Collaborative radio making in a complex networked environment:from seduction to hope

The shift from analog to digital modes of production and distribution and the emergence of new and hybrid radio forms have presented challenges that many believed radio would not survive. To do so, it has been forced to integrate a variety of changes from the relationship between audiences and producers, to the way radio practitioners collaborate to co-create content. This study seeks to bring new knowledge to the currently under documented area of collaborative radio production. It does so using a two-phase process. The first phase employs an Action Research approach to study the production of 3 separate radio projects using a specially developed online content management system (ROAR). The second phase uses a Case Study methodology and Sonnenwald’s Four Stages of Collaboration framework to structure data into narrative format, prior to subjecting it to thematic analysis. Subsequently, cross case data comparison is used to develop a theoretically informed and empirically grounded framework, outlining how aspects of work organization can enable (or hinder) the development and successful completion of small-scale, collaborative radio projects. The study also extrapolates on some of the practical applications of this knowledge.