Radio Journalism

COMM 2077

Week Eleven
Convergence in the Broadcast World.
Vox Pops Assessment
example
Starting a new life after prison can be really tough.

And a recent Department for Correctional Services report says

WOMEN have less family support than men, when they first get
out of jail.

Womens prison support group, Seeds of Affinity, are creating a

series of podcasts to help ease the transition to life on the
inside.

Heather Anderson went along to one of their workshops to find

out what THESE women wish theyd known when THEY were
first released from prison.
Before we start

South Australias state politics reporter Nick Harmsen uses a

handy phone app for recording audio and reporting live into
radio news and programs. Here, he gives some tips on how to
use the Report-IT Enterprise Edition app.

http://abcnewsgathering.tumblr.com/post/55173751133/south-au
stralias-state-politics-reporter-nick
What types of tasks would a radio
broadcaster have in a usual days
work?

Ideas?
Structure
Media convergence
Overview of ABC and convergence
Ways forward and latest radio innovations
Case studies JJJ and 891 Adelaide
What is media convergence?
Customarily used to describe the dissolving distinctions between
media systems, media content and the resulting trade between
systems (Turner and Cunningham 2006, p.3).
One result of this is that new policies need to be developed and
approved.
What is media convergence?
Digitization of production in media organisations has led to
changes in the organisation and practices of journalism, with
convergence changing the ways in which news is made and
presented (Erdal 2007, p.51).

Crossmedia communications are the processes whereby

more than one media platform is engaged at the same time in
communicating related content within (Erdal 2007, p.52)

While multi-skilling might present challenges a 2008 study by

the Project for Excellence in Journalism found half of the
journalists surveyed said straddling technologies has improved
their work (Rosenstiel and Mitchell 2008, p.20).
Convergence at the ABC
The historical model of television, radio and film production is
characterized by the strict division of labour in a hierarchical,
bureaucratic structure.

Those who conceptualise the producers, authors or artists

vs those who execute the work the technicians, craftworkers
etc (Dunn 2007, p.3).

1975 2JJ,: run by its young and mainly

university-educated originators along
collective lines, deliberately casting aside
the hierarchies that characterized the
national broadcaster (Dunn 2007, p.7).
Convergence at the ABC
1992 - announcers, producers, production assistants and
technical operators were all amalgamated into a single
Broadcaster Classification.

1996 One ABC: preparing the Corporation for the multi-

channel environment in which program content
will be delivered across a wide range of
media forms (Dunn 2007, p.4).

2001 - Federal Government granted $17

million dollars for regional initiatives: 50
cross media producers appointed and
trained at over 30 regional radio stations
(Griffen-Foley 2006, p.148).
Mental As
The ABC is launching Mental As The biggest ever cross-platform
programming event conducted by the ABC, for Mental Health Week, 5-
12 October 2014.
Across ABC TV, radio, online and mobile ABC Mental As will take a
look at mental health from all angles and perspectives, from comedy
to documentary, entertainment to debate, as we aim to help join the
dots on mental health in Australia.
The week will culminate in a two-hour, live, TV fundraising event the
Friday Night Crack Up on World Mental Health Day, Friday 10 October.
Australias biggest personalities will
show their support for Mental As and
encourage Australians to take action, start talking,
and give to mental health research.
ABC Mental As Campaign
Job description at the ABC
Job description
 Radio and the internet
The web adds value for listeners
(Dunn 2007, p.16) and presents
opportunities for much greater local
connection.

Local content is inexpensive local

diaries, sporting results, whats on
features and local character profiles
can be sourced from and even posted
by local listeners.
Multi-Media JJJ
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/

Live to airs
891 ABC Radio Adelaide
Blogging for radio

Webcam radio

Twitter
Warning adult concepts
please avoid if offended
easily!
Cooking on Radio

Working in radio can even mean making

friends with salad!
 Dunn, Anne, The ABCs Digital Transformations: A Continutin
(Hi)story, Australian Media Traditions, 2007.

Erdal, Ivar John, Researching Media Convergence and

Crossmedia News Production, Nordicom Review, vol. 28, issue 3,
2007.

Griffen-Foley, Bridget, Radio, in Stuart Cunningham and Graeme

Turner (eds), The Media and Communications in Australia, Allen and
Unwin, Crows Nest, 2006.

Rosenstiel, Tom and Mitchell, Amy, 2008 Journalist Survey A

Commentary on the Findings, Project for Excellence in Journalism,
2008.

Turner, Graeme and Cunningham, Stuart, Introduction, in Stuart

Cunningham and Graeme Turner (eds), The Media and
Communications in Australia, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, 2006.