New Public Media

Lately, I have seen an increase in the popularity of sharing personal stories on the radio. Public radio programs like This American Life (distributed by Public Radio International and aired on many National Public Radio stations nationwide), have demonstrated to a general audience the one-to-one potential of radio. As an avid listener of this program, I find that the intimate nature of the stories makes it easy to forget how many intermediaries there are between myself and those speaking; a producer, an interviewer and all the staff and decision makers at NPR and PRI.

So, with the qualification that I am a fan, I feel I can say this and mean no disrespect: You shouldn’t need a phone call from Ira Glass for your story to be heard on the air.

Community radio, or Low-Power FM (LPFM) radio stations, allow the public to take the mic anytime to tell their own stories and share information relevant to their local communities. At Prometheus, we want to break radio free of the exclusivity of professional requirements. With a little practice, training, support and access to LPFM stations, anyone can be on the air.

We believe that the future of radio should be participatory, and true participatory radio means that broadcasts aren’t only one-to-many and one-to-one, but also many-to-one and many-to-many. The idea that there can be an entire community or a movement behind the microphone may not be new, but it is still radical.

With all that in mind, it’s high time I stop writing about what I think community radio is or should be, and let radio speak for itself. Cue the People Powered Radio Project: a cartographic web of video testimonials about participatory radio that shows who loves community radio, where they love it, and why they love it. Watch one:

You can also particpate! Please submit a short video clip about you and radio, and send it our way. The videos will be uploaded onto an interactive Google map, showcasing a growing network of community organizers and media activists who use radio in unique and empowering ways.

Because participatory radio is driven by the needs of each community, no two radio stations are exactly alike. The People Powered Radio Project will use personal video testimonials to show how radio is individually, communally and politically relevant. This is your time to tell each other what radio means to you! Please add your voice to the growing network of stories.

To Add Your Voice, Follow these Simple Steps:

1. Answer the following question on a video in 1 minute or less: What does Local Community Radio mean to you and/or your community?

2. Post your video to the PeoplePoweredRadio Youtube Channel.

3. Email the URL of your video to: Karas@Prometheusradioproject.org

4. View the map as it develops!

Please visit www.prometheusradio.org for more information. And a special thanks to Prometheus intern extraordinaire, Karas Lamb, for all her hard work on the project!

This is a guest blog post from Halimah Marcus, who works for the Prometheus Radio Project in Development in Communications. She got her start in radio as the Finance Director and then General Manager of Vassar College’s independent community radio station, WVKR 91.3, where she hosted an all vinyl French music program.