Koori Radio
Encyclopedia
Koori Radio is a community radio
station based in Redfern
broadcasting to Sydney on a city-wide licence. It is part of the Gadigal Information Service and is the only radio station in Sydney providing full-time broadcasting to the Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander community.
Koori Radio is the city’s only black music station. The music format is one third Australian Indigenous
, one third world
Indigenous and one-third other black music. The station broadcasts live from 7:00am to midnight with a music service overnight. It is a volunteer run organisation and is funded through listener support, grants and limited commercial sponsorship.
. During Australia's
Bicentennial
in 1988, Radio Redfern played a pivotal role in informing and educating the public about Indigenous responses to the celebration. It also acted as a communication channel for the thousands of Indigenous people from around Australia who had gathered in Sydney for protest
s. In 1993 Koori Radio came under the umbrella of Gadigal Information Service. It was then part of a series of national Indigenous radio broadcasts during the Sydney 2000 Olympics
.
Koori Radio conducted 19 test broadcasts while it was applying for a licence. The ACMA
granted the licence in 2001. Koori Radio began full time broadcasting in December 2002 with a 1kW transmitter. It switched to a new 50 kW transmitter in December 2003.
Koori Radio and other community radio stations in Sydney is set to launch mid year.
in Redfern
.
n and Māori communities.
Koori Radio's flagship program is Blackchat, a daily current affairs program on weekday mornings committed to discussing news, issues and events from an Indigenous perspective. Koori Radio also contributes programming to the National Indigenous Radio Service
.
Koori Radio's programming also features Koori Radio Sport, an entertainment program that covers the latest in sport news, with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players. Richard Baini is a regular co-host of Koori Radio Sport and is best known for his segment Richie's Rants.
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 based in Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
broadcasting to Sydney on a city-wide licence. It is part of the Gadigal Information Service and is the only radio station in Sydney providing full-time broadcasting to the Aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
and Torres Strait Islander community.
Koori Radio is the city’s only black music station. The music format is one third Australian Indigenous
Indigenous Australian music
Australian indigenous music includes the music of Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, who are collectively called Indigenous Australians; it incorporates a variety of distinctive traditional music styles practiced by Indigenous Australian peoples, as well as a range of contemporary...
, one third world
Indigenous music
Indigenous music is a term for the traditional music of the indigenous peoples of the world, that is, the music of an "original" ethnic group that inhabits any geographic region alongside more recent immigrants who may be greater in number...
Indigenous and one-third other black music. The station broadcasts live from 7:00am to midnight with a music service overnight. It is a volunteer run organisation and is funded through listener support, grants and limited commercial sponsorship.
History
Koori Radio grew out of Radio Redfern which was established in the early 1980s. Originally it had program time on other community station Radio Skid RowRadio Skid Row
Radio Skid Row is a community radio station based in Marrickville, broadcasting to the Inner West suburbs of Sydney. This includes the municipalities of Leichhardt, Marrickville and the City of Sydney....
. During Australia's
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...
Bicentennial
Australian Bicentenary
The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent European settlement.-1970:...
in 1988, Radio Redfern played a pivotal role in informing and educating the public about Indigenous responses to the celebration. It also acted as a communication channel for the thousands of Indigenous people from around Australia who had gathered in Sydney for protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
s. In 1993 Koori Radio came under the umbrella of Gadigal Information Service. It was then part of a series of national Indigenous radio broadcasts during the Sydney 2000 Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Koori Radio conducted 19 test broadcasts while it was applying for a licence. The ACMA
Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio...
granted the licence in 2001. Koori Radio began full time broadcasting in December 2002 with a 1kW transmitter. It switched to a new 50 kW transmitter in December 2003.
Koori Radio and other community radio stations in Sydney is set to launch mid year.
Current
In 2008 Koori Radio received Australian Government funding to renovate and move into purpose built studios in the Black TheatreBlack Theatre (Sydney)
The National Black Theatre was a theatre company run by a small group of Aboriginal people based in the Sydney suburb of Redfern. The original concept for the theatre grew out of political struggles, especially the land rights demonstrations which at the time were being organised by the Black...
in Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
.
Programming
As well as its format of Indigenous and black music, the station broadcasts news, current affairs, sport and listener involvement programs. There are also programs by the SamoaSamoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n and Māori communities.
Koori Radio's flagship program is Blackchat, a daily current affairs program on weekday mornings committed to discussing news, issues and events from an Indigenous perspective. Koori Radio also contributes programming to the National Indigenous Radio Service
National Indigenous Radio Service
The National Indigenous Radio Service is a satellite program feed available in Australia to community radio stations that are subscribers of the CBAA’s Community Radio Network. The NIRS provides targeted and specialist programming for and by Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander...
.
Koori Radio's programming also features Koori Radio Sport, an entertainment program that covers the latest in sport news, with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players. Richard Baini is a regular co-host of Koori Radio Sport and is best known for his segment Richie's Rants.
See also
- List of Australian radio stations
- Australian Indigenous Communications AssociationAustralian Indigenous Communications AssociationThe Australian Indigenous Communications Association is the peak body for Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander broadcasters. The AICA aims to represent all indigenous people and organisations in the media, communications and entertainment industry...