Illustration by Kerrie Leishman

In this time of stage-managed election campaigns, and increased role of public relations people in generating news and a tight media market, Australia’s community broadcasters provide an independent voice and a truly local forum for those who are excluded from the mainstream media.

And there couldn’t be a more appropriate time for our major political parties to support community broadcasting – Australia’s largest, non-profit, independent media sector.

Australia is in the healthy situation of having more licensed community radio stations (358) than the number of commercial (274), ABC (65) and SBS (4) stations combined.

Each month, up to 9.5 million Australians (more than half the population) tune in to their local community radio station. Why, you might ask? Maybe it’s because more than 23,000 of their peers participate in the operation of community stations across the country. Maybe it’s because no other radio sector offers more than 77 per cent locally produced programming (that is, not networked) every week tailored to their community, ethnicity, their denomination, their demographic or their disability.

For example there’s SYN-FM in Melbourne, which is restricted to people aged under 26 and in one year trained 4000 young people in broadcasting. JOY-FM is the only radio station in the world operated by and for the local gay and lesbian community. Goolarri Media in Broome are active in media and music production and in providing training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people in their community.

Most importantly, community broadcasting allows people to be part of decision-making and ownership of stations. Community radio gives people who are otherwise denied it, access to the airwaves. But it’s not just the volunteers who benefit and appreciate it.

Qualitative research shows that people like community broadcasting for local news, for offering the ability to connect or create communities and for more accurately representing our social and cultural diversity than other media, according to a McNair National Listener Survey in 2008. The federal government needs to acknowledge this and provide more sustainable support.

Towards this end, the community broadcasting sector has developed a vision that re-invigorates its role in local communities by enabling the industry to leverage the rollout of digital technology.

The Vision 2015 proposal is community broadcasting’s appeal to the major political parties to fully acknowledge the role and impact community broadcasting has on the nation’s media landscape and its diverse communities. Put forward by national representative, Vision 2015 demonstrates that despite the sector’s strengths, community broadcasting can be improved with strategic government financial support.

Community stations can provide the facilities, training and infrastructure for people who support their ideals to connect with digital media. A level of initial funding support is needed to establish this vision.

In conversation with Peter Godfrey on The Daily Interview last week, Senator Scott Ludlam, communications spokesman of the Greens, agreed that the role of the community broadcasting sector is made all the more significant and important because of Australia’s tightly controlled media market.

According to Ludlam, the community broadcasting sector’s Vision 2015 funding proposal is on target. “In the context of the extraordinary value that is provided by the community broadcast sector, culturally and economically and as training grounds for people, I don’t think that you’re asking for too much.”

Despite the degree to which our national broadcasters – ABC and SBS – are cherished by people who value independent media, they are not enough, and never can be. Despite the degree to which they are resourced, they cannot cover the diverse interests that have developed in this old and new country. They are undeniably national broadcasters – no matter how much they try to dress up and call themselves public or even community, they are not “of” the community.

Recently, the ABC received funding to provide what they described as “town square” services, where people could contribute content. But Australians generally won’t fall for that. Despite the ABC calling themselves “local radio”, people in Cairns know when the overnight program on “their” local radio is coming from Melbourne. Without 10 times the funding, the ABC just cannot be local enough.

The digital future is here. Community broadcasting wants to offer people who believe in independent media and serving their own communities, pathways to digital literacy and digital economies. Community broadcasting wants to provide the facilities, training and infrastructure for people who support their ideals to connect with digital media. And they want to do it with the support of this country’s policy makers.

David Melzer is the deputy general manager of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA).www.communitymediavotes.org.au

Source: The Age

Regrettably the CBAA brings you the sad news that former CBAA Board member and dedicated community broadcaster, Addam Stobbs passed away on Wednesday 16th June.  He will be greatly missed by all at the CBAA, JOY 94.9 in Melbourne and his colleagues throughout our sector.

Addam has been involved in many aspects of community radio beginning with his work at JOY 94.9 in Melbourne. Addam produced the weekly program Allegro Non Troppo at JOY which was distributed to a national audience on the Community Radio Network, and was this year a vital and active member of the CBAA’s Satellite Advisory Committee.  Addam brought the perspective of an experienced  program producer to the committee which advises on the CBAA’s national program distribution service, CRN.

As a highly respected trainer, Addam shared his passion, skills and talent with broadcasters at many Melbourne stations. Always meticulously prepared and thorough, Addam offered his training skills generously where ever there was a need.

Addam was a regular contributor to CBAA National Conferences for many years and last year he delivered memorable workshops on programming and emergency broadcasting. He’d been keenly working on his workshop proposals for this year’s conference.

As part of his contribution to the work of the CBAA Board, Addam undertook a huge task in 2009 to research and draft the CBAA’s submission to the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission. He felt passionately about the community broadcasting sector’s vital role in providing essential emergency broadcasting services to our communities.

CBAA President, Deb Welch remembers Addam:  “A CBAA Board member in 2008-09, Addam was a passionate and principled contributor to our work on behalf of the sector.  A dedicated broadcaster and board member at JOY FM, and a trainer in many stations, Addam was both a believer and a hard worker.  A special thing about Addam was that he was a subscriber not just to his station, but to many others. At last count Addam was a member of 70 community radio and television stations. Sincere condolences to his partner Yoda and all at JOY 94.9 from the CBAA.”

Adrian and Andy are Radio Joy’s twice weekly breakfast show hosts and we know what to expect from breakfast radio – congenial banality, mindless chatter and a certain blokey or campy rapport between two egotistical hosts.

Adrian and Andy fancy themselves as, well, they fancy themselves full-stop, but as the gay boys’ version of Hamish and Andy they fall far short of the occasional hilarity Hamish Blake can provide. The sort of extroversion that carries a radio show doesn’t necessarily translate to the stage, and, sadly for these two, they are so accustomed to keeping up the piffle on the airwaves that they don’t know when to stop.

Obviously breakfast radio doesn’t offer any real audience feedback and these two are assured of a niche audience, a situation that doesn’t allow for much real objectivity. Being cute and gay just ain’t enough and they are not nearly as fascinating as they seem to imagine they might be.

I took my best big poof to this just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything and he described it as ‘mildly amusing’. The audience seemed to be made up mostly of older gay guys, which was telling, rather than the hosts’ peers. To be fair, a couple of tipsy women behind us were having themselves a hoot.

Adrian and Andy do provide some (amateurish) variety with a spoof of a quiz show, videos of their trip to Sydney and attempts to toilet train a cat and a spin on Dancing in the Street along with an homage to the 90s and a bit of song – but why lip-synch to a recording of yourself, for heaven’s sake? This show needs some vigorous excising, and some actual jokes. The Puffing Billy story was just awful and out of place. Have definitely had more laughs.

JOY 94.9 & V Australia present
Radio Husbands
Andy & Adrian

Visit: andyandadrian.com

Source: http://www.australianstage.com.au