Citizen Broadcasting

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Citizen broadcasting is a model of citizen participation in the German-speaking broadcasting landscape and belongs to non-commercial local radio . In addition to radio (community radio; community radio) , the term also includes television stations (community television). Citizen broadcasting is available in the four federal states of Bremen, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia. In North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia, the term “citizen media” is used as a generic term for “citizen radio”. Citizen broadcasting, like free radios and other broadcasters with citizen participation, is often unofficially referred to as the third pillar alongside public and private broadcasters. In most of the media laws that provide for citizens' broadcasting, the program concept is characterized by free, equal and non-discriminatory access to broadcasting time for all citizens and is mostly funded by public funds.

Bremen

In Bremen , the term "Citizens Broadcasting" was included in the State Media Act in 2005. With the change in the law, the local information obligation and service of the two Bremen citizens' broadcasters is to be strengthened.

Lower Saxony

According to the requirements of the Lower Saxony Media Act of 2001, an "organizer of citizens' broadcasting" has three central tasks. It is intended to complement local and regional reporting, while at the same time granting all interested citizens access to the radio and imparting media skills. Citizens 'broadcasting in Lower Saxony is financed by the organizers ' own funds, which are mainly organized as registered non-profit associations, through donations and support services from local institutions, as well as partial grants from the Lower Saxony State Media Authority (NLM). The Lower Saxony convergence model is the result of a multi-year, scientifically comprehensively evaluated operational test, during which open channels and non-commercial local radio stations were operated in parallel. The abolition of the NKL / OK dualism is the consequence of the similarity of both types of citizen media that can be observed in broadcasting practice. The motives of the - mostly voluntary - producers to get involved in citizen broadcasting are identical across all models. The thematic and content preferences are similar. And it is not the organizational model that decides whether it is accepted or used, but the local anchoring as well as the scope and quality of the local information.

Citizen radio was introduced in Lower Saxony as early as 1995. In an initially multi-year test phase, there were two community radio models. The open channels that are only open, i.e. H. Broadcasting slots were offered for everyone who lived in the broadcasting area of ​​the citizen radio broadcaster and the non-commercial local radio stations that offered a purely editorial program, although the editorial offices were open to access. The difference to North Rhine-Westphalia: In Lower Saxony, the broadcasters were independent and financed exclusively through funds from the Lower Saxony State Media Authority and grants from cities and districts in the respective broadcasting area, as well as through donations. The state media law forbids broadcasters any form of advertising.

The test phase ended on March 31, 2002 and the transmitters were put into regular operation. The licenses granted for this will run until 2009. With the transition to regular operations, the separation into open channels and non-commercial local radio stations was lifted. H. the open channels have to offer an editorial program since April 1, 2002 and the non-commercial local radio stations open broadcasting slots. The editorial staff of the former open channels is also open to access.

Citizens' radio in Lower Saxony is available as a television and radio station. The umbrella organization of the broadcasters is the Landesverband Bürgerermedien in Niedersachsen (LBM). There are now 15 independent citizen radio stations across Lower Saxony.

North Rhine-Westphalia

In order to combine different types of citizen broadcasting in one conceptual bracket, the term “citizen media” was introduced into the state media law in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in 2002, which includes not only citizen radio but also the open television channel and campus radio.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, before the new State Media Act was implemented in 2007, private commercial radio stations were legally obliged to make up to 15 percent of their broadcasting time available for contributions made by citizens. It was an attempt to combine the idea of ​​the open channel with an economically active local radio. This model had serious consequences in the actual implementation of the production of radio productions: Live broadcasts were not possible because the citizens' radio operators had to submit the broadcast for inspection by the broadcaster three working days before the broadcast date. “B-15 producers” did not have the same autonomy as users of “real” open channels . The local radio thus retained at least a certain “control” over its format and legal security, both with regard to the requirements of press law and other media law or criminal law provisions. Rejected broadcasts were to be submitted by the local broadcasters, at the request of the responsible citizens' radio group, to the State Agency for Media North Rhine-Westphalia (LfM) to review the decision . The production infrastructure was determined by 160 recognized radio workshops, that is to say supported by the responsible media authority, and the number of citizens active nationwide was estimated at 18,000. They were organized in around 2,700 community radio groups. They produced almost 50 hours of programming every day.

With the amendment of the State Media Act in May 2007, the NRW state government appointed by the CDU and FDP decided in favor of the "de facto abolition" of civic radio - as it was previously known in NRW. In the television sector, a nationwide TV learning channel was launched in 2009 instead of the open channels, in which citizens can continue to participate with their own contributions, films and programs. The program is broadcast nationwide under the name NRWision in the digital cable network and via live stream on the Internet. In addition, a joint media library for productions from community media is being created under the same brand name.

Rhineland-Palatinate

In the northern part of the state there is the citizen broadcaster OK54 , which broadcasts a 24 hour program and is the only broadcaster of this kind in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Austria

In Austria there is the citizens' television station Okto TV , which is funded by the City of Vienna. Among the free radios there are other stations whose character resembles that of citizen broadcasting, while other stations such as B. Radio OP are aimed only at certain target groups.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Section 1, Paragraph 1 of the Citizens Broadcasting Regulations of December 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ § 32 Thuringian State Media Act.
  3. ↑ The other voice. South German, November 27, 2017