Cultural Programming in Community Media: The Case of Radio Almaina

The mainstream media reproduce hegemonic discourses that do not always reflect social and cultural diversity. In this context, community media provide a place for resistance in which culture becomes an important asset. This article focuses on community radio in Spain and aims to explore the status given to cultural programming and how it helps to achieve the objectives of this type of media. A case study is conducted with Radio Almaina, which emerged in 2011 within a social context marked by the 15-M movement. After reviewing the station’s schedule, an analysis was made of the cultural contents found in three programs. They all show a commitment to the diversity of contents, as well as ideological positions that are oppositional, or logics that break with traditional schemes. It is concluded that experiences such as that of Radio Almaina contribute to the consolidation of the third sector of communication, which in Spain still lacks a governmental regulation that grants it full recognition.