The challenge for community radio in Thailand: Diversity and pluralism.

Thailand's community radio sector encompasses a diverse array of stations, both religious and secular. This suggests the capacity to drive social transformation. However, while operational structures within these stations reflect a broad range of roles that potentially influence their formats and co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 213 - 232
Main Author: Polnigongit, Weerapong
Format: Article
Published: Intellect Ltd. Oct2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      tig:
        atl: The challenge for community radio in Thailand: Diversity and pluralism.
      aug:
        au: Polnigongit, Weerapong
        affil: Suranaree University of Technology
      su:
        Thailand
        Pluralism
        Rural sociology
        Discourse
        Broadcasting industry
        Social change
        Community radio
      sug:
        subj:
          Pluralism
          Rural sociology
          Discourse
          Broadcasting industry
          Social change
          Thailand
          Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing
          Community radio
      keyword:
        access
        border radio
        content restriction
        format control
        genuine community radio
        management
        participation
        role
        access
        border radio
        content restriction
        format control
        genuine community radio
        management
        participation
        role
      ab: Thailand's community radio sector encompasses a diverse array of stations, both religious and secular. This suggests the capacity to drive social transformation. However, while operational structures within these stations reflect a broad range of roles that potentially influence their formats and content delivery, programmes primarily emphasize entertainment, the dissemination of national and local information and news largely from official sources, as well as religious propagation. Political programming is largely absent. These limitations arise from a lack of diversity among station operators, the intentional avoidance of political issues, the absence of supportive affiliations, ambiguous licensing criteria and constraints in technical resources and transmission coverage. Rather than fulfilling its promise as radio 'by the people, for the people', current structures and roles suggest that community radio – especially people's radio – is increasingly being sidelined, resulting in a less diverse and pluralistic media landscape and leaving rural areas and minorities without a voice.
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      src: R
    language: English
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