Citizen Media Unions
Unions for Citizens Media (GfB) was a registered media association based in Düsseldorf ( North Rhine-Westphalia ). At the same time, the term “unions for citizen media” denotes the amalgamation of local and regional trade union citizen media working groups.
Club goals
Until its dissolution (2008), the GfB eV campaigned for the population to participate in the media ( participation ) and promoted them through suitable measures to impart media skills . He supported the production of employee-oriented articles for community radio and open channels in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The GfB eV promoted the establishment and development of local GfB working groups. He supported them in acquiring technology, offered training seminars across the country in North Rhine-Westphalia and bundled the political activities of the working groups.
Against the background of increasing privatization and concentration of the media, he sought to preserve diversity of opinion with suitable political measures and statements.
The association was composed of representatives of the individual trade unions, a representative of the DGB and a representative of the working groups. The local working groups, however, were a member of the club, it was also the name "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gewerkschafte at no time r underlined for local radio / citizen media."
Working groups on site
There are currently around a dozen working groups in NRW, most of which are made up of members of DGB trade unions. You are actively committed to the interests of employees in the company and society and, within the framework of public radio, form a critical dissenting voice to private local radio, in particular through an employee-friendly perspective on current political and social events.
The GfB working groups are responsible for producing contributions for community radio and open TV channels in the areas where local radio broadcasts and in the local cable networks. In their studios, most of which are recognized as radio workshops by the State Agency for Media in North Rhine-Westphalia (LfM), articles are made about the world of work, politics, social affairs and culture. They offer access for interested citizens, employees or producer groups on the basis of the state media law and provide technical and journalistic support for the production of the articles. Many of the working groups work intensively on school projects and support NGOs .
Current
As a result of the so-called Volpers study, an amendment to the state media law was planned by the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2007 and passed by the state parliament, which included the restriction of the previous media participation secured by the two-pillar model . The association worked to maintain the status quo. Together with the LAK “Quality Offensive Citizens Radio” he co-organized the state-wide discussion event “Advice Citizens Radio 2007” (formerly known as “Impotence in the Aether” and “Discourse Citizens Media”, a cooperation event between the LfM and the DBG training center Hattingen ), which discussed in detail with the pending legislative change and its possible effects.
Development history and personality
Shortly after the introduction of local radio in North Rhine-Westphalia, the DGB trade unions in NRW founded the association “Unions for Local Radio (GfL) eV” in 1991 . The association was dissolved in 2009. The last chairman was R. Woelk from the DGB district of North Rhine-Westphalia, who was a member of the LfM media commission until the end of 2008 .
On the occasion of its 10th anniversary in 2001, the CD “Take 10” was released, which presents excerpts from the productions of the working groups. The CD includes greetings from ver.di Chairman Frank Bsirske and the then Chairman of the DGB NRW Walter Haas on the anniversary. The CD was presented to the public at a ceremony broadcast live on Radio RSG at the DGB training center in Hattingen.
In order to reflect the changed political framework conditions and the new diversity in media participation, the association was renamed as “Unions for Citizens Media (GfB) eV” on January 1, 2004. In addition to the original promotion of community radio, the focus of the association's work is now equally on imparting knowledge and participating in all “new” media, be it radio, television or the Internet. The association's educational program has been expanded accordingly.
The 2007 amendment to the State Media Act enormously worsened the general conditions for public broadcasting. As a result, many radio workshops (not just the unionized ones) disbanded. The trade unions of the DGB NRW then decided in 2008 to dissolve the GfB eV. However, there are still union-oriented radio workshops in some North Rhine-Westphalian DGB regions.