CYB104-Reading Radio Brief for Assessment PDF

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Reading radio brief to help with assesments...

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READING RADIO 4RPH BRIEF (I) 2020

COMMUNITY BROADCASTING IN AUSTRALIA: Community Broadcasting has had a long and compelling history in Australia. It is also the largest independent media sector comprising of over 450 stations both metro and regional. Latest survey results from the community radio peak body, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA), shows that over 5.3 million Australians listen to community radio and it keeps growing. Many listeners of community radio love the independent music that some stations play, over 48 per cent of listeners tune into community radio for their local news and information. That is where Reading Radio 4RPH comes in. We are the only Queensland community radio station that is dedicated to news and information. We stand by our motto of “Empowerment through Information” by delivering more news, educational content, and community information than any other station.

HISTORY OF READING RADIO 4RPH: Radio for the Print Handicapped (RPH) services was started as a part of Melbourne’s 3ZZ service in 1975. It was during this time that Radio 4RPH founder, Spero Dragona, first held a public forum in Brisbane to discuss starting something similar in Brisbane. In 1978, the Minister for Post and Telecommunications put the might of the government behind the idea and announced funding for “special radio communications service for the blind and other people with reading difficulties.” With this funding Queensland Radio for the Print, Handicapped Limited was established and started broadcasting the daily newspapers for an hour each morning on Classical community radio station 4MBS. Spero kept pushing for the station to have a signal of its own and his persistence paid off. In February 1984, Radio 4RPH launched as its own dedicated radio service. Currently, the station broadcasts on 1296AM, Digital+, and streams online. The organisation is a not-for-profit charity business that uses grants, sponsorship, and donations to operate

STARTING AGAIN WITH A NEW MISSION: Historically, Reading Radio 4RPH catered to an over 60s, vision impaired, and blind communities. However, in 2017 the station began its most ambitious reinvention. The mission of creating a station that continued its historical purpose of creating informative content for those with a print disability, but also expanding the station’s reach to more communities. “Empowerment through Information” was chosen as the new motto to reflect that Reading Radio 4RPH wasn’t passively delivering its audience the news but engaging them through it. It is becoming more accessible and communitydriven than ever before. We have increased our presence by adding paid campaigns on posts that are naturally gaining reach.

The station started from the ground up, improving the station’s Spring Hill Studios by replacing the 30 plus-year-old equipment, rebranding the station with a new logo and signage, restructuring the organisation, and engaging with its volunteers, members, and community in ways never thought possible.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE: Reading Radio 4RPH is a living and learning community radio station; this means that while the station could simply let computers run the broadcast, it feels that it is essential to have the human touch. Radio 4RPH relies on many dedicated volunteers that help produce and read all the content on the station. Board of Directors: As a not-for-profit charity organisation, Radio 4RPH must have a dedicated Board that will oversee the governance and ensure the correct operation. As well, that the station operates ethically and sustainably. The Board comprises of volunteer members from all business and community backgrounds. Staff:

While Reading Radio 4RPH broadcasts utilising our volunteer base, there is a small staff of paid experts that make the station run smoothly. Station Manager Scott Black has been with the station since 2017 and has led many of the new changes and initiatives of the station. The Volunteer Coordinator manages the large volunteer base and volunteer communications. Production & Programming Coordinator schedules production of programs and schedules content for broadcast. SolutionWire News Editor heads up our newsroom and journalism volunteers. Our Projects Assistant handles social media and admin projects. Our three technical producers are like no others. For a start they are dedicated detailed oriented producers that make some of the best sounding content in all community radio. They are also blind. Reading Radio 4RPH prides itself on being one of the only stations in the world that purposely engineers its broadcast and production studios to ensure they are accessible to those with a vision impairment or are blind. Volunteers: The lifeblood of Reading Radio 4RPH is, of course, our volunteer base. Currently, there are over 200 volunteers on our database and growing all the time. We love it when new volunteers come in and get excited at the possibilities that we can offer. Our volunteers, produce programs, run the broadcast panel, read live, record books and magazines, help around the office, and sit on our committees. You get out what you put in at Reading Radio 4RPH, and everyone’s input is always welcome. Members: Members are financial contributors to the station. Some are volunteers while others are listeners and are actively part of the operation of the station. Members have added rights by being a part of the organisation. They get to attend exclusive events and meetings as well as vote for the Board of Directors. WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU: Although we have increased our Social Media presence and continue to train our volunteers and members about how to access, use, and promote Reading Radio 4RPH (and its programs), we still need help. Our goals: •

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We want to engage a younger (20-35 years) and more diverse (indigenous, underrepresent cultural groups, and disability sector) audience via our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram) We want to GROW our current audience by 50% Uncover what a younger cohort of listeners and social media users want from us?...