3ZZZ
Encyclopedia
3ZZZ is an ethnic community radio
station in Melbourne
, Australia
broadcasting programs in over 70 languages on FM
92.3 MHz.
3ZZZ is Australia's largest community multilingual radio station, providing an independent, alternative and local voice in the media. With estimates at more than 400,000 listeners, 3ZZZ broadcasts 24 hours per day on 92.3 on the FM band. 3ZZZ's radio signal which is broadcast from its radio tower located on Mount Dandenong, covers Greater Melbourne and includes areas of Geelong, Macedon, Mornington Peninsula. The station can also be heard throughout the world via Internet Broadcasting on its website http://www.3zzz.com.au .
frequency) in June 1989.
3ZZZ was successful in a licence application that was contested at the time by a Spanish language broadcasting group known as "The Voice of Hispano America (VHA-FM)".
The community broadcast licence was granted to 3ZZZ on the basis of its diversity of languages and communities represented.
3ZZZ began internet broadcasting
in the year 2000.
3ZZZ is launched on digital in the year 2010.
The beginning of ethnic broadcasting in Australia goes back to 1973. The ethnic community in Australia was very large, socially and politically conscious and active. It began to work together with the more enlightened and democratic sections of the wider Australian community, and threw its considerable strength and influence into the campaigns for access and equity to the nations airwaves.
In 1975, the community run, and ABC owned and assisted access radio 3ZZ was born, with 20 ethnic communities being the first to broadcast in their ethnic languages, through the national broadcaster. 3CR and 3EA were not far behind. (3CR at that time broadcast no ethnic programs.) But it was 3ZZ that provided for the first time opportunity for ordinary people to have a say on air in their own language, and to have a say as to how the station was managed.
3ZZ has lobbied governments and other institutions to recognise and respect the significance of ethnic broadcasting as 3ZZ sees it. The closure of 3ZZ in 1977 was vigorously fought against.
The ethnic communities from across the socio-political spectrum vigorously protested the closure of 3ZZ by the Fraser government in 1977. The depth and passion of the ethnic communities for 3ZZ, and in general for ethnic broadcasting can be illustrated by the thousands who joined up as members, hundreds who served as broadcasters and committee members, hundreds of thousands of dollars contributed to Radiothons and campaigns to protect and develop ethnic broadcasting.
3ZZ became an every day issue and concern for the ethnic community. Excitement and expectation were very high. With the closure of 3ZZ, the community worked tirelessly to accommodate ethnic programs in 3CR, and later played a significant role in the establishment of 3ZZZ whilst fighting to maintain and democratise SBS. 3ZZ had set the foundations for community involvement and management that ultimately carried through to 3ZZZ and all community broadcasting.
.
3ZZZ offers free training to broadcasters. One training program, called 'Starting Out' specifically targeted asylum seekers and former refugees. Trainees broadcast in Dinka
(Sudan), Khmer
(Cambodia), Swahili
(Kenya) and Ghanaian
languages. The Starting Out training project ran from 2006 to mid 2008, assisted by project funding from the City of Yarra
. Recent language groups to be added the 3ZZZ programming grid include the Karen peoples from southern and southeastern Myanmar (Burma).
Broadcasters are from a range of different ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. They are influenced by their own backgrounds and also, of course, by the Australian ethos and culture. They include David Shen (Chinese), Izmir Bahawi (Malaysian), Rubal Sachdeva (Indian) and Jag Shergill (Punjabi).
Much of the program's success is credit to Maureen O'Keefe (3ZZZ Manager at the time), Claudine Ellis (3ZZZ Youth Officer at the time) and also founding members Jagdeep (Jag) Shergill (3ZZZ Youth Representative/3ZZZ Punjabi Group), Tina Marusic (3ZZZ Croatian Group) and Tewell Gwargis (3ZZZ Assyrian Group).
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
broadcasting programs in over 70 languages on FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
92.3 MHz.
3ZZZ is Australia's largest community multilingual radio station, providing an independent, alternative and local voice in the media. With estimates at more than 400,000 listeners, 3ZZZ broadcasts 24 hours per day on 92.3 on the FM band. 3ZZZ's radio signal which is broadcast from its radio tower located on Mount Dandenong, covers Greater Melbourne and includes areas of Geelong, Macedon, Mornington Peninsula. The station can also be heard throughout the world via Internet Broadcasting on its website http://www.3zzz.com.au .
History
3ZZZ began regular broadcasting on 92.3 MHz (the old 3EON3MMM
3MMM is a radio station broadcasting in Melbourne, Australia. Its target demographic is the 30 - 54 age group...
frequency) in June 1989.
3ZZZ was successful in a licence application that was contested at the time by a Spanish language broadcasting group known as "The Voice of Hispano America (VHA-FM)".
The community broadcast licence was granted to 3ZZZ on the basis of its diversity of languages and communities represented.
3ZZZ began internet broadcasting
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
in the year 2000.
3ZZZ is launched on digital in the year 2010.
Brief history of ethnic broadcasting in Australia
In 2006, 3ZZZ celebrated 30 years of ethnic broadcasting in Australia. Ethnic broadcasting in Australia emerged from community and political campaigns in the early 1970s.The beginning of ethnic broadcasting in Australia goes back to 1973. The ethnic community in Australia was very large, socially and politically conscious and active. It began to work together with the more enlightened and democratic sections of the wider Australian community, and threw its considerable strength and influence into the campaigns for access and equity to the nations airwaves.
In 1975, the community run, and ABC owned and assisted access radio 3ZZ was born, with 20 ethnic communities being the first to broadcast in their ethnic languages, through the national broadcaster. 3CR and 3EA were not far behind. (3CR at that time broadcast no ethnic programs.) But it was 3ZZ that provided for the first time opportunity for ordinary people to have a say on air in their own language, and to have a say as to how the station was managed.
3ZZ has lobbied governments and other institutions to recognise and respect the significance of ethnic broadcasting as 3ZZ sees it. The closure of 3ZZ in 1977 was vigorously fought against.
The ethnic communities from across the socio-political spectrum vigorously protested the closure of 3ZZ by the Fraser government in 1977. The depth and passion of the ethnic communities for 3ZZ, and in general for ethnic broadcasting can be illustrated by the thousands who joined up as members, hundreds who served as broadcasters and committee members, hundreds of thousands of dollars contributed to Radiothons and campaigns to protect and develop ethnic broadcasting.
3ZZ became an every day issue and concern for the ethnic community. Excitement and expectation were very high. With the closure of 3ZZ, the community worked tirelessly to accommodate ethnic programs in 3CR, and later played a significant role in the establishment of 3ZZZ whilst fighting to maintain and democratise SBS. 3ZZ had set the foundations for community involvement and management that ultimately carried through to 3ZZZ and all community broadcasting.
Governance
3ZZZ's broadcasting licence is owned and operated by the Ethnic Community Broadcasting Association of Victoria Limited, also called ECBAV. As a not-for-profit organisation, the ECBAV members elect a Committee of Management ('The Council') from amongst the members to provide governance and direction in the policies and strategic direction of the station. As such, the station is independent of government and business and operates democratically. The station was originally created for the Melbourne ethnic community to hear their own languages and maintain their cultural identities.Station aims
63 ethnic groups are affiliated with the station with more than 400 trained volunteers broadcasting in their own language, for and on behalf of the community. 3ZZZ enables participants to:- Broadcast in community languages
- Promote culture and language
Languages and ethnic groups on air
Afghan (Dari & Pashto), Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Austrian, Bharat, Bosnian, Cambodian, Chinese (Cantonese & Mandarin), Coptic, Croatian, Dinka, Dutch, Egyptian, Eritrean, Esperanto, Filipino, German, Ghanaian, Greek, Greek Cypriot, Hakka, Harari, Hmong, Hungarian, Indian, Indonesian, Iraqi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Jewish (Hebrew & Yiddish), Karen, Kurdish, Laotian, Latvian, Lebanese, Macedonian, Malaysian, Maltese, Mauritian, Oromo, Palestinian, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Scottish, Serbian, Sinhalese, Slovenian, Somali, Spanish Language, Sudanese, Syrian, Thai, Tamil, Turkish, Turkish Cypriot, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, VlachFunding, training and community support
The radio station is financed by membership fees and listener donations during the annual 'Radiothon', company sponsorship and by grants from Community Broadcasting FoundationCommunity Broadcasting Foundation
The Community Broadcasting Foundation is an independent non-profit funding organisation based in Melbourne. The CBF solicits and then distributes funds that assist with the maintenance and development of community broadcasting in Australia....
.
3ZZZ offers free training to broadcasters. One training program, called 'Starting Out' specifically targeted asylum seekers and former refugees. Trainees broadcast in Dinka
Dinka language
This article is about the language, for the ethnic group see Dinka.Dinka, or , is a Nilotic dialect cluster spoken by the Dinka people, the major ethnic group of South Sudan. There are five main varieties, Ngok, Rek, Agaar, Twic / Tuic East, and Bor, which are distinct enough to require separate...
(Sudan), Khmer
Khmer language
Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
(Cambodia), Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
(Kenya) and Ghanaian
Languages of Ghana
Different sources give different figures for the number of languages of Ghana. This is because of different classifications of varieties as either languages or dialects. Ethnologue lists a total of 79 languages....
languages. The Starting Out training project ran from 2006 to mid 2008, assisted by project funding from the City of Yarra
City of Yarra
The City of Yarra is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the inner eastern and northern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of 19.5 square kilometres, and at the 2006 census it had a population of 69,330...
. Recent language groups to be added the 3ZZZ programming grid include the Karen peoples from southern and southeastern Myanmar (Burma).
Polyfonix
POLYFONIX is 3ZZZ's Multicultural Youth Program broadcasting Saturday nights from 10 pm to 11 pm.Broadcasters are from a range of different ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. They are influenced by their own backgrounds and also, of course, by the Australian ethos and culture. They include David Shen (Chinese), Izmir Bahawi (Malaysian), Rubal Sachdeva (Indian) and Jag Shergill (Punjabi).
Program history
The program was founded in 2003 as a station initiative with the aim of increasing youth involvement in the radio station and also the community ethnic radio sector.Much of the program's success is credit to Maureen O'Keefe (3ZZZ Manager at the time), Claudine Ellis (3ZZZ Youth Officer at the time) and also founding members Jagdeep (Jag) Shergill (3ZZZ Youth Representative/3ZZZ Punjabi Group), Tina Marusic (3ZZZ Croatian Group) and Tewell Gwargis (3ZZZ Assyrian Group).
External links
- http://www.3zzz.com.au/
- http://www.cbaa.org.au/
- http://www.cbonline.org.au/
- http://www.nembc.org.au/
- http://www.cbf.com.au/
See also
- National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council (NEMBC)National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters CouncilThe National Ethnic & Multicultural Broadcasters’ Council is the peak body for Australia’s ethnic and multilingual community broadcasters. The NEMBC develops national policy, advocates and lobbies on behalf of its members and organises an annual national conference. The council also provides a...
- Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA)Community Broadcasting Association of AustraliaThe Community Broadcasting Association of Australia is a peak body and the national representative organisation for community radio and television stations in Australia. The CBAA provide leadership, advocacy and support for members to actively provide independent broadcasting services and to build...
- Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF)Community Broadcasting FoundationThe Community Broadcasting Foundation is an independent non-profit funding organisation based in Melbourne. The CBF solicits and then distributes funds that assist with the maintenance and development of community broadcasting in Australia....
- Special Broadcasting Service (SBS)Special Broadcasting ServiceThe Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...