The peak body for community broadcasting, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, has chosen its next General Manager.

When incumbent, Michele Bawden, decided not to renew her contract after two years at the helm, the CBAA sought someone with the industry experience to steer Australia’s largest broadcast sector through the complexities of new media technologies and services.

Kath Letch has decided to relocate from Melbourne to Sydney to take on the challenge. Kath has most recently been in the role of Digital Radio Project Manager working with 37 mainland capital city metro-wide stations to establish the first wave of community digital radio services.

Kath’s list of accomplishments in community broadcasting is impressive. Under fourteen years of Kath’s management, Melbourne’s 3RRR was transformed from a fragile station with a dedicated audience into a robust multimedia beacon for independent and alternative views and music.

3RRR will always carry the legacy of Kath’s skills and dedication. Her ability to harness the commitment of people and resources to one of the most popular community stations in the country enabled her to bring together the complex tasks needed to secure a strong and successful future for the station.

She now moves to manage a national organisation representing more than 500 community radio and television services. The number of community radio licences in Australia (358) outnumber those in the commercial (274), ABC (65) and SBS (4) stations combined.

Kath Letch has worked in voluntary and paid capacities in community broadcasting in two states and on a national level for over 20 years. After growing up in bayside Melbourne, she moved to Perth in her twenties to work in education and became involved in the early days of community radio there. She began broadcasting on 6UVS, and became Station Manager when the station returned to the airwaves as 6RTR in 1991.

She has worked on numerous national bodies including the CBAA National Committee as President for four years, the AMRAP advisory committee, and the Digital Radio Consultative Committee.

Kath’s commitment to independent community media and extensive knowledge of the sector in programming, management, training, co-ordinating volunteers and staff, chairing committees, technical knowledge, understanding audiences, promotions, project management, administration, finance, and the special ‘birds eye view’ gained through her time at the national level will be great assets to her role as CBAA General Manager.

Kath commences at the CBAA on September 20.