The radical pedagogy of community radio and the case of radio al-balad 92.4 fm

Abstract

Community radio remains an understudied form of media in the Arab region despite new interest in studying social change communications. Because theories of community media remain largely developed in Western contexts, the voices and experiences of community media audiences in non-Western contexts are rarely heard. This dissertation contributes to community media studies by documenting the political impact of community radio and the accountability of the practice itself based on the experiences of community radio news producers and listeners of Radio al-Balad 92.4 FM, the first and only community radio station broadcasting in Amman, Jordan. Based on a research design that is qualitative, collaborative, and engaged, this study draws on data collected from sixty-seven study participants using a mixed-method approach that includes storytelling. The findings position community radio as a form of social movement media based on the grassroots political communication history of community broadcasting, the inequalities shaping the local FM broadcasting regulations and practices in Jordan, and the radical pedagogical approach of community radio governance, news programming, and audience engagement practices at Radio al-Balad.