To the initiated, this answer seems logical and complete enough.
Community radio is radio by and for the community.
It serves those underserved by other media. Community radio places its community before profit. The more you think about it, the more it becomes clear that community radio is a complex beast. At the surface Community radio stations are of course radio stations, but in most cases, they are more than just that. To begin answering these questions, I thought it would be instructive to take a brief look at the history of community radio.