Campus/Community Radio in Canada: Linking Listener to Broadcaster with Web 2.0 Technologies

"Inside media development, it is vital to focus on campus/community radio as an influential source of empowerment, especially for disenfranchised and marginalized groups in society....The implications of a socially connected world though ICTs and social media force the adoption of new media into most organizations in order to remain visible in the industries they serve."

With the purpose of developing a framework for the use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogging, YouTube, etc.) within community radio in Canada, as well as add to the body of literature for non-profit marketing and community building, this thesis investigates campus/community radio in Canada and explores its motivations and methods of using social media as a tool to interact with listeners. The context, according to the researcher, is that radio station staff and volunteer programmers use social media, as well as traditional digital and non-digital methods, to gather feedback about the show and/or station, promote the show and/or station, provide additional content to the listener off-air, communicate about the station itself, and achieve personal, station, and community growth.

To explore this phenomenon, the researcher developed and applied the S.M.I.L.E.S. (Split Methodology Inductive-Linking & Enabling System) methodology, which involves 3 main research methods: (i) collaborative inquiry (action research and domain analysis); (ii) "probing interviews" (including surveys); and (iii) internet metrics (including content analysis for visual media/visual association and "principal investigator reflective journal"), supported by the professional opinion of a social media company and commercial radio promotion professionals.

The thesis begins with a review of relevant literature and provides context on the campus/community radio industry in Canada, as well as social media in Canada. One section here focuses on information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) in campus/community radio. As the researcher explains, C4D as a social process "encapsulates the empowerment of poor and marginalized individuals or groups, allowing them to define their own development objectives through fostering dialogue and participation (AMARC, 2008, p.5). This practice is parallel in theory and scope to that of action research (see Chapter Three) as well as the goals and mandate of campus/community radio in Canada...[N]ew community media channels are emerging that facilitate increased awareness of development issues, allow for indigenous and international knowledge sharing, increase citizens' participation in development processes and encourage accountability and good governance..."

Later sections of the thesis present the research findings, broken down into motivations of programmers and/or staff and the methods they used to interact with listeners. What follows is a discussion of best practices and recommendations for industry changes - specifically, those related to the use of different platforms and methods directed toward individual programmers and designed to help staff support their individual stations' goals. The concluding chapter summarises the thesis and looks at areas of future research within academia, social media, and campus/community radio in Canada. Amongst the findings highlighted there are the following: "The use of technology has a major impact on campus/community programmers, as development of technologies plays a large role in capacity and development within marginalized communities. Campus/community radio in Canada impacts the social fabric of Canadian society in in three major ways: as a training ground for further broadcasting and media; as a social justice outreach platform for community news, rights and forums, and as a ground for individuals to present music and other topics which they are truly passionate about as a hobby. As a result, the introduction of new technologies fundamentally changes the way which radio stations and presenters accomplish their goals, and provides additional challenges in achieving success."

In sum, the results indicate that campus/community radio members in Canada who participated in this study use social media very differently from commercial or public radio stations. For example, the researcher found this campus/community radio sector to be generally slow in providing support and policy when facilitating technological change, which he says has resulted in tentative use and lack of support for social media. He urges programmers to be careful in identity management when engaging in online communication, as well as using social media as a fundraising tool and forum for information dissemination. Finally, he states, stations need to consider implementing policy surrounding social media in order to facilitate growth within the industry.