Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Help from above (three) - Local Radio

In the seventies and eighties some parts of Europe were flooded by illegal radio stations, so called pirates, that operated on a very local scale, and soon became very popular. In Germany the anti - culture became a sub - culture thanks to a decision on governmental level. Bürger radio was founded, citizen's radio.
Bürger radio makers have little obligations and a lot of freedom. they are obliged to transmit 'news' and give information about the region. they are free on an editorial level.

Das Programm - The Programme - of Radio flora looks like a translation of demographic facts. There are transmissions in fourteen different languages, programmes on local, national and international items; there are interviews, portraits and music from every angle.
Radio Flora in Hannover looks also like an ongoing discussion on the exact meaning of democracy. Maybe one of their best features is the 'offene Sendeplatz' - the space that is open to contributions from listeners. somebody who feels like making a programme can send it in.

Now that the podcasts start to drip from the computer screen, it can't be but a matter of time and (local) radio will undergo a change. The forum of radio Resonancefm in London gives an indication of this change, though they restrict entries to their own programmes, as far as I have understood from their webinformation.

To the soundicians and the no-budgeteers a local radio turned into a beehive offers an excellent opportunity to introduce their works. The local radio people are only one step away from the street.

In Bologna I did a concert in a record shop. Vanni had a spare room, empty, divided from the side-walk by a wall-to-wall window and a mimetic door. The door was left open, so that my sounds could roll outside. People were walking by; it was the happy hour. Some got in, some stayed, some just passed, some bought a bottle of beer at the falafel shop next door and remained outside, involved in some chitchatterings.

Vanni organizes unexisting radio shows every week.


Radio Flora: www.radioflora.apc.de

Resonancefm : www.resonancefm.com

Vanni: www.underground.bo.it

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