Independent radio

Independent radio indicates a radio station that is run in a manner different from usual for the country it broadcasts in. In countries where there exist government-run stations that served as the primary or only the variety of licensed broadcaster, the term independent radio generally means commercial radio stations which are not operated by the government, and thus "independent" of the government.

Conversely, in places such as the United States, where commercial broadcasters are the norm, independent radio is sometimes used to refer to non-commercial stations that are primarily supported by listener contributions and are thus "independent" of commercial concerns. With the advent of large commercial radio companies, and the general adoption of the term "public radio" in the United States to refer to non-religious-oriented listener-supported stations, the term has also been used to refer to commercial stations that are run "independently" of the large radio conglomerates.

ee also

*Independent Local Radio