I attended Amplifying Local News, Disaster Preparedness and Making Engaging Current Affairs sessions at last week’s Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) conference. They were all informative and exceptional, with the underlying message being how important, and at times essential, community radio news is to regional and underrepresented areas and groups of Australia.
Now the CBAA and the ABC have announced a new 12-month strategic partnership which aims to tangibly provide support and encourage the diversity of local news reporting, both geographically and culturally through their respective channels.
Key outcomes include:
- Shared knowledge, skills, content and career outcomes between ABC Newsrooms, to and for the more than 500 community broadcasting services, 80% of which are in regional areas.
- ABC News will work with community broadcasters to deliver a better response to developing local situations – for example during weather emergencies when accurate and timely news is critical for community safety.
- The CBAA will have access to pro bono legal support from the ABC Legal team.
ABC News Director Justin Stevens said:
“The ABC is looking forward to partnering with the community broadcasting sector to improve access, capability and diversity of services and content for Australian community radio audiences.”
CBAA CEO Jon Bisset said:
“It’s fantastic to announce this partnership with the national broadcaster. Community broadcasting is a proud training ground for independent journalists covering a range of local issues from different perspectives – many go on to a career with the ABC.
This partnership will make this relationship closer, strengthen those pathways, and be a boon for journalism and news production.”
I saw firsthand the standard of news services in the community radio sector through The Wire, Newshub and via Adelaide EDM youth station Fresh 92.7’s brilliant Wavelength.
With the community broadcasting sector not being classed an emergency broadcaster, like the ABC is, it is hoped that this collaboration and partnership works to better serve regional and isolated communities during disaster and emergencies situations as well as delivering skills, career and amplifying diversity outcomes.
Picture: (L to R) Anthony Gerace, ABC Managing Editor News SA, NT & Emergency; CBAA CEO Jon Bisset; Rebecca Brice, SA Newsroom; Martin Davies, CBAA News Network Director.
... "With the community broadcasting sector not being classed an emergency broadcaster, like the ABC is"... except there is no such thing ... the ABC has called itself an "emergency broadcaster" since 2007 when it set the then one-man department up in Adelaide, commercial and community stations also provide appropriate broadcasting in emergencies ... in fact the Victorian state government publishes a list of "emergency broadcasters" that includes all of them ...