Building a Collaborative and Inclusive Future for Community Media in Europe - Introducing Ciarán Murray

As part of CMFE’s 20th anniversary celebration, Nyima Jadama, Social Media Coordinator and CMFE Board Member, speaks with the organization’s founding members and past presidents to reflect on CMFE’s achievements and discuss the future of community media in Europe.

Ciarán Murray, Coordinator for Near FM in Dublin and a former president of the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE), is known for his impactful approach to fostering collaboration and diversity within the community media sector. During his tenure from 2013-2015 Ciarán worked tirelessly to secure funding that allowed CMFE to establish a more consistent presence across Europe, enhancing its advocacy efforts and enabling frequent in-person gatherings that strengthened the network’s cohesion. 

One of Ciarán’s standout achievements was his commitment to diversifying leadership within CMFE, bringing in more women and younger voices to senior roles—a lasting legacy that helped shape the organization’s direction.

Ciarán’s vision for community media focused on grounding the movement in core values: inclusivity, equitable access to information, and grassroots-driven storytelling. He also navigated CMFE through significant challenges, such as balancing the rise of social media with community media’s foundational principles. Reflecting on the essential mission of community media.

Ciarán concludes: 

"Community media is about giving people a voice—not just an echo. Let’s keep it a space for genuine engagement, inclusion, and, of course, a bit of fun along the way."

What motivated you to take on the leadership role of CMFE, and what were your key priorities during your presidency?

At the time, I felt it was an exciting time for community media, with regards to possible better legislation and funding opportunities. There were a great group of people involved.

Can you highlight any significant milestones or achievements from your tenure?

It wasn’t the first time we were in receipt of grants and funding, but I believe I was able to drive this, and make it more part of our approach and thinking. This helped us meet more often and helped us lobby more effectively.

Also, and perhaps this is a little more internal than external, but I’d like to think that maybe the old guard (including me) was made up of too many men (male but not stale) and we really needed some youth and more women. And I think I played an important role in bringing in and encouraging more women into senior roles in the organisation. I’m very proud that the next three presidents were women.

What were the most significant challenges you faced during your presidency, and how did you navigate them?

This is a success as well as a challenge! We looked at employing a person to run the secretariat, and while it was great to find the funding to do this, it did come with its challenges. I believe we were able to manage the expectations, and to use the time to develop the organisation.

Trying to work with EPRA and ERGA were challenges, and we didn’t really resolve those, but at the time we did move things forward, and I was pleased that we developed a good working relationship with EPRA.

How do you think CMFE adapted to changes in the media landscape during your leadership?

At the time we worked closely with AMARC Europe and this had some advantages. This wasn’t always straightforward, as there were legacy issues, but I believe we were able to make the most of that and work some good partnerships.

It was a time when Social Media was young, and we needed to make our voice heard that Social Media was not a replacement for Community Media.

Finally there were challenges around who could become a member, and the meaning and definition of Community Media, and I’d like to think we were successful in keeping everyone on board. Community Media needs to have an inclusive understanding of itself, while at the same time keeping to some core principles, like the AMARC Charter.

In your view, what are the most pressing issues facing community media in Europe today? And What advice would you give to the current and future leadership of CMFE?

The essence of this doesn’t change much, the recognition, the legislation, the funding supports. Perhaps today there are more challenges from extreme political views, and the meaning and understanding of ‘free speech’ etc in a community media context. My advice is to keep to the core of pushing for access to dissemination, for legislation and funding, and to keep people at the centre of what we do.

How did your experience as president of CMFE shape your own professional and personal growth? Looking back, if there was anything you would have done differently during your time as president what would this be?

I learned a lot, but perhaps it was the understanding that there was a strong commitment and drive amongst people all across Europe to ensure that the media is a tool for good. Looking back; I would have liked to have had more time and perhaps I’ll be able to become more centrally involved again at some stage.

What do you see as the lasting legacy of your presidency within CMFE: How can CMFE continue to build on the work of past presidents to stay relevant and impactful in the future?

I can’t take credit for this on my own, but for all of us who were there at the time, I’d like to think of an approach to finding funding to support lobbying. I also wanted to continue to build stronger relationships with academics and encourage that cooperation, and I’d like to believe that this continues to happen.

I think CMFE should continue to build on the work of the past presidents to stay relevant and impactful by trying to keep people involved, to ensure that we don’t lose the experience. The ‘experts group’ has had some success in this area, but perhaps trying to get people to attend events in person would be the best way.

What is your vision for CMFE over the next decade, especially in promoting community media, media literacy, and access to information across Europe?

To try to keep the core values; to support and train communities and give voice to the powerless, to keep media making as a communal activity. To strive for democratic and not-for-profit media ownership. To remember to laugh sometimes too.