The dilemma of building campus radio stations on a business model: the case of ATL FM in Ghana

Abstract

The quest for competitiveness and popularity of a campus radio station needs to be balanced with the epistemological frames of community radio, which include participation, community ownership, and opposition to hegemonic discourse in the mainstream media as well as independence from political and market influences. I contribute to these reflections by highlighting how within this frame ATL FM is facing dilemmas and challenges that have not occupied community media theorists so far. Through content analysis and in-depth interviews, I investigate whether a community radio can serve and encourage the participation of the local community when professional rather than community members exclusively manage it. I propose a conscious incorporation of stakeholders in the community radio business model as a possible solution to this dilemma