Natural intimacy

I was talking with someone today who runs a voluntary city radio station. This person made some comparisons between the small community based operation and the larger "professional" countywide station.

It seemed that the stories to come through the community based station were far more original, exciting and in tune with the community than the larger station. Even though the journalists on the larger station had more experience, they often struggled to find contributors on any given topic (or indeed find the stories in the first place). 

There is a sense in which being professional somehow takes you one step away from the action. The community of volunteers have all got day jobs which provide valuable connections throughout the city. Being professional citizens (as opposed to professional broadcasters) means that they are embedded within community life.

Added to this natural intimacy, the patch is smaller and more manageable.  The net result is that the community volunteers has a very immediate and real presence among the people they are serving.

This intimacy also has the effect of challenging conventional news values. The smalltime citizen journalists will often make surprising choices - extending into areas not normally covered by the main broadcasters. And where the choices are the same, the citizen journalist may have better information than the professional.

It is not surprising, therefore, that the big boys of the broadcasting world will hurry to embrace the informed, creative and above all economical approach of these emerging storytellers. (Mark W)