Radioswap.net (Second phase: March 2004 - February 2006)

Description :

The radioswap.net project is designed to develop a system, both technical and organisational, which makes it possible for associative non-commercial radio stations – Belgian and foreign - to exchange radio programmes by using the Internet.

The functioning of the system must simultaneously offer the greatest possible flexibility of use while respecting - and valorising - the specific characteristics and the geographical and cultural anchoring of each of the partner radio stations.

Each presenter and each director is free to decide to make his programmes available or to use those offered for exchange by others. The exchange thus rests on an individual decision, which is however structured by a "regulatory framework" defining the conditions.
Technically, in addition to the adoption and development of a common compression standard for the computer files, and procedures for downloading/uploading the programmes ; a multi-criteria indexation - form and substance - was developed in order to satisfy as well as possible the specific needs of the radio world as well as permitting multilingual searches.

The objective was to develop a tool corresponding to the desire, often expressed by radio presenters, to be able to exchange programmes - a desire which, until now, could rarely be fulfilled given the voluntary nature of associative radio stations and the technical constraints imposed by "conventional" means of communication. Within this specific context, radioswap.net thus seeks to make possible the day-to-day exchange of programmes for the largest number of producers and programmers, without imposing on them an excessive amount of work.

Radioswap.net also organises the "networking" of these various parties in order to encourage the establishment of collaborations between the various radio stations and individual directors. By making possible the circulation of elements of programmes being created within the framework of coproductions between radio stations, it gives the participants the possibility of breaking out of their relative isolation and embarking on more ambitious projects – ones which might be difficult for a single radio station to implement on its own.

During the initial phase of the project (2002-2003), a first exchange site and various applications were developed, taking account of the wishes, needs and technological competences of all of the persons involved in six associative radio stations.
These six radio stations then made it possible to do "full scale" testing of the effectiveness and relevance of the options chosen, and to pinpoint any modifications that long-term use would make necessary. These "user partners" are RUN (Namur), Radio Panik (Brussels), Radio Centraal (Antwerp), URGent (Ghent), FM bssl (Brussels) and Radio Campus (Brussels) - which in addition are handling the coordination of the project.

During the second phase (2004-2005), the partnership is proceeding with the final development of the exchange system, while the network continues to open itself to other associative and Community radio stations, in Belgium and abroad.
Specific production and/or broadcasting projects are also being conducted in order to stimulate exchanges and put them on a permanent basis.

[http://www.radioswap.net/index.php]

- Contact person (project's coordinator):

Campus Audio Visuel asbl
Didier Demorcy
Avenue Paul Héger 22
1000 BRUXELLES
Phone : 02 640 87 17
Fax : 02 650 34 63
rcampus@resulb.ulb.ac.be
contact@radioswap.net


PARTNERSHIP

Coordinator Campus Audio Visuel asbl

Partner 1 Gentse Studentenradio vzw

Partner 2 Office de Radiodiffusion des étudiants des Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix asbl

Partner 3 Radio Centraal vzw

Partner 4 Radio Panik asbl

Partner 5 FM Brussel vzw

Partner 6 Nerom sprl

Partner 7 Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix de Namur (FUNDP)

Partner 8 Info-Grafic SA

Partner 9 Katholieke Universiteit van Brussel (KUB) Faculteit Politieke, Sociale Wetenschappen en Communicatie