Media

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has described regional newspapers as ‘absolutely vital’ and as the ‘lifeblood of their communities’ before offering to help ensure that a larger share of the Queensland state government advertising budget be directed at communicating with regional Queenslanders through independent regional newspapers.

Renowned printmaker and Castlemaine-based artist David Frazer identifies with rock n’ roll. He even tried to be a musician before realising his strengths were more in fine art than music ... he’s created a very small run of handmade books titled More than Flesh and Bone featuring his signature wood engraved prints inspired by the lyrics of three of his favourite Tom Waits songs.

Two friends, one white, one black. Two film makers, one white, one black. A couple more than 30 years together, one white, one black. Signs of hope for Alice Springs at a time when there isn’t much. The film maker is Penny McDonald and her co-producer is Audrey Napanangka, who also gives the new movie her name.

Jordan Bryon has won a British Academy Film Award for the documentary ‘Children of The Taliban’. The documentary follows the lives of four children growing up in Kabul under Taliban rule and was recognised for the unique story telling as well as for its cinematography.

"When the House is Empty" is the working title of an upcoming community initiated feature movie being shot on location in Narrandera with the future intention of creating a small film school in the town ... It is the story of a young woman who resides in the city but inherits a house from her father in a small country town.

John Williams. The Nhill Free Press predicted in 1922 that one day all homes would have a wireless set. But would Nhill ever have its own wireless station? ... What you might call Nhill’s first local radio station was 3HS which was based in Horsham and began broadcasting in 1933 ... 3YB toured the country towns in mobile studios that included an A-model Ford and a railway carriage.

The Narrandera District Community Radio Spirit FM hosted a wonderful community celebration at the Narrandera Golf Club and Function Centre ... to celebrate its 18th year of broadcasting in 2023 ... Spokesperson for Spirit FM, Sue Ruffles commented that the organisation of the party provided an opportunity to delve into some history of the station which has not previously been captured.

Clarence Valley Council Mayor Ian Tiley says he will no longer discuss council meetings in radio interviews after admitting he disclosed confidential information in two separate interviews in December. Addressing the February Clarence Valley Council meeting, Cr Tiley said a code of conduct complaint had been made about disclosures he made about passenger services for Grafton Regional Airport.

Well the ABC came a-knocking yesterday, asking Yours Truly about my new role at Barkly Regional Council ... yes I am indeed the new Media and Communications Officer at Barkly Regional Council.

I’m sure there will be beers all round tonight for the Westpac communications team who managed to flip the bird at six federal senators this week and pull off one of the most stunning PR subterfuges I have ever witnessed. It was stunning for the range of those who fell into the trap and the breadth of media who picked up and reported the story without question – from the senators themselves to seasoned journalists in national newsrooms.

Nestled in our backyard, the popular Backroads Trail launched a new podcast last week sharing the stories of farmers, community members, artists and business owners. The six-part series titled ‘The Backroads Trail Podcast’ explores the origins of the Backroads Trail, which includes 22 attractions covering Echuca-Moama, Womboota, Bunnaloo, Barham-Koondrook, Caldwell, Deniliquin and Mathoura. 

Claire Stuchbery. If Government is serious about supporting media diversity and public interest journalism to address the news deserts that have emerged across Australia, it needs to clear a path for locally produced news to build sustainability.

ABC rural reporter Angus Verley was on location last Friday, January 20 in the flood ravaged Benjeroop area ... “We haven’t been flooded out in 100 years but we’ve been flooded out twice in 13 years,” Mr Schultz told Mr Verley. “Something’s not quite right and that’s what we have got to get to the bottom of.”

Explore TV ... Trevor Cochrane and the crew of Guru Productions filmed an entire episode on Lord Howe Island ... The crew had a great time on the island in early October meeting local businesses and constantly finding more stories to include in the show ... Melissa Leong ... Australian Traveller ... Qantas Magazine ...

Located in WA’s deep south with a population of around 6,000, Denmark has always been known as a creative kind of town. Now home to one of Australia's newest community radio stations -  Denmark FM - station manager, Matt Sivyer, said he first started looking into the idea of putting local voices and local content on the airwaves more than a decade ago ... But Matt had no experience in radio so he knew he’d need help. As luck would have it one of Australia's most experienced radio directors was living in Denmark. Sue Howard, ex National Director of Radio with the ABC, had been with the ABC for nearly 30 years and to say she knew a bit about radio is an understatement.

Over my life I have come to the conclusion there are two type of people: the “could have, should have, would haves”, and the helpers. The “could have, should have, would haves” are the majority. They would have handled things differently, ie, “you should have done things differently and then you could have not been in the trouble you are in”. They were out in force this week when television stations showed the frantic efforts to save broodmares in the Goulburn Valley floods.

Serena Kirby. Denmark FM has been named as a finalist in four national community radio awards. The annual Community Broadcasting Association of Australia awards are designed to recognise innovation, programs and initiatives that contribute to the industry and the local community.

In the last quarter of 2021, MainFM’s Queer and Now successfully produced a nine-part podcast titled ‘Pride Across the Ages’ ... the series is an incredibly moving, challenging, heartfelt, funny, honest and raw collection of stories from the LGBTIQA+ community ‘across the ages' who call Central Victoria and the towns of Mount Alexander Shire home.

Bec Bignell is a storyteller who believes the best stories are those that are grounded in truth. A writer, actor and film producer, Bec grew up on a farm outside Kojonup, three hours south-east of Perth and her most recent screen story ‘Homespun’ was born from a desire to present a more authentic portrayal of life beyond the city limits.

David Lee. There aren’t many people who can say they have stared into the face of danger in order to show the world a story that needs to be told, but Narrandera resident and cinematographer Jordan Bryon has done just that; and one of those ventures has led him to work on a feature film for the New York Times (NYT). For almost six years, Jordan has been living in Afghanistan and more recently working alongside colleague, Farzad Fetrat on the feature film.