How CMFE Strengthened Community Media in Europe? Pieter de Wit on Building a Legacy

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. In this opening interview, Nyima speaks with Pieter de Wit, CMFE's president from its formative years until 2009, a period marked by the organization’s crucial advancements in recognition and influence across European media landscapes.

Under Pieter’s leadership, CMFE secured adversarial status with the Council of Europe and provided expert guidance to the European Union on issues critical to community media, such as funding, digital transformation, and frequency access. These milestones have helped strengthen community media’s role throughout Europe, amplifying local networks and fostering meaningful connections within the sector. With insights from pioneers like Pieter, CMFE celebrates its past and looks forward to a vibrant future for community media in Europe.

De Wit’s most notable achievement was his success in securing community media’s involvement in key policy documents signed by European media ministers, ensuring a long-lasting legacy for CMFE. Reflecting on CMFE’s 20-year journey, Pieter shares,

“It’s the community, not the technology, that matters most. True exchange and meaningful communication need real, participatory spaces beyond social media.”

Looking Back at Your Presidency: What motivated you to take on the leadership role of CMFE, and what were your key priorities during your presidency?

Back in 2003 at the Amarc 8th World Conference in Nepal, the idea rose that community media in Europe were not properly represented at European level after the collapse of AMARC Europe in 2002. CM still lacked recognition by European institutions. We wanted to present a broader view on community media, including e.g. community television and the challenges other new media offered. And we wanted not only to activate community media in Europe, but also activists, policy experts and researchers.

At that time, I was executive director of OLON, the Dutch federation for community media. My motivation to contribute to this effort was the dedication, knowledge and enthusiasm from the people from all around Europe participating in this initiative. I was convinced that together we really could mean something for the European community media sector.

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

The most significant milestones were the many fruitful and joyful meetings with CM-colleagues (and friends) from all over Europe in many beautiful locations, as Cyprus, Hungary, Sheffield, Brussels, Berlin etc.

We organised representation and recognition within main European bodies as Council of Europe (we gained official adversarial status on behalf of the European CM-sector), European Union (advising on important issues like financing CM, access to cable – protecting must carry rules, and FM, the digital transition). For example, CMFE was invited to participate in the committee for Lamy Report on strategic recommendations on a long-term policy strategy for the future use of the UHF band (470-790 MHz). In this committee, together with EBU-representatives and consumer organizations, we managed to lay the focus on ‘citizens’ rather than ‘consumers.

Thanks to CMFE participation in Council of Europe we achieved to include CM in main policy documents, which were under scribed by all the European media-ministers on ministerial conferences in Reykjavik and Beograd. CMFE also contributed to the study “The State of Community Media in the European Union” which helped a lot for further recognition of the CM-sector.

We also wrote several intervening letters to support CM to governments, parliamentarians and governmental bodies in different countries: e.g. Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Germany, Spain. In short: we put CM on the agenda in Europe, thanks to a lot of dedicated, enthusiastic,

In your view, what are the most pressing issues facing community media in Europe today?

“It’s the community, Stupid!” Strengthening community networks as opposed and next to social media networks, communities in where there is a real exchange of ideas, participation in communication instead of ‘shouting’ opinions on social media.

What do you see as the lasting legacy of your presidency within CMFE?

Not my legacy, but the legacy of the CM-pioneers: recognition by and participation in Council of Europe and European Union. Lobbying was until then a national oriented process, from basis up to national governments. But by lobbying European bodies, we also organised pressure down to national governments. Again, an important lasting legacy is CMFE itself, offering a platform for exchange, for cooperation, for together presenting and lobbying European institutions.

How can CMFE continue to build on the work of past presidents to stay relevant and impactful in the future?

Keep building on the network withing the CM-sector and also with other relevant players as e.g. EBU and EFJ (European Federation of Journalists). Keep organising ‘physical’ meetings!

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

Building up the CMFE-network, getting more and more CM-organizations and people actively involved. But one of the first challenges. Another challenge was to stimulate CM to mirror the diversity of their communities, to fight racism and disinformation. We started participating with European partners on these issues as EBU and European Federation of Journalists.

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

CMFE participated in discussions on access to either frequency, on the digitalization of radio and television broadcasting. We also stimulated CM to use the upcoming social media next to their broadcasting activities.

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

More meetings… And an earlier raise in contribution fee what could have made this possible. It could also have made it possible to be more “physical” present in Brussels, at the heart of the European Union.

What advice would you give to the current and future leadership of CMFE?

My advice is to organize meetings, meetings are essential for exchanging ideas, learning from each other and organizing a strong representation on a European level. Be visible, keep building connections with the people on the ground who form the heart of CM. CMFE should have active interactions with members, not only by communication from CMFE to members, but also from members to CMFE. Further create an atmosphere in where the relevance of collaborating on a European level is shown. Communicate successes, visit events in different countries, collect input. Counter the misconception that ‘social media’ are social…. And: include youngsters, the ‘new’ generation, pass on the CM-ideals, speak their language, use their tools, give them responsibilities!