A brilliant example

 

Community broadcasting (ikke-kommercielle locale radio- og TV-stationer) in Denmark dates back to early experiments with local cable television in the 1970s and

a more comprehensive scheme starting in 1983 when the first non-commercial local radio services were licensed on a trial basis. Community radio was put on a permanent footing in 1986, which was extended to include community television in 1987.

Local commercial broadcasting followed later, with advertising allowed from 1989 and the establishment of networks allowed from 2003. Local radio and television

broadcasting remain predominantly non-commercial, while commercial broadcasting competes, at national and regional level, with the public broadcaster,

Danmarks Radio and TV2.

The introduction of advertising on commercial radio and television was accompanied by the establishment of a support fund for non-commercial services, based on a

tax levied on the commercial broadcasters. In practice little money came from this scheme as the commercial broadcasters adopted avoidance strategies. In 1991 it

was discontinued. From 1994, community radio benefited

from access to financial support from the state lottery pools. In 1997 a subsidy scheme was established in law that recognised the non-commercial

broadcasters as part of an extended concept of public service. This has

continued to the present day. In 2009 it provided a grant-in-aid budget for the year of 52.9 million Danish Kroner (US$ 10.2 million).

The support fund for non-commercial local radio and television is administered by competitively to promote the provision of local information, citizens’ access, support for minority groups and programming quality. The fund is notable both for its size, being, per capita, the largest of its kind in Europe (at around 2 US dollars per adult

per annum), and for its mechanism, being drawn from funds collected to support public service broadcasting.

It was introduced after other approaches had been tried and has demonstrated its stability through changes of government and over an extended period. The dual

emphasis on both core costs and support for programme making has enabled some guarantee of economic stability to community broadcasters while retaining a

competitive element that can reward good practice in programming making. The mechanism is transferable to other countries that collect a television licence fee or

other tax in order to support public service broadcasting.

Zioga Aliki-well grow