Difference between revisions of "Prometheus Radio Project"

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Revision as of 23:38, 13 March 2017

 http://www.prometheusradio.org/


About Prometheus Radio Project

The Prometheus Radio Project is a non-profit organization founded by a small group of radio activists in 1998. Prometheus builds, supports, and advocates for stations which empower participatory community voices and movements for social change. To that end, we demystify technologies, the political process that governs access to our media system, and the effects of media on our lives and our communities.

Our primary focus is on building a large community of LPFM stations and listeners. We hope this community will grow into a powerful force working toward the democratic media future we envision. Toward that end, we support community groups at every stage of the process of building community radio stations, facilitate public participation in the FCC regulatory process, and sponsor events promoting awareness and support of media democracy and LPFM radio.

Mission

The Prometheus Radio Project builds participatory radio as a tool for social justice organizing and a voice for community expression. To that end, we demystify media policy and technology, advocate for a more just media system, and help grassroots organizations build communications infrastructure to strengthen their communities and movements.

Vision

We envision a world in which the media is not a means to limit democratic participation, but a way for communities and movements to express themselves and struggle for justice. We imagine a nationwide community radio infrastructure made up of hundreds of independent, locally-orientated stations, part of a global movement to put media in the hands of the people.

Values

We value radio because it is easy to produce, free to consume, and accessible to more people across the world than any other mass media. Radio does not require expensive equipment, literacy, or a broadband connection. We believe in participatory radio because it is a proven tool for movement-building and cultural expression.

Our History

The Prometheus Radio Project was founded in 1998 by activists working within social change movements such as housing, environmentalism, health care, anti-war, and criminal justice reform. The success of these movements was limited by corporations’ ownership and control of media, who used their power to suppress debate on vital issues.

The pirate station, Radio Mutiny, was formed in West Philadelphia to serve as a local outlet for diverse voices, community news, and cultural expression. Radio Mutiny joined with hundreds of pirate stations across the country to pressure the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to create a legal option for community broadcasting. In response, the FCC introduced the Low Power FM radio service—the first time opportunity for small community radio licenses in twenty years. Members of Radio Mutiny, together with other pirates from around the country, hung up their eye patches and founded the Prometheus Radio Project to build and advocate on behalf of these new stations.

The creation of the Low Power FM radio service stands as one of the greatest successes in recent efforts for grassroots media reform. As a result, hundreds of new low power community stations are broadcasting that otherwise would not be—operated by civil rights groups, schools, farmworker organizations, environmentalists, cultural organizations, and others. Low power radio has allowed nonprofits in the United States to re-imagine and revitalize their relationship with media; and this has set the stage for a dramatic expansion of civil society into the world of radio station operations.

Prometheus supported hundreds of community organizations to apply for licenses and build their stations, touring the country to reach out to community groups and spread the word about Low Power FM radio. Prometheus organized 12 “radio barnraisings,” where hundreds of volunteers gather to build a radio station in three days. These radio barnraisings have helped groups build their base while training a new generation of media organizers across the country.

Prometheus continues to support dozens of low power stations with their day-to-day operations. We have helped over a hundred groups to apply for full power radio licenses in the 2007 filing opportunity, and assisted dozens in the 2010 application window. Over 120 interns and volunteers have worked with Prometheus over the past 10 years, emerging as community leaders and activists in the fight for participatory media.