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<p><b>A Message from Community Media Forum Europe and brno '13 conference:<br><br>Press Release<br></b><span style="font-size:medium;font-family:'arial black','avant garde'"><br>Media Diversity for Democracy, Brno 4. - 6. October 2013</span><span style="font-size:medium;font-family:'arial black','avant garde'"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:medium;font-family:'arial black','avant garde'">CMFE looks back on a successful Conference and General Assembly</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small">Community media activists, academics and policy makers from 26 European countries met in Brno at the CMFE Annual Conference to discuss the role of community radio and community television as agents for change in democracies. The state of community media in CEE countries was a central focus, together with recent developments in the community TV sector and special panels on participation in the media, gender equality policies and Community TV youth initiatives. Legislation and technological developments (including open source initiatives) formed another core of content.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small">Keynote speaker Prof. Vinod Pavarala, UNESCO Chair for Community Media at Hyderabad University, remarked in the opening plenary that “Community Media are not only about content delivery, but also about local participation and citizen interaction. Governments need to recognize community media as a distinct media sector and provide funding and equal access to the different distribution platforms.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small">Guest speaker Bissera Zankova, Member of the Bureau of the Council of Europe Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI), supported the idea of Community Media as a vital element of democratic societies: “Community Media fill the gap left by public service and private media, and work for cohesion, tolerance and trust. Policy for gender rights is policy for human rights and community media have a central role to play in the implementation of the recently adopted Council of Europe Recommendation on gender equality and media.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small"> </span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:small">During the conference the results of the worldwide Community Media Mapping and Rating Project were presented. According to the CMFE 2012 mapping a total of 2237 community radio stations and 521 community television stations are active across Europe and 29 European countries were rated according to their development of community media. Correlations between democratic structures and the status of Community Media can be seen in this first attempt to count community radio and TV stations not only in Europe but also in the world.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small">Despite the recognition of the role and value of community media in the expression of pluralism and social diversity in the media sphere, many European states still have not met the recommendations and resolutions of European and international institutions on community broadcasting. In particular, access for community media still has to be guaranteed on all available broadcasting platforms, ensuring that the shift from analogue to digital technologies becomes an opportunity for more media pluralism rather than for further media concentration.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small">In conjunction with CMFE’s Conference, AMARC Europe held its Second Forum “Changing the communication environment: Networking for Community Radio in Central and Eastern Europe”. Community radio broadcasters and academics from across Europe met to develop strategies to strengthen community radio across the region, as well as alliances and long term strategies for the enhancement of the sector in Central and Eastern European countries.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small"> </span><span style="font-size:small">The joint conference and close exchange with AMARC Europe at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Masaryk University is an important step towards reinforced cooperation for a common European perspective on Community Media in a global media sphere.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small">CMFE also held its Annual General Assembly on Oct. 4<sup>th</sup>. The new members elected to the CMFE board are Urszula Doliwa from Poland, Judith Purkarthofer from Austria and Gergely Gosztonyi from Hungary.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:small">The CMFE Conference was funded by the EU under the Europe for Citizens Programme 2013 and has been kindly hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences of Masaryk University and by the INGO RadioExpert.</span></p>
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</div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Jaqui Devereux<br>Director<br>Community Media Association<br><br><a href="http://goog_1822693262" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.commedia.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.commedia.org.uk/</a><br>
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<br>t: +44 (0)114 279 5219<br><br>Canstream Internet Radio & Video<br><a href="http://www.canstream.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.canstream.co.uk/</a><br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation" target="_blank"></a>