Getting to know Another World

Two time CBAA Community Radio Awards finalist and the winner of the 2018 award for Excellence in News & Current Affairs programming, Another World, is joining the CRN in 2020! 

Presented by Siobhán Moran-McFarlane, the show comes to us from our friends at Eastside Radio and will be coming to listeners all over the country through the CBAA's Community Radio Network from Febraury. 

We asked Siobhán about the origins of her program, and what goes into putting the show together each and every week.

What is your favourite part about making Another World?

For me the freedom to choose which topics and countries I cover in each episode is wonderful. There are so few opportunities in life for anyone to make something exactly how they would like it, so being able to create my own show from scratch each week is fantastic and very liberating.

I also love the new world music I discover while making the show. It’s incredible how many people in every country on Earth are writing and producing their own new music - and how many genres there are that I know nothing about!

Why did you get involved with Community Radio? 

I’ve always loved listening to the radio and podcasts, and after completing an Advanced Diploma in Radio I couldn’t wait to start making my own content. 

Community radio presents the opportunity to work in a unique environment in which everyone is there because they want to be, not because they are being paid. This lack of a commercial incentive means everyone is free to explore different ideas and make something entirely new that the audience wouldn’t hear anywhere else.

Where has been your favourite part of the world to investigate? 

I have always been fascinated by the Democratic Republic of Congo, and still love to research and write stories on that nation. It’s been so horrifically scarred by conflict for many years, and yet it barely makes even international news on conventional mediums. 

Since starting Another World, I’ve found out about the culture and people of the DRC, above and beyond their relationship with conflict. In one of my very first episodes, I examined the role of the ‘Congo Dandies’ and the impact of their incredible fashion on both African and international markets - that was really fun!

If you could pick one place in the world to spend 6 months where would it be? 

Ah this is a really tough question because I want to go everywhere in the world at least once… I’m torn because I have always been intrigued by Saudi Arabia, as so few foreigners have ever been there, and it seems like a country that is really at a fork in the road between what was, and what could be. 

That said, I absolutely love every nation I have ever visited in the South Pacific, and so I would also really like to spend six months there. In particular, I would choose French Polynesia as there are just so many beautiful islands to visit, each with their own unique culture and history, which to me as someone who grew up in Europe is just about the most other worldy place I can think of.

What makes you the most excited about joining the CRN? 

I feel really proud that Another World will join the list of excellent programs available through the CRN. The show has been my passion for two years now, and to know that people across Australia from Bourke, to Broken Hill, to Broome and beyond can all now listen to it is really exciting. I hope everyone who hears the show will be moved to get in touch with me on social media and tell me what they think - love it or loathe it. 

What do you think Another World can bring to listeners across Australia? 

I try really hard in every episode to ensure there is something new for everyone, whether that’s the topic of discussion, the countries visited, or a piece of music. Even the guests I interview on each topic have usually never heard the tracks I play. So whether the listeners have some or a lot of knowledge about the content of each week’s show, I want everyone to come away with even just some small nugget of information or an idea they haven’t heard before.

I also really want everyone to know they are not alone. Much of what is discussed on Another World aims to shed light on issues that many of us don’t feel comfortable or free to discuss in public. Hopefully this will help to break down pre-conceived notions of the “other”.

What is the importance of having independently created news and current affairs programming on Community Radio?

Sadly so much of the world’s media is concentrated in the hands a few mega-empires, which means there are a limited range of views and opinions on offer. Having independently created news and current affairs programming therefore gives a voice to ideas and perspectives that you might not find elsewhere - which you are then free to discuss and even disagree with. I hope this promotes understanding and not division, which again seems to be a sad default for so many commercial news outlets.

What’s the one thing you would like people to remember about Another World?

It is ok to ask questions and talk about any issue, whether it is personal, challenging, or positive - nothing should be off limits. I genuinely encourage anyone who would like to have their say on what they hear on Another World to get in touch with me. I want to know what you think. And I don’t just interview experts - I have done many shows with regular people sharing their own stories and thoughts, because I don’t think there is a hierarchy of experience.

For CRN subscribers:

• Program runs 55'50 minutes
• Another World will distribute on Saturdays at 08:04 AEST/AEDT, repeating Mondays 19:04 AEDT
• Begins February 2020
• Available for on-demand broadcast by stations via DDN capture and download
• Presented for a national audience
• For more information contact CRN staff on 02 9310 2999 or email [email protected]

Not a CRN subscriber, but want to find out more about getting content like this for your station? Read more here.