50 Annual Report 2002-03 The ABC celebrates the rich diversity of the nation through distinctive programming that provides a window on Australian communities and cultures including those rarely given a voice in the mainstream media. Plumpton High Babies Shown on ABC Television’s Reality Bites, Plumpton High Babies followed a year in the life of teenage mothers at Plumpton High School in Sydney’s Western Suburbs, a school which encourages schoolgirl mothers to complete their secondary education. Message Stick Message Stick is a half hour magazine style television program in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians tell their stories in their own way. The program delivers contemporary human stories from around the country, featuring engaging local characters and providing audiences with intimate access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lifestyles, perspectives and aspirations. Heywire ABC Radio’s Heywire is an initiative providing a voice for rural and regional youth. Entrants submit a story for radio about their experiences of life in rural and regional Australia. The best entries are broadcast on Triple J and ABC Online, while the winning entrants attend the Heywire Youth Issues Forum in Canberra. Every Individual 51 Annual Report 2002-03 everyindividual everyone’s 52 Annual Report 2002-03 Ian ‘Macca’ McNamara, the voice of Local Radio’s Australia All Over, visits a bush music ABC Radio festival in Narrandera, New South Wales. In 2002-03, ABC Radio expanded its services to include two new Local Radio regional stations and DIG, the ABC’s first Internet radio station. National Interest Initiatives (NII) funding allowed the establishment of two new Local Radio stations. On 19 May 2003, 558 ABC Great Southern commenced broadcasting from Wagin in Western Australia with a new local Breakfast program. Six weeks later, on 30 June, 107.9 ABC Ballarat went to air with local Breakfast and Drive programs as well as the state-wide regional Morning program. These new studios bring the total number of ABC Local Radio stations to 59 and generate about 1 500 hours per annum of additional local programming. In November 2002, the ABC launched its new Internet music-based radio station DIG at the Queenscliff Music Festival in Victoria. DIG provides music and cultural programming aimed at audiences aged 30-50, a demographic not strongly represented through other ABC Radio services. DIG’s audience continues to grow with site accesses averaging 85 000 per week, well above the expected 25 000. DIG is also available as an audio service on digital television channel 200 and carried on the DR2000 digital radio trials on the L-Band in Sydney. During the year, the Corporation extended the transmission of ABC NewsRadio to Gosford on the New South Wales central coast, through the ABC’s minor extensions program. ABC NewsRadio is now available in the eight capital cities as well as Newcastle and Gosford, New South Wales, and Queensland’s Gold Coast. In addition, an ABC Classic FM transmitter was ABC Divisions 53 Annual Report 2002-03 commissioned for Narrogin in Western Australian Content Australia; and separate transmitters for Radio Using funding from NII, ABC Radio established National were installed at Busselton in Western the Regional Production Fund (RPF) in 2001 to Australia and at Horsham and Mount Dundas source radio content from regional Australia in Western Victoria, providing listeners in these and, in the process, foster an external regional regions with 24-hour access to both Radio radio production industry. The RPF aims to National and Local Radio. The Local Radio showcase regional talent throughout Australia, transmitters previously fed Radio National providing broad exposure for an array of artists to these regions only from 7pm to 10pm. and program makers who work and live outside capital cities, while increasing the diversity of Agreement was reached with Broadcast ideas and styles on ABC Radio. Australia on the provision of digital lines to relay Local Radio to Gosford (702 ABC Programming ranges from documentary and Sydney) and Port Stephens (1233 ABC discussion to music, drama and other arts Newcastle) in New South Wales. This performance. Examples include the Regional infrastructure and funding from the NII make Short Story project, which attracted more than possible a new local service: 92.5 ABC Central 2 000 entries from which 30 were selected for Coast is expected to commence in November broadcast on Local Radio and Radio National. 2003, providing a local weekday program to The stories were published online and available the region. as audio on demand and are being published in book form by ABC Books. A series of ABC Radio extended the availability of services ‘postcards’ recorded by farmer, Jo Jackson, online. Radio National, ABC NewsRadio and told of her experiences about life on Austin Triple J are now 24-hour streamed services. Downs, a remote 167 000 hectare sheep station The level of radio content available as audio- in the Murchison in Western Australia. These on-demand has steadily increased. A total were broadcast on Local Radio and Radio of 94% of Radio National content is available National’s Life Matters and a book of her compared to 91% in 2001-02; Triple J added writing is being produced by ABC Books. 6-10 hours of new content each quarter, with 200 hours available at any one time, and In 2002-03, the RPF commissioned Local Radio averaged 670 stories per month approximately 97 hours of new Australian compared to 13 in 2001-02. content - 182 hours since its inception. The most common genres of these projects were Details of ABC Radio’s audience performance Music, History, Arts and Culture, Regional are in ABC Audiences (page 22). and Rural, Comedy, and Drama. Australian Music In 2002-03, Australian music performance targets for ABC Radio networks were consistently met or exceeded. The amount 54 Annual Report 2002-03 ABC Radio (continued) of Australian music played on each network was: chats, and live and recorded performances Local Radio 34.82%; Radio National 29%; ABC of local artists. It included a weekend of Classic FM 33.5% (12% composition); and exclusively Australian music on Triple J. Triple J 40.47%. Arts and Culture ABC Radio introduced new avenues for ABC Radio networks were involved in numerous presenting and highlighting Australian musical arts and cultural events across Australia during talent. The emergence of DIG provided a the year. These included: WOMADelaide; the further ABC outlet for Australian music; DIG Port Fairy Folk Festival; Splendour in the Grass has established an annual target of 40% at Byron Bay; Big Day Out at the Gold Coast Australian music content, achieving 36% in its and in Sydney; and the Melbourne International first year. Triple J introduced a new weeknight Music and Blues Festival. Local Radio broadcast Australian music show, Home and Hosed, from the Tamworth Country Music Festival at while the 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards which its regional and rural broadcasters were uncovered and promoted the region’s emerging awarded the Judith Hosier Heritage Award ‘for and existing talent. New Music Australia on preserving, promoting and nurturing the Great ABC Classic FM each Wednesday continued Australian Heritage of Rhymed Verse’. to explore new Australian sounds and improvisations and their composers. In 2003, Triple J is supporting Raw Comedy a competition for young comedians and has Triple J relaunched its unearthed initiative in 2002 renewed its support for the NOISE festival, with a State and Territory focus. The competition a national media-based festival managed by seeks to discover unsigned Australian musical the Australia Council that showcases and talent. Three winners from each State and celebrates the creativity of Australians under Territory are recorded by Triple J Live Music and 25 years of age. their work included in the Triple J playlist for broadcast to a national audience. Winners Community Focus also gain an opportunity to perform live with a Triple J’s national Break The Music Drought well-known Australian act at a Triple J-hosted competition encouraged listeners from event in their State or Territory. During the year, drought-affected regions across the country South Australia, the ACT, Tasmania, Western to gather signatures on a petition, find a venue Australia and Victoria were unearthed and a to hold a concert and provide a reason why combined total of 3 425 entries received. Triple J should hold a free concert in their town. Nominations were received from over 35 The new Australian Opera Lindy, based on the towns, with the Western New South Wales trial of Lindy Chamberlain, was broadcast live on town of Gunnedah winning the Triple J-hosted ABC Classic FM, the first of six Opera Australia concert. Held in November, the concert featured performances broadcast and recorded by the Australian bands 28 Days and Machine Gun network in 2002-03. Fellatio, and was attended by approximately 5 000 people. Throughout November, Australian Music Month was commemorated across ABC Radio with outlets featuring information, interviews, online ABC Divisions 55 Annual Report 2002-03 666 ABC Canberra provided comprehensive Radio National’s Bush Telegraph broadcast coverage of the bushfire crisis in Canberra. The live from a cotton farm in Queensland to station maintained local programming during cover the picking of a cotton crop grown the height of the crisis, providing continuous on a paddock donated by farmer Stu Higgins. updates and field crosses. The volume of listener Bush Telegraph listeners managed the crop contact was considerable and feedback, through the Grow Your Own project site on including in other media, was highly positive. ABC Online, which allowed listeners to The station also pioneered an online emergency interact with one another to make decisions.