The A-Infos Radio Project was formed in October 1996 by Lyn Gerry and other grassroots broadcasters, free radio journalists and cyber-activists to provide the means to share radio programs via the Internet. Programs are typically submitted from "Independent or Alternative media"

Independent media

Independent media refers to any form of media, such as radio, television, newspapers or the Internet, that is free of influence by government or corporate interests. The term has varied applications...

, which refers to a form of media that is free of influence by government or corporate interests (ie. "mainstream media.").

The A-Infos audio internet archive began in response to a reorganisation of the Pacifica

Pacifica Radio

Pacifica Radio is the oldest public radio network in the United States. It is a group of five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations that is known for its progressive/liberal political orientation. It is also a program service supplying over 100 affiliated...

 radio station that eliminated many of its more controversial programmers. The project's goal is to support and expand the movement for democratic communications worldwide by offering an alternative to the concentration of corporate media

Concentration of media ownership

Concentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...

 outlets and perspectives.

The A-Infos Radio Project was the first grassroots media project of its kind on the internet to allow free upload and download of programs, and has attracted a wide variety of audio material. The focus remains on public domain radio programmes from various perspectives and often of an alternative political nature. Programs address both local and global issues and perspectives vary substantially, but the most often included are environmentalism

Environmentalism

Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...

, socialism

Socialism

Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

, humanitarianism

Humanitarianism

In its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution...

 and anarchism

Anarchism

Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...

. Lyn Gerry has stated that Radio4All.net is operated exclusively by volunteers on an occasional basis and that the decision not to censor any material was mainly pragmatic.

The archive currently has programs from over 4,000 producers and in March, 2011 it passed 50,000 programs. As a 100% non-commercial operation, it relies on donations and in former years the site has had occasional outages and download speed has been limited.

See also

• Internet activism
  Internet activism
  Internet activism is the use of electronic communication technologies such as e-mail, the World Wide Web, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster communications by citizen movements and the delivery of local information to a large audience...
  
  
• Independent Media
  Independent media
  Independent media refers to any form of media, such as radio, television, newspapers or the Internet, that is free of influence by government or corporate interests. The term has varied applications...
  
  
• Concentration of media ownership
  Concentration of media ownership
  Concentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...
  
  
• Freedom of speech
  Freedom of speech
  Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
  
  
• Freedom of the press
  Freedom of the press
  Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
  
  
• Mainstream media
  Mainstream media
  Mainstream media are those media disseminated via the largest distribution channels, which therefore represent what the majority of media consumers are likely to encounter...
  
  
• Media bias
  Media bias
  Media bias refers to the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the...
  
  
• Media democracy
  Media democracy
  Media democracy is a set of ideas advocating reforming the mass media, strengthening public service broadcasting, and developing and participating in alternative media and citizen journalism. The stated purpose for doing so is to create a mass media system that informs and empowers all members of...
  
  
• Media imperialism
  Media imperialism
  Media imperialism is a theory based upon an over-concentration of mass media from larger nations as a significant variable in negatively affecting smaller nations, in which the national identity of smaller nations is lessened or lost due to media homogeneity inherent in mass media from the larger...