Participation in Australian Community Broadcasting

Australian community radio has been a part of the broadcasting system since the early 1970s, and its development offers a fertile site to investigate the relationship between media and democracy, given its emphasis on the normative principles of access and participation. This book examines the value and purpose of Australian community broadcasting by linking together concepts of the public sphere and social capital. It identifies two main ideological constellations that have shaped the development of this sector: professionalism and community development, with the former becoming increasingly dominant as community radio expands into rural and regional communities. This can undermine the community development function of community broadcasting, which is little understood. This book explores the contradictory pressures that guide the practice of community broadcasting with a comparison of three non-metropolitan community broadcasters. The analysis reveals that there is a link between successful community development practices and financial success.