LABS: May 23 - 26 at Stadtwerkstatt / Linz, Austria

CONFERENCE: May 27 - 28 at Wissensturm / Linz, Austria

A significant part of public debate takes place today on a few commercial online platforms, whereby the conditions and forms of free expression are made dependent solely on a market-based logic and on the commercial business models of the platform operators.

Since no real democratic discourse can take place under such conditions, it is necessary to create independent, not-for-profit infrastructures and democratic media spaces (“Public Open Spaces”) that enable and promote public debates and opinion-forming under conditions geared to the common good.

Thus we invite to a series of events in Linz, Austria to explore and expand technology for community based exchange and publication.
With collaborative hacking projects we want to push forward a common base for a European Cultural Backbone for community media and their surrounding media spheres.

VIDEOS

Missed a lecture? Watch all video recordings here: https://media.ccc.de/c/ecb2022
Live streaming and video recordings by Video Operation Center c3voc of CCC - Chaos Computer Club Germany.

PARTICIPATION

The event is free of charge. Free food, drinks and Covid antigen tests are provided. No application required.
Conference language is English.

Join the matrix chat channel to get into debate with us: https://matrix.to/#/#ecb:freie-radios.de
Miro board for documenting the workshop results between Mon and Thu: Open Miro board
Get a list of useful links for hackathon and conference here: https://linktr.ee/ecblinks

LABS

Monday, May 23

Modeling Community Media

10:30 - 12am
Metadata modeling for European media exchange
Servus.at
Funded by ECF a metadata "replication engine" is coded which automatically duplicates (replicates) metadata of nodes in the ECB network. Thereby metadata of uploaded mediafiles are distributed in the network and can be then used for a syndicated search engine and possibly in recommenders.

We will discuss a first draft of a data model and possible ways of distribution. As a result we want to find a common understanding how to proceed, beta-version should be launched in summer 2022.

Hosts: Franz Heinzmann (arso, DE) & Ingo Leindecker (cba, AT)
1pm - open end
Work Lab
Stadtwerkstatt Foyer
Prototyping a metadata replication system and making first practical experiences.

Tuesday, May 24

Exchange protocols & discovery

10 - 11am
Data replication and exchange protocols
Servus.at
Requirements and approaches for metadata replication between European platforms.


Hosts: Franz Heinzmann & Sid Moreira da Silva (arso, DE)
11 - 12am
Matrix & PubHubs
Servus.at
Presentation and discussion of the social media exchange protocols based on matrix.
Host: Bart Jacobs & Harm van Stekelenburg (PubHubs, NL)
1 - 2pm
ActivityPub
Servus.at
Presentation and discussion of the social media exchange protocol.
Speaker: Benjamin Bellamy (Castopod, Ad Aures, FR)
2 - 3pm
Hacking search algorithms
Servus.at
How can we build search engines with a different bias such as ranking common good sources first? Roland Alton will present his experience of adapting and operating for one year fairsuch.net, a meta search engine based on Searx. We will also be looking at other open source frameworks that focus on search and discovery and will share our experience how they can be adapted or trained.
Speaker: Roland Alton-Scheidl (fairkom, AT)
3:30 - 4pm
PEACH - Personalisation and Recommendation Ecosystem
Servus.at
Presentation and discussion about European Broadcasting Union's Personalisation and Recommendation Ecosystem PEACH. How can the most relevant content be delivered to each user?
Speaker: Sébastien Noir (European Broadcasting Union)
1pm - open end
Work Lab
Stadtwerkstatt Foyer
Testing technical approaches and making experiences with various technologies.

Wednesday, May 25

Language tools

10 - 11am
European Language Grid
Servus.at
How can we overcome language barriers by using language technology like machine translation algorithms? How to make use of the European Language Grid and looking at its API.
Speaker: Rémi Calizzano & Georg Rehm (DFKI, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence)
11 - 11:30am
Open Audio Search
Servus.at
Presentation and discussion of the Open Audio Search project. It uses automated speech recognition to turn spoken word into text, which is then indexed in a full-text search engine. The engine can subscribe to RSS feeds to ingest content from different sources. Through a web user interface, users can search in the generated transcripts of radio shows and podcasts and play them right from the time mark of a search result.
Speakers: Franz Heinzmann & Sid Moreira da Silva (arso, DE)
1 - 1:45pm
EuroVOX
Servus.at
Presentation and discussion of European Broadcasting Union's open toolbox EuroVOX for transcription and translation.
Speakers: Ben Poor (European Broadcasting Union)
2 - 3pm
The Austrian Language Project: T-ALP
Servus.at
Presentation and discussion of the Austrian Language Project, a language model for Austrian standard variations/idioms.
Speakers: Alexander Baratsits (cba, AT), Christoph Bauer (ORF, AT), Ewald Enzinger (Linguist & Data Scientist, AT)
3:15 - 4pm
Challenging Workflows: A F/LOSS Approach
Servus.at
Presentation and discussion on designing a workshop to encourage cultural practitioners, individuals as well as organizations, to build a F/LOSS-first & anti-GAFAM workflow.
Speakers: Davide Bevilacqua & Onur Olgaç (Servus.at, AT)
1pm - open end
Work Lab
Stadtwerkstatt Foyer
Testing technical approaches using open source machine learning frameworks.

Thursday, May 26

Structure of platforms

10 - 11am
ECB Media Stack
Servus.at
What is necessary for a Digital European Public Space on a technical side?
Speaker: Volker Grassmuck (Publisher and media sociologist, DE)
11 - 12am
Social Media with PubHubs
Servus.at
Self governed open source alternatives for social media tools: Use cases, governance, moderation and user policies. How can civil society communities benefit from self-governed social media and which problems of organisation and governance need to be sorted out first?
Speaker: Geert-Jan Bogaerts (PublicSpaces, NL)
1 - 2pm
Discussion: Governance, moderation & user policies
Servus.at
Hosts: Geert-Jan Boegarts (PublicSpaces, NL) & Volker Grassmuck (Publisher and media sociologist, DE)
2:30 - 3pm
cba Hungary
Servus.at
Presentation of hu.cba.media as a blueprint for international cba language portals
Speaker: Ingo Leindecker (cba, AT)
1pm - open end
Work Lab
Stadtwerkstatt Foyer
Testing technical approaches using open source machine learning frameworks.

 

 

CONFERENCE

Friday, May 27

European Platforms

Host: Joseline Veit (arso, DE)
10 - 10:30am
Presentation I: Delphi
Wissensturm
Speaker: Matthias Pfeffer (DE)
10:30 - 11am
Presentation II: EBU News Exchange
Wissensturm
Speaker: Nicola Frank (European Broadcasting Union, BE)
11 - 11:30am
Presentation III: European Cultural Backbone
Wissensturm
Speaker: Alexander Baratsits (ECB, cba, AT)
11:30 - 12am
Presentation IV: ECF's initiative for a European Public Space
Wissensturm
European Cultural Foundation's long-term strategy for a European Public Space as a common ground where representatives of civil society, media, politics, digital and academia come together to strategise next steps in order to mobilise people, knowledge and resources by governments and public institutions.
Speaker: Menno Weijs (European Cultural Foundation)
1 - 2:30pm
Panel I: European Platforms
Wissensturm
About the necessity of a federated network and the role and needs of public service media and civil society broadcasters. What are their ideas for a European platform?
Panelists: Alexander Baratsits (ECB, cba), Nicola Frank (European Broadcasting Union, BE), Eva Kaili (MEP/SD), Paul Nemitz (Principle Advisor European Commission DG Justice), Paul Rübig (Member EESC, MEP/EVP, ret.)
Moderation: Reka Kinga Papp (Eurozine)
3 - 4:30pm
Panel II: Shared Digital Public Space - An Opportunity for Europe
Wissensturm
In recent years, the European Union has been taking a more active role in shaping our digital future - a number of instruments are on their way. But something that is still missing on a European level are instruments to foster digital alternatives to big tech platforms and open source development and maintenance. In this panel, we will learn more about already existing examples from Germany, but also initiatives that are taking shape at the European level, and discuss them together in the context of European Cultural Backbone.
Speakers: Adriana Groh (The New Institute, DE), Paul Keller (Open Future Foundation, NL), Helga Schwarzwald (VFRÖ, AT)

Saturday, May 28

Future of Community Media in Europe

Host: Lale Rodgarkia-Dara (Radio Helsinki, AT)
10 - 11am
Lab results: Datamodel & Replication, Search & Language Tools
Wissensturm
Results of the hackathon:
1. How can civil society media platforms exchange their metadata and audiences and why should they do it?
2. Learn how community media can make their audio-visual content searchable and why personalisation and recommender algorithms are necessary for reaching our audiences.
3. How can we overcome language barriers with the use of translation and transcription tools?
Speakers: Roland Alton-Scheidl (fairkom, AT), Gerald Kogler (XRCB, ES/CAT), Franz Heinzmann (arso, DE)
11:30am - 1pm
Panel: The future of community media in Europe: How to maintain the 3rd sector as a critical, alternative space?
Wissensturm
How can we shape a community media podcast future, maintaining the non-negotiables of community broadcasting and a 3rd sector legitimacy and role?
Panelists: Sabine Fratzke (BFR, DE), Tamás Jamriskó (Radio EPER, HU), Vladimir Radinovic (CMFE, SR) and Helga Schwarzwald (VFRÖ, AT)
Host: Birgitte Jallov (Community Media Forum Europe)
2 - 3pm
Dorf TV
Wissensturm
Presentation of the local community TV Dorf TV and its online video platform dorftv.at.
Speaker: Roland Jankowski & Gabriele Kepplinger (dorfTV, AT)
3 - 4pm
The socio-cultural impact of podcasts and online platforms focused on communities of practice
Wissensturm
Presentation of case studies of the XRCB in the context of Barcelona and the decentralization of open infrastructures for radio broadcasters.
Speakers: Efraín Foglia & Antònia Folguera (XRCB, ES/CAT)

 

OFFICIAL END OF THE CONFERENCE

Informal talks

2 - 4pm
Community Media Talk
Wissensturm Room II
Informal talk.
Host: Birgitte Jallov (Community Media Forum Europe, DK)
2 - 6pm
Workshop on Shared Digital Public Space
IBIS Hotel
Informal kick-off for building a task force to prepare facts and investigate funding opportunities for building a European wide digital platform with content and other broadcasters and media producers.
Host: Alexander Baratsits (ECB, cba, AT)

VENUES

Stadtwerkstatt, Kirchengasse 4, 4040 Linz (Map)
Foyer: 1st floor

Servus.at, Kirchengasse 4, 4040 Linz (Map)
Lab: 1st floor

 

Wissensturm, Kärtnerstraße 26, 4020 Linz (Map)
Rooms I and II both on 15th floor

TEAM

Concept: Alexander Baratsits, Franz Heinzmann, Gerald Kogler, Ingo Leindecker, Sid Moreira da Silva
Production: Alexander Baratsits, Ingo Leindecker
Streaming: Andrea Schabernack via media.ccc.de with support by Andreas Hubel
Overall support: Kevin Lixl
Catering STWST: Katja Mühlegger
Catering Wissensturm: Über den Tellerrand
Radio coverage: Radio FRO, Michael Diesenreither, Sigrid Ecker & Matthias Steiner; Radio Orange
TV coverage: dorf tv
Technical support Wissensturm: Andreas Leimer & Jürgen Schmidt

SEE ALSO


"Building a European Digital Public Space - Strategies for taking back control from big tech platforms", edited by Alexander Baratsits.
published at irights.info, December 2021.
Order here

 

HOSTED AND SUPPORTED BY

kindly supported by
A project by cultural broadcasting archive, Radio FRO & arso.
Kindly supported by City of Linz (Kulturamt, Open Commons and Volkshochschule), European Cultural Foundation, Verband Freier Rundfunk Österreich, Public Spaces, Radio free FM, danube streamwaves, Servus.at and Stadtwerkstatt.
Live Streaming made possible by CCC - Chaos Computer Club Germany