[spectre] F@media

[Milo¹ Vojtìchovský]

"FM at dia Forum 04"




what:

Meeting and workshops of Free Media Initiatives on various strategies in
Central and Eastern Europe




when:

June 10th - 13th 2004




where:

Prague (Cz) - NoD Experimental space

Freistadt (A)




who:




People from a variety of community-, free-, independent-, sovereign-,
civic-, NGO media and social organisations will gather together in Prague to
meet, discuss and develop strategies for the liberalisation of the
information and communication situation in Europe - with special focus on
Central Europe. Set up for active members and representatives of a number
civic, cultural and media initiatives from Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Hungary, Slovenia, Poland, Germany, Austria, including guests from both
western northern, southern and eastern regions.




why:




The quickly shifting political and economical circumstances of the
approaching United Europe pose a challenge to reframe and explore such
topics as "free speech", "public access", "independence, "creative commons",
"digital divide" and "content exchange". All this and more requires
articulating a common idea for better collaboration among media activists,
artists, free radio, 'zine publishers, internet publishers etc.




While the region is characteristic of a relatively high density of media and
civic activities, the inter-connectivity appears rather low by comparison.
This meeting seeks to offer the opportunity for improving coordination and
sharing experiences and know-how among the participants.




The output from the "FM at dia" meeting aims to foster communication and
collaboration between different regions, languages and cultures. The close
distance between e.g. Nuernberg and Prague, Freistadt and Ceske Budejovice
or Vienna and Bratislava calls for more collaboration.




The issues of civic media and rights of communication shall be discussed
within a broader public debate. Special internet "web-streaming" will take
place during the meeting, in order to broadcast and archive the event.




Goals:




The FM at dia meeting shall motivate and encourage the establishment or
continuing of activities of Community Media Projects, especially of
cross-border projects. It shall be a first step towards a networking in the
fields of free media and civic organisations and enable the participants to
develop common ideas for collaboration and content-exchange, and thus
develop long-term relationships.




FM at dia '04 is divided in several blocks and working groups according to
special interests:

(each working group has a supervisor)


1.Media-Wars- Totality, Democracy and the chance for "Community Media"

1989 -2004




How have the Media-Landscapes developed since the fall of Berlin Wall in
Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Poland, Germany and Austria and
what effects did it have on the quality of public debate and civic rights?
What should we expect from a European Union media policy (Community Media
Fund)? What role is there for Free and Community Media movement and what can
be objectives and relations towards corporate and state mass media?







2. Volksgeist versus Cosmopolit




Opportunities, experiences, and possibilities for community-media in the new
European Union -a survey from different countries: Best practices, best
models, problems of legality and laws. Lobbying and pirates. Discussion of
further strategies with a certain focus on the situation in the Czech
Republic and its connections with international networks.




3. Collaboration or competition?




Facing continued fundamentalist copyright regimes how can sustainable models
of content-exchange within Free Media in the new European Union be achieved?
What is the impact of the discussion on intellectual property rights on Free
Media initiatives? Network of cross-national oriented broadcasting and
information initiatives, their accessibility and possibility of
implementation, multi-lingual media carriers, broadcasters, media jamming,
(http://www.tol.cz, http://www.indymedia.org http://www.infoservis.net/,
Europe from down below, etc)




4. Mobility?- free flow of information




Cross-border activities along and near former and new EU-borders. Models of
inter-regional cultural and social projects. How they can be exploited and
stimulated by community media and alternative channels for cultural exchange
and collaboration across the border (for example Upper Austria and South
Bohemia, Hungary and Slovakia or former Yugoslavia)?




Several speakers from national and international political structures will
be invited to formulate and present their visions on the problem of media
and communication in the region.




Proposed number of participants: 50-100




The formats of the conference will be panel discussions (plenary
discussions), presentations (examples for best practice, marketing,
networking) and workshops (split up into working-groups with practical
questions as funding, how to start etc.).




The event will be accompanied by evening programs.




Alliance of Organizations:




Bundesverband Freier Radios Deutschland (BFR), www.freie-radios.de

European Civic Forum, www.civic-forum.org

Freier Rundfunk Freistadt, Freistadt (A)

Radio FRO, Linz (A), www.fro.at

Radio Akropolis, Prague http://www.radioakropolis.cz

Transition Online www.tol.cz

Verband Freier Radios Osterreich, http://www.freie-radios.at

Centre for Contemporary Art Prague/Radio Jeleni www.radiojeleni.cz

Econnect, www.ecn.cz




Open list of invited participating organizations:




Next 5 minuts festival http://www.next5minutes.org/n5m/index.js

Open society institute hungary http://www.osi.hu

Open society fund http://www.osf.cz

Journalist to Journalist The IFJ Safety Fund http://www.eumap.org/about

One world festival http://www.oneworld.cz

society for film and sociology http://www.afis.cz

The Departement of Mass-media Faculty of Social Studies UK Prague

http://instituty.fsv.cuni.cz/cemes/

britske listy - online czech language independent media

http://www.britskelisty.cz

vulgo - multiligual online magazine

http://vulgo.org/




Draft: Milos Vojtechovsky (CCA), Alexander Baratsits (Radio FRO), Linz NOV
2003




you can send your proposal to:

Alexander Baratsits: alexander.baratsits at fro.at,

Leonfeldnerstr. 51, 4040 Linz, 0676 508 7335, Austria

Milos Vojtechovsky: milos at fcca.cz, radiojeleni, jeleni 9,118 00 praha 1,
Czech Republic