not
receive honoraria, they undertake the day-to-
day operation of the station. They serve as
producers, announcers, hosts, scriptwriters,
news gatherers, technicians and administrative
personnel.
PROGRAM MAKERS
- in community radio programs, there is a heavy
emphasis on local contents.
- News content focuses on events coming from
the municipality, villages and local
organizations.
- Broad participation by community members is
encouraged.
PROGRAMS
The management council determine the broadcast
hours for a community radio on the basis of the
following:
• capability and number of trained personnel;
• availability of electricity or power;
• technical feasibility;
• needs of the community/audience;
• availability of resources necessary for operation;
• competition with other radio stations
BROADCAST HOURS
Community residents can be motivated to participate in
program making by inviting them to neighborhood and
village level production workshops.
 STIMULATING COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Organizing. A core of responsible leaders, initiators and
workers who are convinced of the benefits of
community radio has to be organized.
Research / Evaluation. Baseline research will determine
the socioeconomic situation of the community at the
start of the community radio project.
Training. Three groups of people need to acquire basic
skills – the core of managers, program makers and
technicians.
ACTIVITIES IN SETTING-UP A COMMUNITY RADIO
Community broadcasters can be generally defined as
those which are independent, not-for-profit, and
governed by and in the service of the communities they
serve.
They form an important “third pillar” of media,
alongside commercial and public broadcasters, and are
a crucial part of a healthy, pluralistic media sector.
Documentation. With a new communication set up it
will be in the interests of prospective evaluators,
simulators, and adopters to record, on print, film, paper
or video the progress of the community radio.
Installation of equipment. There will be a need to
purchase equipment, construct a studio and put-up a
tower. Qualified electronic engineers and/or technicians
are to perform these tasks.
• Requirements for legalizing the operation of radio
stations vary from country to country. Initiators must
check with the communication regulating agency of
their respective state. The agency should provide a
checklist of requirements for setting up low power
radio.
• In the Philippines, there are two main instruments to
be secured from government, which are (1) a
congressional franchise; and (2) a license from the
National Telecommunication Commission (NTC).
• Low power stations [20 watts and below] that are set
up for education and training are not required to get a
franchise, only a license that will serve as a permit to
buy, install and operate radio. In this case the license is
renewed every year but ideally the community radio
should have the license valid at least for three to four
years without the fear of having to close after a short
license period
Community radio is not an expensive operation to
maintain for the following reasons:
• The operating cost is very low, mostly related to
electrical consumption, spare parts, maintenance and
office supplies.
• Volunteers, who receive, if any, minimal honorarium,
staff the station.
• Management is trained in how to raise money from
local, national and international sources for example
through donations other fundraising activities.
• Since a community radio serves the interests of the
community, people easily assume responsibilities in the
operation of the station.
______________________________________________
In India the government publishes a weekly broadsheet
called Hamara Desh (“our country”) which is pasted on
the walls in neo-literate villages. The purpose of these
papers is to share much needed information. But when
governments publish, there can be a kind of censorship.
COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
▪ With printing slowly becoming financially nonviable,
many publishers agree that the future for them is
digital.
▪ The 25-year-old daily Sun.Star Pampanga (SSP) went
digital in March when Luzon was placed on enhanced
community quarantine (ECQ), resuming its printing in
June when the province shifted to modified general
community quarantine (MGCQ).
▪ The paper version was prompted by demands for
publishing ordinances, notices and advisories, and
subscriptions, according to Billy San Juan, officer in
charge of SSP.
Community newspapers in Albay also reported terrible
losses due to the drop in advertising revenue, notably
judicial notices, while overhead expenses for office
rental, electricity, communication and salary of editorial
staff continued to eat away their funds.
The province has six regular weeklies—The Weekly
Digest, Bicol Chronicle, Dyaryo Bikol, Mayon Times,
Newslink Bicol and Albay Journal—with a combined
circulation of 500 to 1,000.
Each of these publications has suffered at least
P100,000 in monthly revenue losses due to lack of local
ads from government agencies and commercial
establishments.
Ricky Gonzales, Weekly Digest publisher and editor, had
to use his savings to continue printing, even with limited
circulation, and to pay for office rental, electricity,
communications and staff salaries.
Nilo Aureus, publisher of Bicol Mail based in Camarines
Sur province, said the lockdown prevented the local
papers from reaching other cities and towns, cutting
their circulation by close to 60 percent.
Marlyn Relingado, publisher and editor of Dyaryo Bikol,
said she had to resize the paper and make other
adjustments to cut cost.
According to the traditional definition, a COMMUNITY
NEWSPAPER is a small daily or non-daily with less than
15,000 in circulation. But in the digital age, that
definition is becoming outdated, as more and more
readers get their news from digital sources.
Local newspapers can strengthen communities. Local
newspapers are great resources for residents who want
to become more active in their communities and learn
more about community events. Local newspapers often
showcase community events.
Community newspaper serves the information need of a
particular locality.
The distinguishing characteristic of a community
newspaper is its commitment to serving the
information needs of a particular community. A
community may be geographic, political, social or
religious.
Community newspapers have the power to bring about
great good and make a profound difference within
their locales.
Hallmarks of a STRONG NEWS ORGANIZATION
1. Set the agenda for public debate
2. Encourage economic growth in the area.
3. Foster geographic identity.
WHAT IS 'ACCOUNTABILITY JOURNALISM'?
An organization’s mission basically establishes your
reason for existing. Why is it important that your paper
or news company survive? Whom do you serve?
A recent Pew report calculates that newsroom staffing
levels in newspapers have decreased a third since
peaking in 2000, bringing the total back to 1978 levels.
Beat reporting (in which a journalist covers the public
meetings of local, regional or state officials) and
investigative reporting on “quality of life” issues,
ranging from government corruption to environmental
and health issues.
According to Pew, the time allotted to local public
affairs on local broadcast news programs has declined
by half over the last decade.
STARTING A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
The small town community newspaper thinking
With this type of newspaper, your goal is to create a
needed service that fills a community need. You must
think beyond the income or else your mindset will be
swayed and diverted. Are you trying to connect your
community to the local government, schools, or
businesses? Are you trying to build a resource that
points people to needed services? Are you looking to
talk about news no one else is talking about? What
makes your newspaper different, unique?
How often should I print?
Gathering content and writing the stories takes time. If
you do this once a month, then it can be done by a
single person, but the moment you go to twice a month
or weekly, you are looking to expand your staff to meet
the need. The operation becomes much more
demanding at that point, and we recommend you only
go to a more frequent distribution if you have the
infrastructure to support it—and your readership is
demanding it.
How many should I print?
Do the research to determine how many households
live in your community. If you intend to mail them, then
you will need to be able to send one to nearly every
home in the town. If you intend to distribute them in
other ways, you might be able to get away with printing
less.
How big should my newspaper be?
It is recommend to start with at least 8 pages. This way
you’ll have enough space to sell plenty of ads and the
expense between 4 pages and 8 pages is not much
greater. Eight pages is a manageable number to start
with. Consider that each page will average 750 words
along with ads and images. So at 8 pages, you may need
to write 6,000 words, sell up to 32 ads, and find 16
images that go along with your articles. At 16 pages, the
work doubles, and printing monthly means this is still a
one-person operation.
SELLING ADS
A Small Town Community Newspaper has the
advantage of targeting everyone in town and probably
in rural areas. Start with business owners you know and
then ask them for two referrals. You can then go armed
with a name to pitch to the referrals.
• Be armed with as many statistics about the
demographics of your town as you can. You need to be
able to tell an advertiser the reach of your newspaper.
• Always approach the person who can pull the trigger
on the ad. Don’t talk to an employee or a manager that
can’t make this decision.
• Don’t be bothered when someone says no. That’s part
of the deal. Shake that off and go on to the next one.
• Have a copy or mockup of your newspaper to show a
potential advertiser. In fact, it may be wise to let the
mockup newspaper contain all the information you
would use in a sales pitch and then leave the copy with
the business owner.
• Use contracts with discounts to lock down advertising
money for consecutive issues.
• Try to sell more than just ads. Sell a written article
about the advertiser or sell space for the advertiser to
write an article of their own.
• Don’t forget to remind owners that advertising costs
are tax deductible.
• Be excited about what you are doing. Impart your
vision to the business owner and let them buy into both
you and your vision.
FINDING CONTENT FOR YOUR NEWSPAPER
Gathering the content and news will most likely be your
biggest challenge, even more challenging than selling
the ads. You will need interesting content that matters
to the families living in your community that has no
other outlet. You don’t need to put national news in
your newspaper. If local news can be found easily on TV
or another source, then you will want to specialize in
stories no one would hear about if it wasn’t for your
newspaper.
Here are some ideas of where to gather content:
• From community contributors! In your first issue,
make an appeal to anyone who wants to write or who
has some information that others might find interesting
—include kids in the offer too. Make as many people a
reporter as possible. Offer incentives for those who will
help write. Many people would just love to see their
name in print.
• From local schools and government. Reach out to
your local schools and ask them for news. In fact, you
may want to contact your high school journalism class
and get them involved.
• Use your demographics to suggest stories to write.
Armed with this information, you’ll be able to write
things that appeal to a specific demographic. If you
know, for example, that there are a lot of young couples
with children, then anything that appeals to moms,
dads, and kids will be great content.
• Interview people. Everyone has a story, and when you
let that person tell their story, you’ve just given them a
reason to love your newspaper—and you’ve got
content.
• Ask businesses, local churches, and local services to
write articles for you. In many cases, you can actually
sell the space to them as it gives them exposure.
• Make it easy for people to write or call you with
information.
THINGS TO CONSIDER FIRST
Your first issue will be your hardest. You’ll not only be
doing everything for the first time, you will need to do
some things in the beginning that you won’t do later on.
Be ready to work hard. You’ll get out of this as much as If you do not mail your newspapers, then you will need
you put in. This could easily become a full time job with to find other ways of distributing them such as leaving
a nice income, but the harder you work the more them door to door, putting them in restaurants,
profitable it can be. government facilities, waiting rooms, and so on.

Do the research into your community. Know the POTENTIAL INCOME WITH A SMALL TOWN
demographics. Know the dynamics involved. Learn COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
about any relationships your community has with other
A Small Town Community Newspaper can generate
businesses and entities. Know the key industries and
either a part time income or a full time income. It all
what is important to the welfare of your community.
depends upon the work and effort you’re willing to put
Know the advertising market. Know how much you into it.
should charge for each ad. What are businesses already
Generally speaking, your newspaper should have a
paying to reach your town? Know that you can offer
minimum of 8 pages and be filled with relevant content
them a means of reaching people no one else can offer,
to the people living in your community.
either through price, reach, or content.

You want, if at all possible, to get your advertisers to

email you their ad in a jpg, 300 DPI format. Some may
not have this and either they or you will have to build it.

You will need to familiarize yourself with design

software and newspaper design. Have a mockup
newspaper created and printed so that you have
something tangible to show potential advertisers.

THINGS TO CONSIDER NEXT

Once you have it going, it will be easier to maintain.

Now you just need a constant flow of content and new
advertising to replace or grow the ones you already
have. Be constantly on the lookout for new ways to
spruce up your newspaper. Look into adding contests
and other interactive content.

Most importantly, learn as you go. Identify weak points

where you can streamline, cut costs, reduce the amount
of time you spend on simple things, and so on.

Look to get other people directly involved to reduce the

workload on your shoulders. Get people to write
articles, to send you photos, and to help distribute them
if need be.

DISTRIBUTING YOUR SMALL TOWN COMMUNITY

NEWSPAPER

Mailing them to each household is ideal, but pricy.

Advertisers will love the fact that their ad will end up in
someone’s hands, not forgotten on a driveway curb or
ignored in a rack somewhere. In addition, mailing will
save you a significant amount of time.

Saturate the routes that directly affect your town.