Free Social Radio 1431AM
Free Social Radio 1431AM first broadcast on the medium wave radio band of Thessaloniki in June 2001, emerging from student occupations against tertiary education reforms. Operating from its occupied studio space, held for 24 years, and guided by its open weekly assembly, the station promotes the values of self-management, free expression, anti-hierarchy, and counter-information. Within the framework of the assembly process, there’s a conscious effort to eliminate notions of roles and delegation—though, due to the nature of the endeavor, issues often arise that require specific technical knowledge to resolve. In a radio spectrum dominated by powerful economic and political interests, we persist in squatting frequencies to highlight the need for free, unregulated, non-commercial voices with social and political substance to remain on the airwaves. Anti-commercialism is central to every aspect of the station’s existence—rooted in a DIY culture and built with equipment constructed by the assembly’s own members. For years, we have managed to broadcast both on medium wave and FM, even in the face of state repression that has targeted our equipment from time to time. At the moment, a temporary lack of technical expertise prevents us from broadcasting on AM/FM. However, our 24/7 online presence remains active, and so does our will to return to the polluted airwaves of the city. 1431AM is not confined to four walls. Through live weekly and thematic shows, shaped by people from the broader anarchist and anti-authoritarian movement, we bridge the gap between those behind the microphones and the listeners. We strive to keep these microphones always open, allowing anyone to share their thoughts through either purely political or entertaining broadcasts. Every show recorded in the studio is archived, remaining accessible beyond the temporal and sociopolitical conditions that inspired them. In this way, we are creating an electronic audio archive, which we expand with recordings of events we actively attend—either on our own initiative or by invitation. Information, like life, is never objective. We are tired of hearing the news as delivered by the systemic mass media. Armed with counter-information, we choose to report events from our own perspective—events often omitted or manipulated to promote a false consensus. Our main tool for this is the weekly counter-information bulletin, published by the station’s assembly, focusing on repression, labor, social issues, feminism, international affairs, and calls to action. The bulletin aims to inform about recent events and to promote upcoming actions, and is always available, either through the 24-hour programming or online. Every month, we also contribute to the global counter-information bulletin B(A)D NEWS, written and recorded in English with the collaboration of free anarchist/anti authoritarian radios from around the world. Lastly, as a radio station assembly, we organize events, discussions, parties, and benefit concerts. This enables us to raise funds for a collective pool, which is used not only for maintaining studio equipment and necessary supplies, but also to support collectives or individuals in need. In this way, we seek to break out of the narrow confines of what a radio station typically is—and to highlight the importance of a structure like 1431AM. Against the state and fascism, against homophobia and transphobia, against patriarchy and sexism. We broadcast unmediated, resisting the censorship imposed by systemic media and the music industry.
In parallel, with the struggle against the dominance of online music sales and streaming platforms—and the terms they impose—the project Laterna (named after the Greek variant of the barrel piano) was born. It is a platform hosted on the website of the Free Social Radio 1431AM, where music can be listened to online or downloaded directly, without intermediaries. The initiative arose from a need to liberate music distribution from the grip of corporations and the conditions they force upon us. We sought a way to share music without enriching multinationals or being bombarded with songs that promote sexist and abusive rhetoric. A medium where we’re not forced to “rent” our music by paying premium subscriptions for ad-free listening—feeding the wealth of bosses who treat workers as disposable, enforcing conditions akin to modern-day servitude. Since we want to self-organize our needs, desires, and musical expression, using mainstream distribution channels remains a major compromise—one that constantly clashes with our values. We don’t believe in ranking music as good or bad, first or second-class. So we decided that Laterna would not display view counts, play counts, or download numbers—standing against the culture of competition and awards promoted by the music industry. We emphasize the DIY aspects of each creator—both in their music and in the spaces they support with their participation. We aim to strengthen and prove that these elements can survive independently of the heavily advertised, expensive, and profit-driven platforms that dominate the field. Far from careerism and rockstar mindsets, we want Laterna to be a platform where the relationship between creator and listener becomes a little more direct and unmediated. Each person who chooses to send us their work grants free access and use of their creation—thus breaking the consumer-based dynamic that defines other platforms. We’re not offering just another alternative within the parameters we’ve been given—we are making a counter-proposal for music distribution. A proposal without middlemen, managers, subscriptions, or profits. A proposal to free—even just a piece of music—from vested interests and profiteering.
