42 Annual Report 2003-04 through australian eyes Seda Douglas Cambodian-born Seda Douglas is an original Broadcaster Radio Australia member of the Khmer Program Unit in Radio Australia—the ABC’s international radio service. ‘I had a good job and it was a very big decision for me to move to the ABC but it was something I felt I was doing for my home country and still serving Australia, my adopted land.’ Seda’s father and five siblings were killed under the murderous regime of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. She and the rest of the family escaped and spent four years in a refugee camp in Thailand before coming to Australia. ‘Radio journalism was not something I thought of doing when I was young,’ she says, ‘I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer.’ However, Seda felt ‘a sense of responsibility for my country because I had left it by force not by choice. I also wanted to make a small contribution to the people here who have always been so friendly and helpful. This job gives me the opportunity.’ Seda and her three colleagues present news and current affairs reports, and package feature programs. ‘We were trained to be producers and studio operators as well as presenters. It’s an interesting job. Every day there is something happening and you talk to such a range of people.’ section 3 43 Annual Report 2003-04 awareness understanding australians overseas our neighbours are listening everyone’s 44 Annual Report 2003-04 Sue Howard Director of Radio Sue Howard worked in the publishing industry and as a teacher before joining the ABC as a radio presenter in 1986. Prior to taking a management role in 1995, she was a broadcaster with Radio National, ABC Classic FM and Local Radio. Sue was appointed Director of ABC Radio in July 2000. ABC Radio In November 2003, ABC Radio opened its Another National Interest Initiative, 107.9 60th Local Radio station, 92.5 ABC Central ABC Ballarat was officially launched in July Coast, at Erina in New South Wales. The new with a community Open Day at the station. service was made possible by the provision of a new transmitter servicing the Gosford/Central In March 2004, ABC Radio relocated its Mid Coast region and National Interest Initiatives North Coast New South Wales studios from (NII) funding. A new local weekday afternoon Kempsey to Port Macquarie bringing them program provides a voice for the region and an closer to the centre of regional business and estimated 780 hours per annum of additional community activity. With a Radio News post local ABC programming. 702 ABC Sydney is in Coffs Harbour, the new location strengthens carried for the remainder of the day. The station ABC Radio’s ability to better serve the whole is located in a shopping centre and is the Mid North Coast region. first ABC service to be collocated with an ABC Shop. Local Radio’s 60th station, 92.5 ABC Central Coast, opened in November 2003 at Erina in New South Wales. section 3 45 Annual Report 2003-04 In June, following extensive community In its second year, the RPF Fresh Air project consultation, new transmission arrangements invited unsigned, unpublished artists from were introduced by Local Radio in the Northern regional Australia to submit broadcast-quality Territory to provide more relevant programming recordings of their music; selected artists then to local audiences. The Top End is now serviced received airplay on ABC Radio. The first two of by 105.7 ABC Darwin, while 783 ABC Central a series of live Fresh Air concerts featuring the Australia broadcasts from Alice Springs to successful artists were held at Port Macquarie communities south of Newcastle Waters. and Bundaberg. Further concerts across regional Australia are planned. ABC NewsRadio was launched in Launceston in September 2003, increasing the network’s Short Stories 2004 called for regionally-based potential reach in Tasmania by approximately writers to submit unpublished works, with 130 000 listeners. winning stories produced and broadcast on ABC Radio. The winning stories were also published The Internet music service, dig, also available online on a site featuring transcripts and audio- on digital television, continued to build audience on-demand readings of the stories. In its third in its first full year of operation with average year, Short Stories 2004 attracted more than weekly page accesses of more than 122 000 2 000 entries. in 2003-04. Australian Music ABC Radio is participating in two digital radio ABC Radio exceeded its Australian music trials in Sydney and Melbourne conducted performance targets on all networks in 2003-04. by Digital Radio Broadcasting Australia The amount of Australian music played on each (a consortium of Commercial Radio Australia, network was: Radio National 28.3%; Local Radio the ABC and SBS) and Broadcast Australia 31.5%; triple j 42.76%; ABC Classic FM 34%; respectively. ABC Classic FM and dig are and dig 41.2%. carried on both trial services and ABC NewsRadio is also carried in Melbourne. In 2003-04, ABC Classic FM broadcast 11% Australian composition, less than its 12% New Australian Content annual target. The network appointed composer The ABC Radio Regional Production Fund (RPF), Stephen Adams as Australian Music Curator to established as a National Interest Initiative in advocate and assist in the programming of 2001, continued to identify and showcase new Australian music composition. The Curator will talent in regional Australia. In 2003-04, the play a critical role in assisting ABC Classic FM RPF commissioned more than 120 hours of to raise its level of Australian composition. new Australian content. Since 2001, the total amount of original content commissioned from Local Radio launched the Oztrax website regional Australia has exceeded 300 hours. in February to promote Australian music and More than 50% of this content has been performance. Oztrax provides over 100 tracks regional arts programming profiling regional as music-on-demand, together with background writers, composers, musicians, poets and information and photographs of performers. performers. This resource will grow as musicians submit more music for consideration. 46 Annual Report 2003-04 ABC Radio (continued) This year triple j’s unearthed initiative, which In 2003-04, triple j continued its strong seeks unsigned Australian musical talent, partnership of the NOISE festival, a Federal focussed on the Northern Territory, New South Government and Australia Council initiative Wales and Queensland, with concerts in each profiling the work of young, creative Australians. capital city that attracted capacity audiences. Winners supported high-profile local bands Broadcast Highlights and their performances were broadcast live Local Radio across Australia hosted a special on triple j’s Australian music program Home broadcast to commemorate the first anniversary & Hosed. This year, unearthed attracted of the Bali bombing on 12 October 2003. The approximately 3 800 entries in total, around program, presented by Jon Faine, included live 1 600 of which were submitted online through crosses to the ABC’s Indonesia correspondent a new MP3 upload facility on the triple j website. Tim Palmer and reporter Mark Bowling at the This facility enables entrants to upload their Memorial Service in Bali, as well as interviews tracks and profiles, giving audiences and tributes from survivors and friends and opportunities to listen to all entries and read families of victims. about the artists throughout the duration of the competition. The funeral services of some well-known Australians were broadcast live on Local Radio Arts and streamed online through The Backyard. Greek Imprints: Olympic Odyssey was launched Across Australia, the funeral service for on Radio National in March to explore and R.M. Williams was broadcast from ABC celebrate ancient and contemporary Greek Toowoomba, while Slim Dusty’s State funeral culture and its presence in the Australian was broadcast from St Andrew’s Cathedral in multicultural context in the lead-up to the Sydney by Saturday Night Country presenter Olympic Games in Athens. John Nutting and Richard Glover from 702 ABC Sydney’s Drive program. In partnership with the Houston Grand Opera, ABC Classic FM broadcast La Traviata, featuring In Queensland, Local Radio broadcast the State the title role debut of internationally-renowned funeral of one of Australia’s last remaining original American soprano Renée Fleming, and the world World War One Diggers, Ted Smout, who died premiere of Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince, in Brisbane at the age of 106. The State funeral based on the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry book, of former Tasmanian Premier Jim Bacon was featuring the tenor Teddy Tahu Rhodes. broadcast on Local Radio throughout Tasmania. 936 ABC Hobart Morning presenter Tim Cox Moffatt Oxenbould, former artistic director hosted the funeral service in Hobart’s Federation of Opera Australia and a major figure in Concert Hall and Breakfast presenter Ric the development of opera in Australia, was Patterson delivered the broadcast commentary. appointed as presenter of ABC Classic FM’s Sunday Night Opera. His unique passion Tony Delroy presented Nightlife from Tasmania for opera and his wealth of knowledge and capturing the celebrations of the wedding of involvement in the development of opera in Mary Donaldson to Crown Prince Frederik of Australia over more than 40 years adds Denmark. 936 ABC Hobart Breakfast’s Ric great benefit to listeners. section 3 47 Annual Report 2003-04 Patterson filed reports into the program from to cover the Australian Open in 2005, 2006 the ceremony and celebrations in Denmark. and 2007, and for the first time, at the BBC’s invitation, an ABC Radio Sport commentator Radio National’s Late Night Live travelled to the (Quentin Hull) joined the BBC commentary Solomon Islands to record a series of programs team for the 2004 Wimbledon Championships.