Dear all,

those of you not so lucky to go to Bangalore, are warmly invited to a much
smaller but nice event I am hosting at the Stanhope Centre for
Communications Policy Research, London. We will look  at the community
radio regulation in the UK, and we will be connected with India (in our
hearts and minds). For more info, please contact me.
Looking forward to see there.
best, Stefania



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Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research, London, presents:

Re-thinking Communications Policy for Civil Society
Community radio in the UK: can an ad-hoc regulation enhance an active
public sphere?

When: December 9, 2005

Where: Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research, Central London
http://www.stanhopecentre.org/ See directions:
http://www.stanhopecentre.org/about/directions.shtml

What: A policy-oriented debate on community media and regulation in the
United Kingdom. It will bring together regulators, practitioners from
community broadcasters in the London area, advocates and academics and
will look at the community radio licensing process in the UK. In 2004, the
UK communications regulator Ofcom opened a call for applications to
operate community radio services. The first community radios were licensed
in Spring 2005. About 50 radio stations have been already awarded with a
licence to broadcast. We will assess the process and the results so far.

The event will run from 9AM to 4PM approximately, with short presentations
in the morning, and an afternoon session dedicated to a guided debate,
trying to answer collectively to the main concerns and issues in the area.

Who: Speakers include Annabelle Sreberny (SOAS), Salvatore Scifo
(University of Westminster), Donald McTernan (OfCom), Diane Reid
(Community Media Association), Andrea Millwood-Hargrave (Stanhope), Jane
McElhone (Open Society Institute) and Francesco Diasio (World Association
of Community Broadcasters/European Forum of Community Media) [note:
subject to changes. Last update: 25-11-2005]

Why: Together we will seek to identify proposals and possibilities for a
media policy reform that would accommodate the needs of community media,
guided by the assumption that participation and democracy can be fostered
by grassroots communication empowering people. Starting from the requests
of practitioners, we will try to understand how can regulation be improved.

UK but looking beyond: Stanhope event is linked with OurMedia annual
conference, to take place in Bangalore, India, December 5-9, 2005.
OurMedia (www.ourmedianet.org) is a global network with the goal of
facilitating a long-term dialogue between academics, activists,
practitioners and policy experts around community, alternative and
citizens’ media.

Contact:
We look forward to seeing you –  refreshments and a networking buffet will
be provided! Please RSVP to Alicia Altorfer-Ong
([log in to unmask]; subject: “community radio RSVP”) by the 2nd
of December.