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This is the type of model in which I am very interested for the U.S. - especially the Shenandoah Valley. Hmmm.. just going to post this with the names, etc and will get back to it later...

This is from an event organized by Center for International Media Assistance:

The Center for International Media Assistance at the National Endowment for Democracy
and Internews Network

Invite you to a luncheon presentation on

Community Media Sustainability:
The Business of Changing Lives

Thursday, February 26, 2009
12-2:00 p.m.
(Lunch served from 12:00-12:30p.m.)

1025 F Street, N.W., Suite 800
Washington, DC 20004

RSVP (acceptances only) with name and affiliation by Tuesday, February 24
to CIMA@ned.org
Years ago, the notion of a business model for community media would have brought responses ranging from dismay to ridicule. Community media’s origins in political struggle, its community ownership structure, and its mission—to give voice to the voiceless, to provide an alternative to mainstream media, to place control of media in the hands of ordinary people—seem to contradict the notions of both “business” and “model.” Today, however, community media is a valued and recognized part of the media landscape. International aid agencies are showing ever-greater interest in community media’s ability to inform and empower. Additionally, more and more governments are acknowledging the contribution of community media to education, public health, and economic development, and are creating policy and legal frameworks to enable its expansion.

This is not the only way in which the community media context is changing. The shift to digital communication technologies has brought about an explosion of new media activity and opportunities over the past decade, as well as greater competition for scarce resources, including advertising. Jean Fairbairn, project director, chief writer and editor of the Community Media Sustainability Guide, will explore some of the challenges and issues facing community media, drawing on research and experiences from around the world to provide different perspectives on sustainability and how to achieve it. Bill Siemering of Developing Radio Partners and Jeanne Bourgault of Internews Network will comment on the report and offer ideas about how community media can best approach the goal of financial sustainability.

About the author:

Jean Fairbairn, Internews’ project director and chief writer and editor, has over 20 years experience in the international development sector. Her areas of specialty include communications for development, local independent and community radio, building democracy and civil society, HIV/AIDS, and monitoring and evaluation. Fairbairn directed the Open Society Foundation for South Africa’s Media Support Program from 1996 to 2003, playing a leading role in developing South Africa’s vibrant community radio sector. She is currently general manager of the Freeplay Foundation, based in the United Kingdom, and has written and edited several texts on community radio.

About the panelists:

Jeanne Bourgault serves as Internews Network’s Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for Programs, overseeing the operation of Internews’ 23 offices and programs worldwide. Bourgault joined Internews in 2001 as Vice President for Programs. Her expertise is in democracy promotion and media development. Prior to joining Internews, Bourgault served for six years with the U.S. Agency for International Development, including three years working on Latin America programs followed by three years as director of the Office of Democratic Initiatives at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Bourgault also worked in the former Yugoslavia, serving as a strategic advisor for media development programs in post-war Kosovo, as well as manager of community development projects in Serbia and Montenegro. Bourgault has consulted on international development program design and evaluation to the Open Society Institute, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Research Triangle Institute, and the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, among others.

Bill Siemering, an advisory board member for the guide, is president of Developing Radio Partners, a non-profit organization that supports local radio in developing countries. Developing Radio Partners grew out of Siemering’s experience since 1993, working with the Open Society Institute, where he worked in South Africa, Mozambique, and Mongolia, among other countries. Siemering wrote the original mission and goals for National Public Radio, became the first director of programming at NPR and, with the staff, developed All Things Considered. Later, as manager at WHYY-FM, Philadelphia, he helped bring Terry Gross and Fresh Air to a national audience.