RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

• stations striving to follow traditionat journalistic objectives; e stations wanting to involve community groups and residents in the organization and programming; 9 stations wanting to serve as sources of local inf ormation . ln most of the locations investigated there was a shift in objectives in the direction of trađitional journalism , while preserving the voluntary organization character of the station . One of the most striKing examples of such development was found in Groningen where initially an organizational structure was chosen in which as тапу residents as possible could actively participate in the station . Due to financial and organizational problems and also because of a change in the composition of the volunteers , a change came in the type of resident participation. A more journalistic, professional approach came to dominate station programming . A small core of volunteers remained active and were assisted by two paid staff members . The increase in emphasis on a journalistic approach to a programming can be explained primarily by the fact that the stations must complete for status and audience with other media . With the installation of cable and the coming of new services on the net there also came greater pressure on local media to meet public demands . Local radio and television stations, with their limited financial resources , are forced to achieve results in a competitive market; this , station representatives feel, is only feasibie with a professional journalistic approach to message production . The conseguences is that little remains of the origmal iđeal of a medium open to citizen participation . Hore or less parallel with the limited attention given to reflection on station objectives was concentration on short-term policy . This had partly to do with the need to attend to practical issues, particularly to financing the station. In addition , it appeared that the station organization was not always suited for realization of the ideals of community electronic media . Some of the problems had to do with rapid growth in number of volunteers which in turn ied to internal conflicts . This growth was confounded by limited financial reserves anđ inability - because of the shortage of trained volunteers and professional staff - to provide continuity in programming . The station m Grbnmgen is an example of one which grew too quickly . After the first half уеаг the station had more than 300 volunteers. With so тапу persons engaged m program production orđer and overview deteriorated. In Helmond there

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