News and information for

members of Hobart FM

Tasmania’s first community and multi-cultural

stereo FM radio station

Isssue No 4 April 2016

From Dublin via Perth to Hobart

As soon as he hit our airwaves early in March, word spread about the new Irish presenter Brian Corr. His easy listening music comes with an entertaining and informative style.

You can catch Reminiscing with Brain Corr every Sunday evening 9pm to midnight. I was born in Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital, the oldest continuously operating maternity hospital in the world, dating back to 1745. We lived for some years in Oughterard, Co Kildare, where Arthur Guinness, founder of the famous brewery, is buried. I sometimes have a black drink in his memory. My first job, in 1973, was with Chadwicks, similar to Bunnings. Three staff members, including myself, were selected to study computing at Trinity College, paid for by Chadwicks for the 5 years. Computers were new at the time (remember punch cards!) and I soon became Software Manager. After 10 years with Chadwicks, I joined the Brooks Group, a similar business, as their Software Manager, and spent 5 years with them. In late 1987, a UK company, Meyer International, contacted me, asking if I would be interested in moving to Australia to install their software in timber / hardware stores in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. In early 1988, with 3 young children, we moved to Sydney. Two years later, with interest rates at 17%, we moved to Perth, on a 3-year contract with the Health Department, installing computer software in country hospitals in WA.

News from the Management Committee

Enclosed with this newsletter is notice of the Annual General Meeting. All Members are encouraged to attend. Nomination forms are available by phoning or dropping into the office. 6244 1900.

In early 1993, I bought a computer business that specialised in software for the conveyancing industry. In 2013, with retirement beckoning, I sold the business to my main competitor, working for them to transfer my clients to their system. WA is a great place for parents and children, with excellent education and activities for young people. However, depending on qualifications, it’s not the best for employment opportunities. Our 3 children are now in Melbourne, Hobart, and Brazil. Over the years, in Perth, I was involved in the running of a number of Associations, history, heritage, and business development. I spent close to 10 years as a Councillor (Alderman) on my local Council. Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of people retiring out of Perth to places like Bunbury and Mandurah, in WA, and interstate, like us. We arrived in Hobart last December, climate refugees searching for ‘cool’ weather. On a visit to Hobart a few years ago, I well remember the wind, sleet, and cold, at the top of Mount Wellington. I also remember roast turkey Christmas dinner in Perth at 44 degrees. How did I get into community radio? Twenty or so years ago, a good friend presented a program on community radio, Curtin FM, in Perth, alternating with another presenter. He used to borrow some of my records, and, when the other presenter left, I was roped in. A couple of years later, I was presenting a 5-hour program every Sunday night.

In Studio B

Craig Cracknell learning to pre-record programs in Studio B and provide continuity when presenters aren't available. This is also where some community announcements and new programme IDs are being produced. If you are interested in learning how to work Studio B please let the Committee know. Jim Parish, Training co-ordinator

Gari Sullivan, lecturer in English at Newcastle Upon Tyne, England attended a recent CBAA conference. The UK only started to license community stations in the early 2000s. Here he reveals some stark differences. Successive British governments have never really taken seriously the community broadcast The sector is lagging some thirty years behind the Australian version. The most obvious evidence of governments’ attitudes towards the sector is the chronic and systematic under-funding that has existed since its inception in 2001 when the first broadcast licences were granted to community radio organisations. To inflict further crippling measures, successive governments have capitulated to the demands of commercial radio stations to severely limit the amount of finances community broadcasters can raise through advertising: A mere 15% of overall running costs as an upper-limit and, in some case, zero percent. This means community broadcasters in the UK have to rely heavily on volunteers with no skills or experience in broadcasting. Community broadcasters, having no resources to train the nervous volunteers, throw them in the deep-end by giving them their own show to produce, present and, in most cases, research and even edit. Shockingly under-resourced, stations have to make-do and mend; many presenters have to use their own recording equipment and even their own headphones! Not surprisingly, listening figures are low; spinning community broadcasting in the UK on an ever-downward spiral of low income levels, due to low audience levels due to poor programme content due to poor resources due to low income levels. It’s a nightmare vision that the Australian government will bring to bear on its community broadcasters if it cuts the funding to the sector. In 2011, I was invited to speak and give a workshop at the CBAA conference in Brisbane. It would be an understatement to say how stunned and jealous I was as the professional, well-resourced, innovative and interconnected community broadcast community that I witnessed. Even the conference, itself, was a perfect indicator: A five-star hotel on the Gold Coast. In comparison, the UK equivalent was in a shabby, community centre on the edge of a run-down London suburb. Whereas the UK community broadcasts sector struggles to hold itself together – let alone flourish, in Australia there exists an impressive, cohesive organisational structure that offers genuine support to its community broadcasters. Under-resourced, their UK counterparts are forced to fight (often each other) for whatever titbit of support and funding is tossed their way. Making such co-operative programmes like ‘The Wire’ (on ??? in Sydney) is an impossibility in the UK. Initiatives such as Amrap, are unachievable dreams.

English envy our

community radio sector

The BBC has dominated and, some would say, stifled the development of community broadcasting in the UK. BBC domination limits choice and opportunity for emerging talents; restricting access to significant audience size to ‘BBC Introducing’ for music talent, and occasional competitions to source writing and film-making talents – all of which is forced to suit BBC style and agenda. Australia may have ‘Triple J’, but it also has community broadcast outlets that allow local talent to reach sizable audiences, which benefits all of Australia. The domination by the BBC of local broadcasting means that news effectively is delivered from one source. In addition, the merging of ‘local’ newspapers, and commercial TV and radio stations in the UK brings even less appropriate and relevant news to the consumer. Such a structure stifles comprehensive news coverage that should be truly local. As with the UK, Australia’s mainstream news media is right-wing leaning and under the shadow of the Murdoch empire. Community broadcasting has the ability to offer a fresh view of mainstream news and to source its own stories. Your Government has a clear choice to make: Allow Australia’s world-leading community broadcast sector to wither and crumble to levels suffered in the UK or allow a sector that all Australians can be truly proud of, continue to entertain and inform local audience, and to develop its pool of creative talent.

2015 Listener Research

data for Tasmania

The National Listener Survey (NLS) is the audience research for the community radio sector, and has been run by the CBAA since 2004. In 2015 almost 12,000 Australians were contacted to learn about their radio listening habits, including over 500 Tasmanians. In the latest report issued in January this year for 2015, which sampled 506 people in Tasmania, we find some interesting facts about community radio station in Tasmania. There are 418,000 people in Tasmania over 15 years of age. In the week that the survey was conducted 54% of these listened to commercial radio, 33% listened to community radio and 47% listened to ABC/SBS radio. That adds up to more than 100% because many people listen to more than one type of broadcaster. Those 139,000 community radio listeners are spread across 14 community radio stations in Tasmania, and 5% of Tasmanians are exclusive listeners to community radio, meaning that they do not otherwise listen to commercial radio, the ABC or SBS. CBAA funds the NLS to produce State-wide, Hobart and Regional Tasmania level reporting. Station level reporting, generally the standard required to secure a reliable sponsorship program, is available to some stations at an additional cost. Hobart FM is eligible to purchase station reports, and the CBAA has indicated that a recent review of the NLS has bought costs for medium sized stations down considerably.

Joel Pringle, CBAA

Healthy Wealthy and wise

Hobart FM was represented at the 2016 Wellness Expo on 1st April. Over thirty exhibitors were there to provide information and advice ... and freebies!

David Carr and Phil Tyson, supported by Technical Officer Jim Parish, broadcast from the foyer at the exciting Moonah Arts Centre starting at nine , an hour before the doors opened.

David presented a three-hour mix of songs which fitted a good health, good diet and wellness theme. Phil interviewed some of the exhibitors on air.

'It was good to see so many Hobart FM listeners at the Expo,' said Phil, 'and to have a visit from a couple of Committee stalwarts - Kathy Shadwick and Terry Mather.

Colleen Johnston of Palliative Care chats with Phil Tyson.

My parents were musical and I grew up in Sydney listening to the ABC and other breakfast shows. Clive Robertson was very entertaining and Ian McRae on 2SM. I attended the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for 4 years where I was trained in High School music teaching. After graduating I taught in public schools for 9 years, then taught piano and organ privately for 12 years, following that running a music shop in Taree, NSW for 13 years. In NSW I have played keyboards and bass in bands around the pubs and clubs doing mainly music of the 50s and 60s Once I moved to Hobart 2004, I have played dinner music piano at Brookfield, Margate and for about 12 months in Hobart with Barry Pilkington.

I enjoy all styles of music, but for relaxing at home, I like classical music and music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. I am still pianist at the Kingston Uniting Church and accompany a ladies choir called Cantiamo. Each we raise funds for Caroline House, which is a home in North Hobart for ladies with mental health issues. I love to play social tennis twice a week, enjoy gardening, and perform with 3 others as MakeBelieve Children’s Entertainment. (David is on the left in the photo) We perform all around the state at schools, functions and shows.. New Year’s Day 2007 was my first time on air, nervous as anything, doing the Thursday Drive show. The first song I played was The Carpenters Top of the World, one of my favourite songs. I like to find rare ones by the big name artists., not just the Top 40 that we all know and love.

David Carr

In Makebelieve

IN THE NEXT ISSUE: The new committee line up as decided at the AGM, more presenter profiles, and an ex-pat American’s view of community radio in the USA.

EDITORIAL Your committee has decided to invest $550 in a new website using the technical services of the CBAA. Up to date photographs and programme descriptions have started and I have had a fabulous fortnight meeting and chatting with an amazingly interesting group of people. Launch date for the site has been set as mid-June.

Members of the Committee of Tamar Valley community station in Georgetown were recently given a conducted tour of our facilities by Jim Parish, our Technical and Training Co-ordinator. It was the day of our 39th anniversary. There were celebratory balloons in the office and presenters crammed into reception. However, they were very engrossed in learning the differences between their own station and ours. As it happened, they arrived just a bit too late to enjoy the home made chocolate birthday cake that committee member Christine Major had earlier shared around. Our FACEBOOK followers on 96.1 HobartFM were soon in the party spirit, if only virtually. Thanks to another Committee Member Helen Lindsey who set up this Facebook group that now has over 170 followers..