Successful producers announced for 2016 National Features & Documentary Series

After another hefty response to the call for pitches, 12 community radio producers from around Australia have been chosen to create a piece the CBAA's National Features and Documentary Series.

The 12 successful applicants will now undertake training and mentoring through the Community Media Training Organisation (CMTO) to bring their idea to life. With pitches covering everything from culture to chamber opera to cutting edge science, the CBAA cannot wait to share the finished products in late 2016. 

Martin Walters from the CBAA’s national program platform, the Community Radio Network, says the response shows how valuable the series has become in a short time.

“The high quality of this year's entries clearly demonstrates that community broadcasting is the place where the nation's stories are being told. No other broadcaster has this diversity of producers creating new work.”

The CMTO's Nicola Joseph is looking forward to working with the producers.

“Getting selected for the training is just the start. The producers will be put through their paces over the next few months as we take them through all aspects of production, from scripting and presentation to audio recording, editing, and how to craft soundscapes that propel the stories being told”.

The finished series will be broadcast on the national Community Radio Network from October to December this year. 

Successful applicants

Without further ado, the successful applicants for the 2016 National Features and Documentary Series are:

• Bernadette Angus (Djarindjin RIBS, WA) with Bardi Jawi Oorany Rangers, the story of local women looking after country on the Dampier Peninsula.
• Caroline Savransky (Eastside FM, Sydney) with All About Abilities, in which a group of adults with varied abilities share their stories.
• Coel Healy (RTRFM, Perth) with Claypot Melody, telling the story of three refugee communities living in regional Western Australia.
• Juan Guerra (North West FM, Melbourne) with Biohacking in Oz, delving into Australia’s biohacking community and where developments might take us.
• Leah Blankendaal (3MBS, Melbourne) with Permission to Speak: A Chamber Opera, a feature covering the production of an experimental opera that addresses complexities of parent/children relationships.
• Michael Schubert (99.9 Bay FM, Byron Bay) with In Search of Silence, an exploration into the sound, nature and value of silence
• Nancy Lin (Triple R, Melbourne) with Hello Yes No Goodbye, a feature exploring questions of truth, memory and the past, through a Ouija board séance experience.
• Nick Kenny (Northside Radio, Sydney) with Last Drinks, the story of Sydney’s lock-out laws.
• Robert Salt (DC FM, Dubbo) with Aboriginality - A Time to share our story, a feature exploring the complex matter of Aboriginal identity.
• Sarah Martin (Radio Adelaide) with Food for thought, a piece asking why GM food is such a divisive topic, given its potential benefits.
• Thanh Hằng Phạm (3CR, Melbourne) with Remotely Intimate, a woven yet fractured collection of long-distance relationships that queer people of colour experience with their homelands.
• Vanita Sathasivam (2RRR, Sydney)with A Way to Tie the Knot, examining traditional arranged marriages, contrasting them with newer “matching” methods such as speed dating.