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What community broadcasting is

Community broadcasting is media programmed by the audience it serves rather than by advertisers or a central editorial board. It is typically nonprofit, locally focused, and staffed largely by volunteers. What defines it is governance: the people who watch or listen have a formal say in what gets made and aired.

The defining feature is who decides, not who pays

Where it came from

What it is genuinely good at

What it is honestly bad at

How to get involved

How is community broadcasting different from public broadcasting?

Public broadcasters are usually funded by a licence fee or tax and answer to a remit set in law, with editorial decisions made by professional staff. Community broadcasting is funded by grants and donations and hands editorial decisions to the community itself. Both are noncommercial, but only one is community-governed.

Do you need a licence to do community broadcasting?

For over-the-air radio or television, almost always yes, and the process varies by country. For online-only distribution, generally no licence is required, though the same rules on defamation, copyright and privacy still apply.

Is community broadcasting the same as public-access television?

Public access is one form of it — cable channels required to carry programming produced by the public. Community broadcasting is the broader category, covering community radio, low-power television, and online platforms with community governance.

Can community broadcasting pay contributors?

Some does, usually for specific technical roles rather than for programme-making. Most operates on volunteer labour, which is both its main advantage in cost and its main weakness in consistency.

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