Dear Colleagues,

there are still few places available for 

Finding and Funding Voices: the inner city experience.
A one-day international colloquium on community media

The Graduate Centre, London Metropolitan University,
166-220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB

Monday 17th September 2007, 9.00 am - 5.30 pm


The programme of the event includes

An opening plenary 'Setting The Scene' with panelists Steve Buckley
(President of AMARC, World Association of Community Broadcasters), Caroline
Mitchell (Senior Lecturer in Radio, University of Sunderland), Pieter de Wit
(Executive Director, OLON, Dutch Federation of Local Public Broadcasters),
Patrice Berger (French Radio Research Network, GRER, and community
broadcaster), Phil Korbel (Director, Radio Regen, Manchester) and the
London-based community media consultant Donald McTernan.

In the second half of the morning four workshops will describe Case Studies
from Austria (with Eva Kuntschner from Radio Orange, Vienna), Ireland (with
Ciaran Murray, Near FM, Dublin), Wales (with Steve Johnston, GTFM,
Pontypridd, and London (with Amarjit Khera, DesiRadio, Southall). Further
discussion on these case studies will be facilitated by Judith Purkarthofer
(Austrian Radio Research Group), David Barlow (University of Glamorgan),
Peter Lewis (London Metropolitan University) and Salvatore Scifo (London
Metropolitan University)

In the afternoon another series of workshops will be 'Looking to the
Future', meeting needs where 'London voices' will be encouraged to
articulate their needs and make suggestions for future action in the areas
of Training, Policy, Funding, Research, and Technology. 

At a final plenary 'What is to be done?' a response to what has been said
will be made by a panel of policy-makers including, among others, Jacqui
Devereux (Acting Director, Community Media Association), Soo Williams
(Community Radio Manager, Ofcom), John Mottram (Department of Culture, Media
and Sport) and Patrick Atagana (Department of Communities and Local Government).

The event is free of charge, but because of a limited capacity we need you
to register your attendance. You can find further information and download
the Registration Form on www.communitymedia.eu

If you are interested to attend please return the registration form by
e-mail to Salvatore Scifo at [log in to unmask]  as soon as possible,
and, in any case, not later than Friday 14th September at 1.00pm.

Looking forward to hear from you.

Best Wishes,

Salvo


-------------------------------------------------------

Finding and Funding Voices: the inner city experience.
A one-day international colloquium on community media

The Graduate Centre, London Metropolitan University,
166-220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB

9.00 am - 5.30 pm, Monday September 17th, 2007


Community media can provide opportunities for social groups excluded or
misrepresented in the mainstream to come in from the margins and give voice
to their cultures and concerns.

In inner cities across Europe there are many examples of young people,
migrants, minority ethnic communities (for example), using media which they
own and control, and of local authorities including media in their plans for
urban regeneration.

Giving ‘a voice to the voiceless’ requires supportive policies and funding
from a range of departments in central and local government, not just
ministries of media or culture.

In the UK the community media sector is at a critical moment as plans for
the digital switch-over threaten to exclude community TV and the expanding
community radio sector has to make do with an inadequate central fund.

In some UK regions and nations the sector’s needs are recognised with
complementary funding, but London lacks any overall plan. The colloquium
will bring together community media practitioners and academics from the UK
and abroad, London-based funders and policy-makers, and representatives of
London communities to examine local issues.

The event marks the launch of London Metropolitan University's Community
Media Research Group, based in the Department of Applied Social Sciences
which has recently appointed two lecturers with special responsibility for
developing community media courses within the university and in the North
and East London communities where the university is located

 

-- 
-- 
Peter M.Lewis & Salvatore Scifo,
Senior Lecturer & Lecturer in Community Media
Media Information & Communication
Department of Applied Social Sciences
London Metropolitan University
Ladbroke House
62-66 Highbury Grove
London N5 2AD

W: www.communitymedia.eu