Community Radio Stations in Australia - Report Example

Community Radio stations Name Institution Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Community Radio Stations 2 1.0 Introduction 2 2.0 Discussion 3 2.1 Workforce 3 2.2 Number of stations, Income and growth 4 3.0 Public perceptions and contents 5 4.0 Equipment and Technological use 8 5.0 Role of the Government and Challenges Facing the Sector 11 5.1 Training 11 6.0 Conclusion 12 7.0 References 13 Community Radio Stations 1.0 Introduction Australia has one of the most vibrant community radio broadcasting sectors in the world. A high number of community radios are in place throughout Australia. The community Radio started gaining popularity in Australia in the 1970s. Most of the community Radios at time works closely with other commercial stations. In Australia, the community Radio is operated as independent and not for profit organizations. The Broadcasting Services Act 1992 is in place at the country for the purposes of regulating the community radio (Australian Communications and Media Authority, 2005). The community broadcast stations play an important role in providing the community members with an opportunity to be involved in various processes of broadcasting. The code of practice is also in place for the purposes of ensuring that the broadcasts are carried out in a professional manner. The community radios play an important role in providing g a voice to the community members with diverse views. It also supports and promotes the growth of the Australian Arts, music and culture. 2.0 Discussion 2.1 Workforce The community radio stations are comprised of a huge workforce. However, most of the employees are working on a voluntary basis since the sector is not-for-profit. The sector has about 20,000 volunteers who work on a full time as well as part time basis. About 53% of the workforce is comprised of volunteers. However, the current trend indicates that the number of employees in the sector is decreasing. In 2002, the sector had 20,507 volunteers but the number has reduced and by 2010, the sector had 19, 323 volunteers (CBAA, 2012). The number of men is more than women in terms of the total workforce. Between 2009-2010, the 56% of the workforce was comprised of men while only 44% were women. Most of the volunteers are above the age of 26 years and are actively involved in different operations. The stations also spend a lot of time on the accredited training of the employees in order to ensure that they are able to meet the national standards. Volunteer workforce, Sources, CBAA Station census report 2.2 Number of stations, Income and growth The number of community stations has been on the increase over the past few years. By 2010, the number of community stations was 288 nationally. The stations that broadcasts the general education issues has been on the increase over the years and they dominate the community broadcast sector. Most of the station depends on donations and sponsors for the purposes of obtaining funds to carry out its activities (IBSA, 2014). In 2010, the income of the stations was $ 65, 989,802. About 39% of the income for the stations is obtained from the sponsors. The subscribers and donation accounted for 19% of the income. The CBF grants for the community stations accounted for 29% of the income. Other sources of income accounted for 13% of the income. The community stations usually obtaining grants from the federal, local and state governments. The local government grants has been on the increase over the years which have impacted positively on the growth of the community stations. The rural as well as the regional stations have been losing income over the years. About 48% of the income is usually used for the purposes of paying for wages and salaries. Source, CBF 3.0 Public perceptions and contents The members of the public have positive attitude and perceptions with regards to the community radio stations. This is considering that it is fostering local independence among the people and it is also used for the purposes of promoting the culture of the local people. The youth form the majority of the listeners for the contents that are broadcasted by the community radio stations. About 72% of the contents that are broadcasted are local contents (Australian Communications and Media Authority, 2012). The broadcast of the local; contents is high in the metropolitan as well as the suburban areas. About 34% of the community radio stations are the sole broadcasters of the local contents in their regions. This is an indication that the reliance on the community radio is quite high in Australia in terms of the local contents. About 37% of the music that is played on a daily basis is composed of the local music. This includes the religious as well as the indigenous music. The community radio mainly relies on the satellite sources for the purposes of obtaining the local contents. About 73% of the time is usually used for playing music, 17% of the time is used for general spoken words, 6% of the time is usually spend on news while 5% is spend on current affairs. The contents are usually broadcasted in accordance to the needs of the community members. This is also an indication that music is highly valued among the community members. The indigenous radio stations play a high proportion of Australian music. About 51% of the music that is played by the indigenous stations is usually Australian. In most of the verbal stations, religious music is usually played from time to time (Forde, Foxwell & Meadows, 2001). The religious stations are also the dominant stations that play the religious music. About 21% of the music played is Rock while 8% of the music is pop. This is due to the popularity of the rock music and pop music in the country. Trends in broadcasting of local contents, Source, CBAA Station census report. Program exchange is also one of the important aspects that involves the community Radios in Australia. Program exchange mainly involves the exchange of materials between one community radio stations to the other. About 33% of the community radio stations have an exchange program in place which enables the flow of information from the other radio stations (Meadows, et al, 2005). The exchange program is important in ensuring that the local news can reach a higher number of people. The recording of the local contents is also carried out by most of the stations. About 67% of the community stations usually use pre-recorded local contents. The local contents are therefore important to the community members as it directly touches on the issues that affect them. This has impacted positively on the ability of the radio stations to promote the cultural issues as well as the problems affecting the members of the society. Music, Source, CBAA Station census report 4.0 Equipment and Technological use Technology is used for various purposes in the community radio stations. About 61% of the community radios stations have indicated that their transmission systems are in par with the broadcasters in their area. About 48% of the community radio stations in Australia use the analogue microwave link. This is for the purposes of ensuring that the delivery of the contents is enhanced within the community. About 63% of the community radio stations have leased their transmission facilities to the third parties. The annual transmission facility fees is usually $ 6,621 while the annual leaded site access fees is $ 9,512 (Gaynor & O'Brien, 2012). Some of the community stations have their own studio and production infrastructure. This is for the purposes of enabling the stations to carry out their work effectively. However, about 70% of the stations have studios and other production facilities outside their broadcasts. The community radio stations have also developed training studios within about 47% of the stations having the training studios. About 67% of the community stations have back up studios so as to ensure that their services are not interrupted in case of emergency issues of problems. All the community radio stations in Australia own a broadcast station. The community radio stations have developed facilities for carrying out interviews. This is considering that the interviews are usually carried out from time to time. About 99% of the community radio stations have facilities for studio interviews. About 87% of the community radio stations have facilities for telephone interviews. The advancement in technology has seen an increase in the internet connectivity. 50% of the community radio stations use broadband connections for the purposes of linking up with the outside studio facilities. The technological advancement has also seen changes in terms of the equipment that is used for broadcasting. About 94% of the community radio stations use computers for audio purposes. The other equipment that is current being used in the community radio stations includes CD players, Mini disc players, and telephone lines on air, microphones and satellite feeds. The computers are also used widely in terms of carrying out the administrative purposes (Wilkinson, 2015). The computers are also used for the purposes of developing audio preview and carrying out the production process. The administrative logs are usually used for management purposes in most of the community radio stations. The efficiency in the community radio stations have improved due to the use of technological tools and equipment. Quality of transmission, Source, CBAA Station census report Specialist software which is a technological tool is usually used for the purposes of storing the music. As of 2010, 91% of the community radio stations had websites which were bused for carrying out different online activities. About 48% of the community radio stations had volunteers who had been allocated the task of managing the website. The technological advancement has also seen 58% of the metropolitan community radio stations develop online payment systems (Australian Communications and Media Authority, 2012). This plays an important role in improving the payments system. The audio apps are also commonly used by the community radio stations as a result of the technological advancement. This is considering that most of the youthful volunteers are familiar with the apps. The social media is also one of the means of communication that is increasingly becoming popular. It is used by millions of people in Australia and other parts of the world. About 73% of the community radio stations use Facebook for the purposes of communicating with their audience. About 30% of the community radio stations use twitter for the purposes of interacting with the listeners. The use of social media is set to experience an increase as more people are increasingly embracing the use of social media. 5.0 Role of the Government and Challenges Facing the Sector The government plays an important role in terms of regulating the sector. Policies are usually developed by the government for the purposes of ensuring that the sector meets the required standards. The government is also responsible for developing the policies that ensure that the performance of the sector is improved. The Federal, state as well as the local government in Australia has been quite supportive of the sector. The government usually provides grants to the community radio stations for the purposes of ensuring they are able to achieve growth and development (IBSA, 2014). The grants that are provided by the government are also an important source of funds for the community radio stations. The financial challenges however remain one of the main problems that is affecting most of the community radio stations. This is also considering that the community radio stations are not-for-profit organizations. As a result of this challenge, the community radio stations continue to use the services of the volunteers. 5.1 Training The sector has been able to achieve growth and development as a result of adequate training facilities. There are five training institutions that work directly with the community radio stations in terms of providing the required training. About 5000 hours a week is usually spend on training by the five organizations (CBAA, 2012). Australia also has a high number of universities which plays an important role in providing the training needs to the personnel who are working in the sector. Thousands of journalists and other media personnel usually graduate every year from the universities and colleges. This is an indication that the sector is widely supported by the educational institutions. 6.0 Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the community radio sector has greatly developed in the country. The sector is considered not-for-profit and it mainly relies on the sponsors and volunteers. The community radio stations mainly broadcast the local contents and it also plays most of the local music. Technology has also been embraced in the sector which has played an important role in improving the efficiency. It is evident that the sector has a positive image among the members of the public. The sector is supported by the training institutions although it faces financial challenges. 7.0 References Australian Communications and Media Authority. (2005). Survey of the community radio broadcasting sector2002–03. Commonwealth of Australia. CBAA. (2012). Community Broadcasting Station Census: Survey of the Community Radio Sector. McNair Ingenuity Research, Community Broadcasting Foundation. IBSA. (2014). Cultural and creative Industry. Environment Scan. Australian Communications and Media Authority. (2012). Australian Communications and Media Authority. Commonwealth of Australia. Forde, S., Foxwell, K., & Meadows, M. (2001). Commitment to Community: Results from a national survey of the community radio sector'. ABA Update, July, 16-22. Meadows, M. et al. (2005). Creating an Australian community public sphere: the role of community radio. Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 3(3), 171-187. Gaynor, N., & O'Brien, A. (2012). Because it all begins with talk: community radio as a vital element in community development. Community Development Journal, 47(3), 436-447. Wilkinson, C. (2015). Young People, Community Radio and Urban Life. Geography Compass, 9(3), 127-139. Read More

Volunteer workforce, Sources, CBAA Station census report 2.2 Number of stations, Income and growth The number of community stations has been on the increase over the past few years. By 2010, the number of community stations was 288 nationally. The stations that broadcasts the general education issues has been on the increase over the years and they dominate the community broadcast sector. Most of the station depends on donations and sponsors for the purposes of obtaining funds to carry out its activities (IBSA, 2014).

In 2010, the income of the stations was $ 65, 989,802. About 39% of the income for the stations is obtained from the sponsors. The subscribers and donation accounted for 19% of the income. The CBF grants for the community stations accounted for 29% of the income. Other sources of income accounted for 13% of the income. The community stations usually obtaining grants from the federal, local and state governments. The local government grants has been on the increase over the years which have impacted positively on the growth of the community stations.

The rural as well as the regional stations have been losing income over the years. About 48% of the income is usually used for the purposes of paying for wages and salaries. Source, CBF 3.0 Public perceptions and contents The members of the public have positive attitude and perceptions with regards to the community radio stations. This is considering that it is fostering local independence among the people and it is also used for the purposes of promoting the culture of the local people. The youth form the majority of the listeners for the contents that are broadcasted by the community radio stations.

About 72% of the contents that are broadcasted are local contents (Australian Communications and Media Authority, 2012). The broadcast of the local; contents is high in the metropolitan as well as the suburban areas. About 34% of the community radio stations are the sole broadcasters of the local contents in their regions. This is an indication that the reliance on the community radio is quite high in Australia in terms of the local contents. About 37% of the music that is played on a daily basis is composed of the local music.

This includes the religious as well as the indigenous music. The community radio mainly relies on the satellite sources for the purposes of obtaining the local contents. About 73% of the time is usually used for playing music, 17% of the time is used for general spoken words, 6% of the time is usually spend on news while 5% is spend on current affairs. The contents are usually broadcasted in accordance to the needs of the community members. This is also an indication that music is highly valued among the community members.

The indigenous radio stations play a high proportion of Australian music. About 51% of the music that is played by the indigenous stations is usually Australian. In most of the verbal stations, religious music is usually played from time to time (Forde, Foxwell & Meadows, 2001). The religious stations are also the dominant stations that play the religious music. About 21% of the music played is Rock while 8% of the music is pop. This is due to the popularity of the rock music and pop music in the country.

Trends in broadcasting of local contents, Source, CBAA Station census report. Program exchange is also one of the important aspects that involves the community Radios in Australia. Program exchange mainly involves the exchange of materials between one community radio stations to the other. About 33% of the community radio stations have an exchange program in place which enables the flow of information from the other radio stations (Meadows, et al, 2005). The exchange program is important in ensuring that the local news can reach a higher number of people.

The recording of the local contents is also carried out by most of the stations. About 67% of the community stations usually use pre-recorded local contents. The local contents are therefore important to the community members as it directly touches on the issues that affect them.

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