The Vigilance of Community Broadcasters

When a major incident confronts a community, particularly if that community is some distance away from a capital city, often the first media to respond will be community broadcasters. And those same broadcasters will still be servicing that community long after bigger media groups have come and gone.

Recently, a small but enthusiastic group of community broadcasters participated in a hands-on Dart Centre Australasia workshop that focused on broadcasting after a traumatic incident. The workshop was part of the annual Community Broadcasters Association of Australia conference held at Wrest Point Hotel in Hobart.

Coming from regional and metropolitan stations in at least three Australian states, the broadcasters not only explored the impact of traumatic incidents on individuals and communities – and gained a few tips to protect themselves and others in typically stressful situations – but also spoke about some of the challenging circumstances their stations had encountered.

These included broadcasting as floods and deadly bushfires approached as well as in the aftermath of a fatal road accident involving young friends – an event that not only deeply affected a rural community initially but also later had an unforeseen and tragic sequel.

Conducted by former Dart board member Trina McLellan – with valuable assistance from 3UG-FM’s Peter Weeks and University of Queensland’s Anthony Frangi (an experienced radio presenter and former program director) – the 90-minute workshop also featured two short “sample” interviews, where Anthony played the role first of insensitive interviewer and then sensitive inquisitor, with Trina as his interviewee.

The simple but effective demonstration resonated with the workshop’s participants who could see how the former style of interviewing closed off communication and made everyone uncomfortable while the latter easily drew far more interesting and informative responses.

Before the end of the workshop, small groups prepared questions they’d use to contact a “traumatised witness-turned-advocate” to arrange “a radio interview”, and then put into practice the key learning points from the session by “making the call”.

Immediately after the workshop, Peter Weeks involved Trina and Anthony in a live cross to his community radio station in Marysville, Victoria, where they both were interviewed about the variety of challenges facing broadcasters and the need to prepare and plan for such emergencies, an activity where 3UG-FM is already a leader.

Earlier this year, the station became the first community radio station in Victoria – or nationally – to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with its State Government to be an official emergency broadcaster.

Back in early 2009, the station already had a well-rehearsed plan of action which it swung into place when the horrific Black Saturday bushfires began ravaging a large portion of their listening area. 

While that day played out tragically, what was learned was not forgotten. The station has continued to be proactive about preparedness and encourages other community stations to be so too.

In late 2009, Peter Weeks himself won CBAA’s highest accolade for his continued broadcasting to his community on the day of the fires and the leadership he showed in the weeks and months following as that devastated region began its long road to recovery and reconstruction.