Excerpt
Radio has been, is and for sure will remain a fundamental medium for the transmission of information. It is also widely accepted that radio stations have a fundamental role in society in terms of the potential for the provision of education, particularly adult education. Although many tend to put radio stations under one umbrella, a number of communities successfully benefit from radio stations which operate within the community and are explicitly targeted at that same community. These are referred to as Community Radio Stations. My interest to choose community radio as a topic for this article stems from my involvement in radio broadcasting for the past 15 years. I started my career in a community radio and although I now produce programmes at a national radio station, I still do occasional programmes in a number of community radio stations. Community radio broadcasting in Malta has continued to develop and is now a common aspect within the local broadcasting spectrum. An important aspect of community radios in Malta is that all those involved mostly contribute on a voluntary basis.
Whilst considering certain limitations, I firmly believe in the potential that radio broadcasting has for adult education. In this regard this article is aimed at discussing the educational potential of community radios as sites of adult education. I will also be presenting a case study from a community radio located in Cospicua, Malta. In view that this is an online article, I attempted to be as concise as possible, at the expense of portraying a ‘superficial’ approach to the subject.