WITH the mainstream media and particularly broadcasters so hostile to the independence movement, many Yes activists often despair at the lack of coverage for independence supporters.
The National is therefore delighted to reveal today that the people behind the Independence Live website are going a step further in their laudable activities and introducing a web-based independence radio station.
Independence Live is a collective of pro-independence citizen journalists and broadcasters who started their operation in late 2013. Since then they have produced over 1000 livestreams and have provided coverage of many Yes activities ignored by the mainstream media.
Kevin Gibney explained how the radio station came about: “Independence Live started to try and get information out to the Yes movement because the media at the time was basically almost 100% Unionist.
“We have had livestreams on all sorts of Yes activities and moved into covering social issues, and we see ourselves as an information resource for the movement.”
Now the collective is going ahead with an expansion of its activities through the web-based radio concept that will be available 24 hours a day, seven days per week, and will involve activists from all over Scotland, with The National assisting in the news gathering and dissemination.
Gibney said: “It’s an exciting concept with huge potential. One of our goals has always been to get more people involved in livestreaming, and we have been successful in attracting people, but with the radio idea we can get people involved across the whole of Scotland.”
Mick MacNeil, formerly of Simple Minds, and Greg Kane of Hue and Cry have pledged their support for the new station but it will be Yes groups like English Scots for Yes and Veterans for Independence who will make the kind of contributions that should make the station a must listen for the Yes movement.
A channel has been secured and the website independencelive.radio is nearing completion. There will be a “soft” launch of the station later this month to allow time for development.
Gibney added: “We are obviously hoping to carry news features and we are looking to The National to help with that.
“We want Yes groups all over the country to contribute, for instance by telling us about the latest events they are organising.”
“We have built up a lot of contacts in the past five years so we have a lot of people helping us, but we need many more people to get involved.
“The technology is not difficult but needs to be learned, and we will use Facebook and social media to direct people to the website and the app which we are also developing.”
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