NEMBC EB Winter 2007
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It’s time to Value our Voices! The NEMBC’s national campaign for more federal funding for ethnic community broadcasting Also Inside: • Radioactive Youth Forum • Community Media Matters report • Citizenship Amendment Bill • What’s Happening at Your The Ethnic Broadcaster Station? • NEMBC/AICA Conference Winter 2007 Edition Journal of the National Ethnic & Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council President’s Pen Lobbying, elections and the ‘ethnic’ vote The lobbying campaign is aimed at: The campaign for ethnic broadcasting, and community 1. Providing all broadcasters and their stations—some broadcasting generally—our number one priority—is 320 of them of which 100 broadcast ethnic programs— now under way in earnest. with the information, often in their own languages, to discuss our claims and seek the support of listeners and The NEMBC claim for an additional $1,900,000 annually their communities. to support ethnic broadcasting and $200,000 for the re- turn of the training program seeks to restore the 1996 2. Lobbying politicians in every state and in Canberra, funding levels and to catch up with some infrastructure to invite them to our programs in person or by phone. and technological demands. Government funding in no If we all do this at least once a week in every program way has kept pace with the growth of community broad- our message will reach hundreds of thousands of people casting in the last 10 years. and voters. Unlike the ABC and SBS, which are fully funded by the We have some considerable media power in our hands. government, ethnic community broadcasting receives Let’s use it. no more than 20% of its costs from government, yet it delivers far more programs than SBS radio. The rest The NEMBC in cooperation with stations have organ- is contributed by volunteers, appeals, sponsorship and ised a series of briefings for broadcasters and on air membership fees. launches of the campaign in every state (see more in other pages). Furthermore, the NEMBC, all broadcast- The need for the government to at least double funding ers through this campaign have a unique opportunity to to community broadcasting has been identified and sup- better inform and involve members, listeners, support- ported by the recent report of the Parliamentary Com- ers and communities in the promotion of ethnic and mittee on Community Broadcasting. And multicultural- multicultural broadcasting, and community broadcasting ism received a huge boost by another recent statistic: in general. In doing this we strengthen the prospects of a the 2006 Census revealed that Australia is now more better deal from government in this election year. multicultural and multilingual than ever before, and that the population mix extends all over the country and In conclusion I am pleased to inform you that we have that ethnicity is a major factor in determining people’s officially joined forces with Indigenous broadcasters in political choices for this year’s election. holding a joint conference (with separate AGMs) in No- vember this year in Brisbane. The uniting theme of this The Australian published (2nd July 2007) a national historic event is fittingly Language-Culture-Identity. political landscape based on data commissioned from the 2006 ABS census. The data used for all 148 federal electorate seats refer to household weekly income, percentages of home buyers, couples with dependent children, single parents, grey voters and for the first time George Zangalis to ethnicity. President NEMBC Of the 148 electorates, 80 showed an ethnicity per- centage of 40-60%, 49 between 20% and 39% and 17 between 13% and 19%. Fourteeen out of the twenty marginal seats which include the PM’s Bennelong seat, have an ethnic factor above 50%. Multiculturalism, de- spite statements and even legislative acts to the contra- ry, is irreversibly integrated into the totality of Australian life. It is in the mainstream and no party can afford to denigrate or ignore it. And we will make sure they don’t. - The Ethnic Broadcaster Contents President’s Pen.............................................................................................2 Executive Officer’s Letter.......................................................................4 NEMBC Executive Welcome to new NEMBC staff............................................................5 President: George Zangalis VIC Membership Officer Shangale Ali and Administration Officer Julia Farrell are the new staff at the NEMBC. Vice-President: Victor Marillanca ACT Treasurer: Luchi Santer NT Membership Report..................................................................................6 Secretary: Tangi Steen SA Youth Broadcasting Radioactive ‘07...................................................7 Members: Marijana Bosnjak reports on the Radioactive: Multicultural Youth Broadcasters’ Forum held in Melbourne 21-22 April. Jiselle Hanna VIC Nick Dmyterko QLD What will ‘multicultural and ethnic youth broadcasting’ look like in the future?..............................................10 Osai Faiva NSW Thoughts from Radioactive Youth Forum participants. Anthony Colombo NSW Community Communications in Venezuela................................11 Nikola Nikolich WA Interview with Nelson Dávila, Charge d’Affaires Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic Judith Ventic NT of Venezuela. Marie-Josee Barnes TAS Out & About...............................................................................................12 3ZZZ youth broadcasters head to the schoolyard; others take home awards from the Youth Forum. NEMBC Staff What’s Happening at Your Station?.................................................13 Executive Officer: Tim Tolhurst Steve Maclean finds new skills and a new way to connect with family in Holland at Voice FM 99.9 Ballarat Radio. Youth Coordinator: Marijana Bosnjak Value our Voices Funding Campaign Under Way........................14 Membership Officer: Shangale Ali The NEMBC’s national campaign for more federal funding for ethnic community Administration Officer: Julia Farrell broadcasting is in full swing across the country. Bookkeeper: Dennis West Campaign Launch a Resounding Success.....................................17 Campaign letter from NEMBC President....................................18 Value our Voices: What Stations and The Ethnic Broadcaster Editor, Coordinator Broadcasters Can Do.............................................................................19 and Designer: Julia Farrell 2007 NEMBC/AICA National Conference Information.................................................................................................20 Journal Printers: Highlight Printing Pty Ltd Citizenship Amendment Bill...............................................................25 NEMBC Executive Officer Tim Tolhurst discusses the federal government’s proposal The Ethnic Broadcaster is the Journal of the National to amend the test for Australian citizenship. Ethnic & Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council (NEMBC). Chief Minister Presents Radio Awards..............................................27 Chief Minister Jon Stanhope presents Workplace Training Certificates The views expressed in The Ethnic Broadcaster are not to graduates from Canberra community station 2XX FM. necessarily the views of the NEMBC. Starting Out: Towards a new Ghanaian program at 3ZZZ.....................................................................................27 Starting Out Project Manager Warren Crosbie talks about the free training program for people from emerging communities. Tuning in to Community Broadcasting.........................................29 House of Reps Standing Committee release findings on community boradcasting, highlighting the diversity and independence of the sector, and noting the significant contribution made by ethnic broadcasting for new and emerging communities. NEMBC contact details Audiences Like It Local...and Vocal!................................................30 Griffith University study of the Australian community broadcasting sector— Postal: Community Media Matters—the largest of its kind in the world, was launched in PO Box 1144 August at 3RRR radio in Melbourne. Collingwood VIC 3066 Premier Steve Bracks speaks during Cultural Phone: 03 9486 9549 Diversity Week 2007...............................................................................32 Fax: 03 9486 9547 The Premier speaks of the value of our multicultural heritage for our history, identity, and future as a diverse yet unified Australia. Email: [email protected] Women in Broadcasting.......................................................................33 Website: www.nembc.org.au Women’s World is the exciting new program being produced and broadcast at 3ZZZ 92.3 FM. We welcome contributions to The Ethnic Broadcaster, CBF News....................................................................................................34 especially from NEMBC Members. New forms coming, staff changes and more! Submit to: [email protected] Sector Organisation Chart..................................................................35 The Ethnic Broadcaster - Executive Officer’s Letter As we go to press a number of important issues that election imminent, now is the time to demonstrate to affect ethnic community broadcasting are taking place. the incoming government that is it not just racist shock Perhaps the most significant of these is the sector lobby- jocks in capital cities who are able to influence public ing campaign, Value our Voices, which seeks an additional perceptions