Vision and Mission
Vision
A sustainable and independent community radio sector in South Africa builds grassroots democracy by mobilising all communities to engage in their own development, and enables the expression of the diverse voices of civil society, through access to the airwaves and participation in the programming of radio stations.
Mission
The NCRF is a national, membership-driven association of community radio stations and support service organizations. Radio station members are independent non-profit CBOs - owned and run by diverse local communities who actively participate in the development of programming activities, for sustainable non-discriminatory local development.
Our work is to build an enabling environment and a coherent sector identity -- ensuring continued healthy growth of community radio in South Africa. We do this by:
A sustainable and independent community radio sector in South Africa builds grassroots democracy by mobilising all communities to engage in their own development, and enables the expression of the diverse voices of civil society, through access to the airwaves and participation in the programming of radio stations.
Mission
The NCRF is a national, membership-driven association of community radio stations and support service organizations. Radio station members are independent non-profit CBOs - owned and run by diverse local communities who actively participate in the development of programming activities, for sustainable non-discriminatory local development.
Our work is to build an enabling environment and a coherent sector identity -- ensuring continued healthy growth of community radio in South Africa. We do this by:
- Setting standards for the sector and monitoring implementation;
- Providing information and advice to membership;
- Representing the collective interests of members;
- Creating structures and systems that encourage community radio stations to share experiences, skills, best practice models and resources;
- Coordinating capacity building in the sector;
- Lobbying and doing advocacy work to promote and protect the sector; and
- Forging strategic alliances and partnerships with key stakeholders to facilitate delivery of services, resources, funding and support to both members and the sector.
- Objectives Promote the ideas, principles and role of community radio, as integral parts of the broadcasting environment of a democratic South Africa;
- Promote the participation of historically disadvantaged communities in all levels of community radio;
- Facilitate the establishment and development of community radio stations across the country;
- Advocate the role of community radio through inputs to the institutions responsible for legislating and regulating broadcasting policy;
- Popularise the value of community radio within the reconstruction and development of South Africa;
- Facilitate the funding, training and sharing of resources needed by community radio stations;
- Provide support services to community radio stations;
- Promote the production of high quality and innovative programming from diverse sources to serve local programming goals;
- Promote the role of community radio in support of democracy, development, the empowerment of communities, freedom of expression, diversity of broadcast ownership and opinion, and the combating of racism, sexism and all forms of discrimination in South Africa;
- Encourage and facilitate networking and co-operative relationships between and amongst community radio projects;
- Encourage co-operation between the Forum and other organisations for the benefit of the community radio sector; and
Encourage and facilitate sustainable usage of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) by stations, in order to enhance information gathering, programme production, programme sharing and information sharing, within the sector nationally and globally.