R. Australia Highlights CCXIV (w/c Jan. 3)
John A. Figliozzi
Here are some listening suggestions for Radio Australia for the next few
days. Days and times are UTC with times and frequencies reflecting best
reported for shortwave reception in eastern North America. (Best
reported frequencies for Europe are listed at the end of this
bulletin.) + denotes that a program was first broadcast previous to the
listed time; * denotes a program produced by RA (all others are produced
at Radio National or at other ABC domestic networks as noted); % denotes
that the listed program is available on-demand from the ABC internet
site. T indicates that a printed transcript of the program is available
at the ABC Internet site.
[Ed. Note: Most programs are in summer season repeat mode. Some news
programs remain on hiatus and, until they return later in the month, are
replaced by temporary somewhat less comprehensive programs or special
documentaries.]
Wed. 1605 on 9580 - VERBATIM - The story of the 20th century through the
voices of ordinary Australians. This week, Judith Erskine. In 1954,
Judith Erskine was a 21 year old bride, about to begin a new life as the
wife of a Native Patrol Officer, based on an isolated outstation in New
Guinea. Over the next nine years, while living at various government
stations in New Guinea, Judith gave birth to four children, discovered a
hundred different ways to serve tinned meat, fix a generator, and learnt
to enjoy her own company. (Sole broadcast.)
Wed. 1630 on 9580 - EARSHOT - Stories told from within communities about
daily life. This week: "Late Nights with Mr Ha-Ha". This week in
Earshot you're invited to park your BMW in the street and move your
designer clothes and original artworks into an overpriced converted
factory among the homeless, the freaks and the solid working class
migrants of Surry Hills. There you'll find late night trips to the
corner shop for milk and bread enlivened by the singing and joyous mime
of Andy, a stocky old Greek gentleman who's been known as "Mister Ha Ha"
- or "Mister Thankyou Very Much" - to the neighbourhood for decades.
From his shop you'll get to know your neighbours (all those people you
never dreamed existed when you bought that apartment off the plan).
(Sole broadcast.)
+Wed. 2330 on 21740 - RURAL REPORTER - ABC's Rural journalists from
around the country introduce you to the stories and people in rural and
regional Australia. Rural Reporter is in "summer session" and repeating
some of the favorite reports from the previous season. (Also Thu.
2130.) %
Thu.- Sat. 0000 to 0730 on 21725/17580 - TEST MATCH CRICKET - Coverage
of the Fifth Test between Australia and the West Indies, live from the
SCG in Sydney.
Thu. 0030 on 21740 - THE MEDIA REPORT - A critical look at the latest
developments in the communications industry, including media ownership,
industry regulation and new technology. This week, the third and final
part of our audio series, 'Ways of Reading' looks at how we interact
with the daily newspaper. To what extent do journalism and literature
cross over in the newspaper pages? How aware is the writer of their
audience, and how much personal opinion can the reader cope with? This
week, how print informs our choices and extends our sense of self. (Also
at 1030, 1530, 2330.) T
Thu. 0110 on 17795 - BACKGROUND BRIEFING - ABC Radio National's
investigative documentary program. This week: Noel Pearson. A
charismatic, enigmatic leader of Aboriginal people in the land rights
campaigns he has now turned his attention to the appalling social
conditions of his people in the Cape York communities he came from. He
says the way welfare is handled has crippled the communities, and he
says the left is wrong if it continues to think that simply handing over
money to individuals is the answer. In Background Briefing he argues
that his people want to have the right to take responsibility. (Also at
0310.) T
Fri. 0030 on 21740 - THE SPORTS FACTOR - Examining the cultural
significance of sport. This week: "The Athlete & the Coach, part 1". At
the 1960 Rome Olympics, Herb Elliott won the 1500 metres race by the
largest margin that had ever been recorded in Olympic history. Elliott's
coach was the eccentric, irascible Percy Cerutty. Postal worker turned
athletics guru, Cerutty revolutionised running training in Australia -
most famously by making his athletes run up and down the sand dunes of
Portsea, on the Victorian coast. Cerutty's most famous protege, Herb
Elliott, remembers his controversial, charismatic coach. (Also at 1030,
1530, 2130.) % T
+Fri. 0110 on 17795 - HINDSIGHT - The memories of ordinary Australians
woven into complex, credible and satisfying documentaries. In this
week’s program, a special portrait of Albert Namatjira, one of
Australia’s best-loved watercolour artists. Namatjira painted the
country he loved in Central Australia, and taught many of his family and
kinsmen in the techniques of watercolour, thereby founding a significant
school of Aboriginal painting. Since his death forty years ago, Albert’s
legacy to Australian art has been a controversial one ? invoking the
memory of racist treatment and the question marks over his apparently
European style. Producer Donna McLachlan travelled to his home town of
Hermannsberg and nearby Alice Springs, to speak with those who remember
him, including his grand-daughter Elaine, who continues to paint in his
tradition today. (First broadcast Thu. 1605; also at 0310.)
Fri. 2315 on 21740 - LINGUA FRANCA - A program about language. This
week another chance to hear Bruce Moore on his lexicon of the Australian
gold rushes, where words like 'digger' and 'joe' entered the language.
In the first decade of the 19th century gold rushes, some 700,000
migrants from all over the world arrived in Australia. As news of the
successive gold discoveries broke - in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, the
Northern Territory and Western Australia - itinerant diggers in the grip
of the 'yellow-fever' rushed from one goldfield to the next. Words like
'digger' and 'joe' entered the language, along with a spirit of
linguistic freedom that was soon characteristic of Australian English.
(Also on Sat. 0340, 1115.) T
+Fri. 2330 on 21740 - IN CONVERSATION (Science) - Robyn Williams talks
not only to scientists, but also to those interested in the subject and
about what it's meant to their lives. This week: "Science in Schools".
We all know that Australian children seem to be stampeding away from
science in school. What will get them back? After the hand wringing, is
there a solution? Russell Tytler thinks there is. He's a Professor of
Science Education at Deakin University and has an experiment exploring
new ways of presenting the subject which is current being used in 120
schools, mainly in Victoria. He talks about the project to Berry
Billingsley. (First broadcast 1930; repeated Sat. 0730.)
Best frequencies noted for RA here in upstate NY:
2100 - 0100 UTC: 21740 [17710 also noted]
0100 - 0200 UTC: 17580 [17750 also noted]
0200 - 0900 UTC: 15515 [17580 and 17750 also noted]
0800 - 1100 UTC: 9580
1100 - fade out: 9580 [11650 also noted]
Best reported frequencies for RA in UK (further reports from UK/Europe
welcomed):
0500 - 0700 UTC: 21725
0500 - 0900 UTC: 15240, 15415
0800 - 1100 UTC: 9580, 13605
0900 - 1000 UTC: 11880, 17750
1330 - 1700 UTC: 11660
1330 - 1900 UTC: 9475
If shortwave reception at your location is unreliable, you may find RA
via Internet audio a better alternative. The full Radio Australia
program schedule (with the exception of the weekend "Grandstand"
extended sports service) is streamed "live" in RealAudio from the
station's Internet site at <http://www.abc.net.au/ra/>. Late details for
some RA-produced programs may also be available there. Late details for
Radio National-produced programs are often available from
<http://www.abc.net.au/rn>.
Next update available by late *Thursday* evening North American EST.
Good listening!
--
John A. Figliozzi
Editor, “The Worldwide Shortwave Listening Guide” &
“The WWW Shortwave LIstening Guide”
Program Manager, “Monitoring Times” Shortwave Guide
Column Editor, “Monitoring Times” Programming Spotlight
Contributor, “NASWA Journal”, ODXA “Listening In”