UNESCO has recently published a book on community radio prepared by the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), Tuning into development: International comparative survey of community broadcasting regulation. The book focuses on international standards govenring the regulation of community radio as well as the legal framework for this in some thirty countries from different regions of the world. It also includes a set of recommendations on better practice regarding the regulation of community broadcasting.
“We believe that this book fills an important gap in the literature,” said CLD Executive Director, Toby Mendel. “There has been a lot of discussion about the need for enabling regulations for community broadcasting, and a certain amount of standard-setting, but this is the first really comprehensive analysis of comparative law in this area.”
Part I of the book provides an overview of relevant international standards, both of a general nature and focusing more specifically on community broadcasting. Part II provides an overview of the way the community radio sector has developed in different parts of the world. Part III, the longest, analyses the legal environments for community broadcasting broken down into three categories, namely Recognition, Definition and Form; Access and Licensing; and Funding and Sustainability. Information within each category is organised by region – Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Other – and then country. Part IV looks at developing regulatory environments, while Part V contains the recommendations.
For further information, please contact:
Toby Mendel
Executive Director
Centre for Law and Democracy
Email: toby@law-democracy.org
Tel: +1 902 412 0872
www.law-democracy.org
Twitter: @law_democracy
