RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

so that Harlem residents know they can do somethlng about those Issues - to improve not only the neighborhood community but the larger "wonld community" , too . The othen piece of the guestion , which community radio stations have helped us understand , is how to set up the structure , which we discussed in the last section . We are committed to a station which is responsi{/e to the needs of its community . While one side of that coin Is doing programs and music that the community likes , the other side is to involve the community directly in the policy-making for the station . So another part of our definition of professional broadcasting is to include the community in the station's operations . They have to take the bad along with the good : when we are desperate for топеу , we will expect our listeners to help us out, just as they can expect us to help them out with community issues . As far as the" station sounđ goes, the easiest way for you to understand our concept of a professional broadcast service is to listen to the programming . - We don't reach our prof essional goals that of ten ; there is usually a gap between how we ,want to sound and how we do sound . That gap isn't because we let "amateurs" , our volunteers and students , on the air , though, We see a priority for WHCR as allowing those people , who would not usually get to communicate through radio , the chance to do just that. In Latin America , stations which try to do the same thing talk of "giving voice to the voiceless" . So our professionalism does not mean that everything has to sound and run perfectiy we don't even know what that would mean for neighborhood radio . What we put on the air should contribute to sharing information in Harlem , on the campus , and between the College and the community. "Professional" broadcasting, by our standards, means bringing radio communication - two-way, not just one-way - to all those people left out by most of the media in this country . Programming that allows participation, even if it sounds "rough" , has to be a big part of that kind of professional broadcasting . Our broadcast day has what is called a "variety" format. That means we do not seek a consistent kind of programming , a formula , all day , all the time. Instead, we try to have đifferent shows for different groups of listeners . If you don't quite understand what that means , listen to WHCR for four or five hours , and then turn the dial to commercial station for another four or five . Vou'll hear the difference m format .

208