[cma-l] AMARC in Beijing - new frontiers for community media

[Steve Buckley]

AMARC, the World Association of Community Radio 
Broadcasters, organised from 15-20 June an 
informal mission to China. The delegation was 
composed by Steve Buckley, President of AMARC, 
Mavic Cabrera-Balleza, Representative of the 
Women International Network (AMARC WIN) and the 
AMARC Vicepresident for Asia pacifc, Ashish Sen. 
They set-up a blog with their comments and 
observations. The audio interviews here are 
available for broadcast on community media provided the source is acknowledged.

Please visit: 
<http://asiapacific.amarc.org/blog/>http://asiapacific.amarc.org/blog/

AMARC in Beijing

"...Ancient China’s libertarian philosopher, Lao Tzu, once said: “a good
traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving”. In that
spirit, three members of AMARC’s International Board – Steve Buckley,
Mavic Cabrera Balleza and Ashish Sen – pitched up in Beijing this week,
with a few friendly contacts and more than a few burning questions.

AMARC has no members in China. Broadcasting operates under strict
state-party control and the Internet is famously guarded by the “Great
Firewall” of blocks, filters and content monitors designed to remove
material considered dangerous or subversive. At the same time
communications in China is changing at a hectic pace, with economic
liberalization, growth of the Internet and mobile phone, and increasing
confidence of Chinese voices.

What prospects then for community broadcasting in China? What might
community radio look like with Chinese characteristics? Who in China
needs, demands or might benefit from community media? And who might
champion its development in the future?

We set out to understand the context and trends in China for media
development, to dialogue with media practitioners, communication scholars
and experts, and to identify the prospects and opportunities for deepening
AMARC engagement with China.

This is our Beijing Blog...."
<http://asiapacific.amarc.org/blog/>http://asiapacific.amarc.org/blog/
------------------------------------------------------------
             Steve Buckley, CM Solutions
              Email: steve at cmso.co.uk
                    Tel: +44 114 220 1426
------------------------------------------------------------
                        www.cmso.co.uk
------------------------------------------------------------