This year’s program will be diverse in its content, and appeal to a broad range of conference delegates, from ‘first timers’, to those who have attended conferences back when they were held at universities.

Interesting and informative conference sessions will continue until lunchtime on Sunday, so we encourage delegates to stay on until Monday 17 if possible.

The theme of the 2008 CBAA Conference, Many Voices - Common Ground, will be central to all workshops, plenary topics, social events and interaction between delegates. It should influence the way speakers and workshop coordinators structure their conference content and what issues are emphasised. The CBAA are hoping the theme will also affect the way delegates engage with the conference material and their overall conference experience.

• Accepts the diversity of the sector, in terms of locations, station sizes, licence types and programming, while acknowledging the commonalities that exist.
  
  
• 'Many voices' touches on the numerous languages that are a vital part of Australian culture, and community broadcastings role in strengthening these languages.
  
  
• The idea of many people being given a voice through community broadcasting is an important feature of our sector, one that is recognised through the Codes of Practice.
  
  
• Diversity is encouraged. It is what makes the community broadcasting sector unique and is something that should be celebrated.
  
  
• 'Common ground' deals with the opportunity for the conference to bring broadcasters together from across the county to meet, learn, network and discover new ways of engaging with their communities.
  
  
• Each year it is imperative that the sector comes together, both literally and conceptually, in order to move ahead and grow.

The CBAA have identified three sub-themes as overarching concepts and questions to be addressed throughout the conference, in particular during plenaries. We have structured the conference program so that most workshops and plenaries deal with these themes, so as to enable a common link between the conference content.

Sustain

• As a sector, we are 36 years old; the majority of stations are over 10 years old.
  
  
• Sustainability is now the focus, whereas in the rapid licensing period the focus was on new stations.
  
  
• The challenge for community broadcasters is to sustain their operations; to identify what they do best and maintain this success.
  
  
• The community broadcasting sector faces ongoing challenges, such as financial viability, maintaining healthy volunteer cultures, supporting diversity and effectively engaging with their communities.

Renew

• We need to examine ways to renew and revitalise our sector, so as to move forward and keep growing.
  
  
• There are changes and developments that are naturally occurring in the sector. These need to be identified and encouraged, ensuring all stations equally benefit.
  
  
• Stations need to locate new sources of income.
  
  
• Digital radio/ digital media production.
  
  
• Importance of new and emerging communities.
  
  
• In consultation with its members, the CBAA are currently revising the Codes of Practice.
  
  
• New CBAA constitution.
  
  
• Launch of the new Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap).
  
  
• We are witnessing a "new" not-for-profit sector (new forms of marketing such as Get-Up and Oxfam).

Are we still giving our communities what they need?

We would like to see the notion of ‘community’ emphasised throughout the conference. Technology has changed / is changing communities, making it a pertinent time to reassess what it means to be a ‘community’ broadcaster.

• In what ways is the notion of our ‘community’ or our ‘community of interest’ changing?
  
  
• If the scope of ‘our community’ is changing, how do we know we have met their needs?
  
  
• Is it a positive or negative thing to be redefining the concept of our ‘community’?