Sustainability Of Campus Radio In Malaysian And Indonesian Universities: Challenges And Way Forward

Campus radio or college radio is a non-commercial community-based radio, developed mainly as a training platform for university students. However, some campus radio was perceived as unproductive and managed unsystematically. Thus, leading to the campus community’s low interest in tuning in to the radio station. This article addresses the challenges and measures taken in sustaining the broadcast of campus radio. It asks such questions as what kind of constraints faced by the management of campus radio in Malaysia and Indonesia universities, and the form of approaches they adopted to ensure the continuation of operation. Qualitative research approach were adopted by gathering data from in-depth interviews with ten members of production team across four campus radio stations in Malaysia and Indonesia. One of the key result highlights that financial constraints are central to the management of campus radio. The sense of belonging to their ‘alma mater’, enticed participation among university alumni, which subsequently, contribute to the sustainability of campus radio in Malaysia and Indonesia. Programmes are mainly for generating knowledge and educational purposes. However, programme content was reformed to suit station promotion strategies and funding that eventually elevates radio listenership.