RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

» Financial stabilitv A form of stable income would have the tendency to avoid dependence on commercial sources; such , it should be clear , is absent in the Netherlands . Dutch local stations are completely dependent on the goodwill of the local government or of other institutions and are unable to rely on their own sources of income . This has meant that some local stations have sought contact with commercial organizations in order to create an income source. • Training programs White suggests implementing training programs of non-professional producers in order to help those involved adapt a particular medium for their own use . Local stations in the Netherlands , however , often do not have the time, personnel anđ funding to proviđe such training . Occasionally an arrangement is made with an external body to provide training , but then the chance is great that the standards of traditional established međia are presented . • Legal legitimation of participatory communication After years of negotiation and lobbying local stations achieved a form of legal status in the new međia law which went into effect at the beginning of 1988. However, because of the limitations imposed on the stations it cannot be concluded that the government has seriously consiđered these media and provided them with the status White recommends , • System of participation White suggests constructing a system of participation allowing for representation of a large and diverse number groups , but which at the same time prevent domination by апу one minority . In the stations we examined it was evident that demands are increasingly made on volunteers regarding technical and prof essional competitence . In addition , there is informal pressure that volunteers are recruited from the dominant culture within the station orgamzation . Those stations which did achieve a large and diverse body of volunteers became confronted with the difficulty of coordinating all of the activity . STAGE 3 : COMPETITIVE IHITATION The third stage commences , according to White . when the new medium has become Known to a large anđ diverse audience , and become of interest to commercial concerns . Local stations in the Netherlands have generally been suspiciously viewed by commercial media and institutions , in particular by the local and regional printed press . These last media have considered local radio and television as intruders in their terrain . This was especially the case during the early phase of local stations , when it was unclear whether the medium would spread

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