Empowerhouse

13/02/2026

HAPPY WORLD RADIO DAY 2026 ❤
With this year's focus on RADIO AND AI, EMPOWERNEWS - with photos from a work visit to community radio Tumbatu on Zanzibar, Tanzania (2022) brings you a series of dos and dont's, when using AI in community radio/media - shared here: https://empowerhouse.cmail19.com/t/r-e-tkkikjkl-wljhiiijl-r/

13/12/2025

April 2026 it says, that this volume will be on the (virtual and other) book shelves - already several years in the making. I am pleased to share that my contribution to the book is set in Europe during Covid, at the time where I was President of CMFE and followed the European community media sector and its reaction and role during the pandemic closely. With conspiracy theories flourishing along with endless both mis-and disinformation, community media in many realities were the only trusted media. A responsibility that these small, community-owned and mostly volunteer-run media mastered impressively. I look forward to share my documentation of this - to many surprising - and promising experience in our European realities.

Happy to be in the good company of Anderson Barranquero Pavarala K Malik Scifo Andrew Ó Baoill

Community Media, Sustainability and Crisis examines how community media responds when existing structures and normal expectations are upended, across a global s…

01/04/2025

So, today, April 1st, it was 'Denmark's Radio's' turn to celebrate 100 years of public service broadcasting in Denmark - at first only radio, later radio and TV, followed by radio, TV and various online services.

Whereas I was naturally not there 100 years ago, I have worked intensely with 'radio broadcasting' in Denmark - and elsewhere - since 1980, when we celebrated the 55 years of public service broadcasting in Denmark.

In a country like Denmark 'Public Service Broadcasting' is one of the most important, central and determining guardians and bearers of our national culture - in a small country now close to 6 mio souls with our own language, Danish, only spoken by us.

For many years, the monopoly broadcaster was the unitor of our nation. We all listened to the news at 12 noon, longer than usual, all watched the TV news at 19:30. This was all fact-checked, thoroughly investigated, and represented the best-known information putting each of us in a position to - most likely - make informed decisions about our own lives.

This uniform core of shared well-informed living, with free access to good quality education and economic policies evening out financial differences - all in all forming a nation of a high level of equality, trust in public instituations - including Denmark's Radio - was the foundation of what today can be looked back on as a 'picture-book-country' living in solidarity, openness and freedom.

While a lot has changed - including the break of the monopoly of Denmarks Radio in 1983 through the community radio movement I was a part of - Public service broadcasting is still one very important culture-bearer in a democratic Denmark.

Happy birthday! Let us continue this way of openness and development ❤

11/03/2025

As the 69th Commission on The Status of Women opens, Member States adopt strong Political Declaration, committing to respect, protect and promote rights, equality and empowerment for all women and girls.

This is a great success, as we are many who were concerned whether this would actually happen - thereby potentially weakening the role and power of CSW (the Commission on the Status of Women). Happy as I am packing my bags and joining the session in just 2 days

08/03/2025

Happy International Women's Day of Struggle ❤ Listen, enjoy.

With much love from me to you all ❤
https://empowerhouse.cmail20.com/t/r-e-thtjett-dkhlikkhiu-r/

07/03/2025

*THE FUTURE OF RADIO IN DENMARK*
March 19, 10am CET - Christiansborg, Proviantsalen

*Høring om fremtidens radio*

I am unfortunately not in the country on the 19th, but encourage all with an opinion on what is needed to advance a conducive environment for powerful public service radio/audio and the communities' access to own radio to thrive

03/03/2025

"The Current State of Community Media in Europe" is the title of an article written by me and just published by the Spanish "Community, Alternative and Participative Communication Research Network" in their 2024 annual report.

In our community media circles in Europe we have for long been missing a full overview (the most recent we have is from 2007) so in the article I work to partially bridge this absence, by bringing together data from many existing sources and ask whether it is 'the age of community' now? And I argue that vor many good reasons it is and it should be.

Translated into Spanish by Montero Sánchez (Universidad de Sevilla-US y RICCAP-España) you find it on page 20 here:https://www.riccap.org/.../uploads/2025/02/informe2024.pdf
Lema Blanca from RICCAP presents the annual report - the exciting context into which my article is presented - like this:

"The RICCAP 2024 Report, "Alternative Communication in Europe and Latin America. A precarious balance between regulation and sustainability", addresses in depth the state of community, cooperative and alternative media in Spain, Europe and Latin America.

Despite the differences between countries and regions, the common denominator is that these media face a changing and not always favourable scenario of public policies; hence, their permanent efforts and creativity to provide sustainability and promote a third sector of communication that is creative, citizen-based, diverse and outside of public and commercial media.

Throughout 70 pages of analysis, highlights and opinion articles, the document expresses the strength that both RICCAP Spain and sister research networks in countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia or Chile are acquiring.

Also noteworthy are the sections devoted to analyzing academic production and events on communication and social movements, as well as regional analyses of Latin America and Europe, the latter by the former president of the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) Birgitte Jallov."

Enjoy!

16/02/2025

Dear Facebook friends. Those of you who are following me regularly, have over the past five days had access to my community media network's shared celebratory posts from around the world on the occasion of World Radio Day, February 13.

If you have subscribed to my EMPOWERHOUSE newsletters 'EMPOWERnews', you will also have received my greeting. If not, it follows here: https://empowerhouse.createsend1.com/t/r-e-thyuyuhd-l-r/

17/01/2025

EMPOWERHOUSE documentaries now online.
I have just had my archive of documentaries digitized and presented on my website - and shared in my newsletter (https://tinyurl.com/3n4eraxk).
It has been interesting to revisit my work among others:
* during the 1985 UN women's conference in Nairobi;
* with the women working in the tea plantations in Tamil Nadu, India;
* with women in the Philippines in the rural area, the slum and the city;
* with development workers in India;
* about women in the media in Mozambique.

08/12/2024

*Southern Africa has its first woman President!*

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, popularly known as Tripple N, was on December 3, 2024, declared the winner of Namibia's election and became Southern Africa's first female President.

Nearly 40 years ago, in 1985 I met NNN at the lawn of the University of Nairobi, Kenya, where the alternative FORUM took place on the occasion of the UN Women's Conference. I took the opportunity to interview the young SWAPO activist, who was in Nairobi to call on all progressive forces - including all of us in the feminist movement - to "Isolate South Africa".

I have uploaded the 10 minute documentary on youtube (the visuals are scrambled from minutes 4-6, but return - the sound is good all way through). Have a look and a listen!
https://youtu.be/tAfvT-gO5aI

The Danish publication 'Global News' writes:
'Symbolically, it is always a victory when women break through the patriarchy and fight for a top position. And with their ability to shape our worldview and feed our imagination, symbols are incredibly important. At the same time, in Namibia, one can ask what it means in real political terms that a woman will soon be at the helm of the large country with a small population.

Contrary to what one might think, Tripple N is not exactly a breath of fresh air. As part of the SWAPO party, which has been heavily in power since the country's independence, she is as much a part of the system as one might imagine. Time will tell whether both gender and politics change with the new president. At least on the street level there is hope for change.

"A mother is someone who takes care of her children. So now we hope that she can take better care of us than a father has managed," as an enthusiastic female voter tells Buster Kirchner."

Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah, this year, 2024, the incoming President of Namibia, took part in the 1985 UN Women's Conference in Nairobi to advocate at this global...