Ethnic digital stations collaborate for 'Unity In Diversity' special broadcast

Five ethnic digital community radio stations from across Australia will collaborate for the first time to deliver a special 10 hour national broadcast in celebration of Australia’s vibrant culture.

Unity in Diversity will broadcast on 13 February 2016 from 09:00 – 19:00 local time in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Stations in each city, 3ZZZ, 2OOO Languages, 4EB Global Digital, 6EBA World, and 5EBI Digital, will each deliver two hours of unique radio programming.

This is the first broadcast of this kind by this group of stations, and it will utilise the CBAA's Digital Contribution Network. The broadcast will also be made available to stations subscribed to the Community Radio Network to broadcast on their analogue services.

Peter Rohweder, Station Manager 4EB Global Digital, sees this as a fantastic opportunity for his and the other stations involved.

"This will be the first combined national broadcast involving these stations and we’re all excited to produce something special for listeners across these 5 cities," Rohweder says. "Bringing together stations spread across the country is challenging, but hugely rewarding – along with creating programming of national interest, working together will allow us to showcase each station and their talented producers."

Unity In Diversity has been made possible with the assistance of the CBAA's Digital Radio Project and the Community Broadcasting Foundation. 

For more information about the broadcast please contact [email protected] or call (02) 9310 2999.

Programming details are as follows: 

9am - 11am - 4EB Global Digital – Brisbane

• Lunar New Year (The year of the monkey)
• Cambodian families in the suburbs of Logan
• My tjukurpa is your tjukurpa
• Raising the new generation
• Steve Parish - global photographer
• Dr Nicholas Ng – composer, performer, teacher and Honorary Research Fellow at Queensland Conservatorium.
• Russian songbird-Innessa

And more to be announced.

11am - 1pm - 3ZZZ – Melbourne

Featuring the following segments conducted as interviews & conversation. Each participant describes their ethnic program – how it started, how it has evolved, special features, their audience, how they engage with their listening community & the challenges they face including the:

• Indonesian Community with:  Syahisti Abdurrachman
• Italian Community with: Angela Maisano
• Mauritian Community with: Nella Roussel
• Oromo Community with: Lensa Dinka
• German Community with: Ute Haberberger
• Maltese Community: produced by Lewis Straface & Emanuel Brincat
• Indian Communities: produced by Sunil Khare

Also, an insight into how Sudanese presenters of the program make the link between their listening community and the police force. This segment presents extracts of a studio conversation involving two Sudanese broadcasters and two police officers.

Women’s World broadcasters will provide a brief intro about their program, including an excerpt from a popular broadcast aired during 2015.

1pm - 3pm - 6EBA – Perth

Samantha Goerling, Amy Salter and Percy Kalino present interviews with a variety of local musicians and a chance to hear and explore the new talent rising in the suburbs of the City of Perth. Amy Salter speaks with Edde featuring acoustic jams in the studio. SammY G puts together an interesting interview with some upcoming artists. The show wraps up with a discussion with the multicultural Hip Hop artists in Perth. LC Makenzie from the UK, Fizzle from Zimbabwe and Asom from France all hit it out live in the studio!

3pm - 5pm – 2OOO Languages – Sydney

A range of special programming featuring community segments being broadcast from the variety of cultures that broadcast from 2OOO Languages Burwood studios in Sydney.

5pm - 7pm - 5EBI Digital – Adelaide

• A history of 5EBI: Celebrating 40 years - From Australian White Policy to Multiculturalism.
• Short story - 'Newly Naturalised Citizens' from Multifarious
• 5EBI’s Multicultural Art Exhibition, 'Art in Diversity' A look at its history and call for exhibitors.
• Adelaide's Multicultural Music Festival WOMADelaide, its history, performers and interview