R. Australia Highlights XXCCCVI (w/c Feb 26)
John A. Figliozzi
Here are some listening suggestions for Radio Australia this workweek.
Days and times are UTC with times and frequencies reflecting best
reported for shortwave reception in North America. (Frequencies reported
by European listeners are set out 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 RA internet site. T
indicates that a printed transcript of the program is available at the
RA or RN Internet site.
Mon.-Fri. 0210 on 15515 - THE WORLD TODAY - A comprehensive current
affairs program presented in Australia at lunch time with a mix of
domestic material, breaking Asian stories and late-night reports from
Europe, Africa and the Americas. (Sole broadcast.)
Mon.-Fri. 0310 on 15515 - RA SPORT* - A roundup of the latest scores and
reports from Australia, the Pacific, Asia and the world. (Also at 0530,
0610, 0730, 1130.)
Mon.-Fri. 0320 on 15515 - PACIFIC FOCUS* - In-depth examinations of
issues important to the Pacific region, with emphasis on a different
topic area each day: Mon.-Business, Tue.-Health, Wed.-Environment,
Thu.-Sport, Fri.-Culture. (Also at 0620.)
+Mon. 0340 on 15515 - THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SHOW - Highlighting the
newest rock music in Australia. [Produced by ABC Triple J.] (First
broadcast Sun. 2240; also Mon. at 0640.)
Mon.-Fri. 0410 on 15515 - THE MARGARET THROSBY INTERVIEW - A
conversation with a special guest, playing their favorite music and
telling their own stories. The names of this week's scheduled guests:
Mon. - JOHN LE CARRÉ, author and master of the spy novel ('Tinker,
Tailor, Soldier, Spy'; 'Smiley's People') etc. His latest book is called
'The Constant Gardener'.
Tue. - MARK MATOUSEK, One-time editor of Andy Warhol's Interview
magazine and author of the best-selling 'Sex, Death, Enlightenment'.
Wed. - RAY MARTIN, Journalist and TV personality.
Thu. - RUTH McCOLL, President of the Australian Bar Association.
Fri. - MICHAEL CRAIG, actor. He's playing the title role in the Bell
Shakespeare Company's production of Julius Caesar currently running in
Sydney and also playing in Wagga Wagga, Orange, Melbourne, Canberra,
Hobart, Geelong, Newcastle and Perth.
(Produced by ABC Classic FM. Sole broadcast.) %
Mon.-Fri. 0510 on 15515 - PACIFIC BEAT* - A daily magazine of reports,
interviews and features focusing on the Pacific island nations. (Also
at 0710. Morning editions air at 1805 and 2005.)
Mon.-Fri. 0910 on 13605 - AUSTRALIA TALKS BACK - A daily national
talkback program presented by Sandy McCutcheon, who brings to the
program a broad range of interests and experiences, including a career
as a successful playwright and novelist and as a well-travelled
broadcaster. (Also at 1705.)
+Mon.-Fri. 1105 on 9580 - ASIA-PACIFIC* - In-depth coverage of major
events in political, corporate and financial circles from the region
that is home to half the world's population. (First editions Sun.-Thu.
2310, Mon.-Fri. 0110; this edition previously broadcast 1005; other
editions Mon.-Fri. 1505 and 2110.) Updated information anytime via
<http://www.abc.net.au/ra/asiapac/>.) T %
Mon.-Fri. 1135 on 9580 - LIFE MATTERS - A unique daily interview program
about social change and day-to-day life. Geraldine Doogue and Julie
McCrossin talk with the main people behind Australian social policies -
from workplace reform to education, health, family relationships, and
social change. Some details on this week's programs:
Tue. - John Le Carre. His latest novel, 'The Constant Gardner', begins
with the murder of the wife of a diplomat in Nairobi, and traces her
husband's search, not so much for the killers, but for who she really
was and what drives her. Le Carre talks about love, life and conscience
to Geraldine Doogue.
(Sole broadcast.)
Mon.-Thu. 1205 on 9580 - LATE NIGHT LIVE - Billed as "the chat show for
thinking listeners", LNL is unique in its coverage of the important
debates of our time, ranging across politics, philosophy, international
news and cultural concerns. Host Phillip Adams is one of Australia's
best known broadcasters, columnists and commentators. (Sole broadcast.)
Mon.-Fri. 1315 on 9580 - THE PLANET - Good, heartfelt, inspiring music
from around the world, hosted by Lucky Oceans (Mon.-Thu.) and Geraldine
Mallet (Fri.).
Mon. - 'BAG O'CATS" is singular and Scottish. The quintet's original
music is surprising, very playful & quite beautiful. For once, the
declaration on an album's back cover can be believed.
Tue. - The TUAREG are the fabled blue men of the Sahara. Traditionally
nomads, they "seek to live in freedom, without borders", an aim which
has proved increasingly difficult to achieve. However, as today's
featured new release shows, Tuareg culture is still alive and its music
exciting.
Wed. - Guitarist Bill Frisell is back - probably the Planet's most
featured artist. His new CD, "BLUES DREAM," is very appropriately titled
and original CD, covering the ground where the blues meets jazz, country
music and other Americana in a dreamy, quirky way.
Thu. - Australian calendars may say "first day of autumn", but on "The
Planet" it's "SPRING". Today is the fourth and final chapter in our
musical celebration of the "FOUR SEASONS".
Fri. - Our second successive Swedish-centred Friday highlights one of
the "supergroups" of adventurous roots music. HEDNINGARNA has the power
and sheer oomph of a good rock and roll band, minus the dreaded cliches
of folk-rock.
(105 min./Sole broadcast.)
Mon. 1605 on 9580 - THE MARGARET THROSBY INTERVIEW - A repeat of one of
the previous week's programs.
Tue. 0130 on 21740 - THE LAW REPORT - The Australian legal system and
its relationship to Australian society and the world. This week: "The
Privacy of Health Records". How secure are your health records? In the
US, health records have become available on the internet, or sent out to
the wrong people. There are concerns about issues of privacy and what
could happen if records fall into the wrong hands. (Also at 1030, 1530.)
+Tue. & Fri. 0340 on 15515 - MUSIC DELI - Australian performances of
folk, traditional, acoustic and world music from around the globe.
(First broadcasts Mon. & Thu. 2240; Also Tue. & Fri. at 0640.)
Tue. 1605 on 9580 - THE COMFORT ZONE - A program which explores the
cultural significance of architecture and design, gardening and food.
This week: "Exotica". The Comfort Zone looks at the influence of the
exotic on architecture and design, food and landscape. How are things
that are introduced from foreign countries absorbed by the host culture?
We hear the remarkable story of a house that was built in Japan and
shipped o Brisbane in 1887 and learn how new Asian beverages are
quenching Australian thirsts. (Sole broadcast.)
+Wed. 0010 on 17750 - THE NATIONAL INTEREST - Presented by Terry Lane,
one of Australia's most accomplished interviewers, this program looks at
the major issues of the week. (First broadcast Sun. 1605.)
Wed. 0130 on 21740 - THE RELIGION REPORT - Examining the way religion
and religious issues interact with wider society. This topic of this
week's program was not yet available at the time this bulletin was
prepared. Consult <http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/> for
updated information. (Also at 1030, 1530, 2130.)
+Wed. 0340 on 15515 - BLACKTRACKER* - Mal Honess presents selections of
contemporary Aboriginal music. (First broadcast Tue. 2240; Also Wed. at
0640.)
Wed. 1605 on 9580 - VERBATIM - The story of the 20th century through the
voices of ordinary Australians. This week, Federation Specials - Part
Four: Dame Enid Lyons. In the last of Verbatim’s series on the Federal
politics of the 20s and 30s, Dame Enid Lyons describes a life spent
juggling home and House. In 1943, this mother of 12 became the first
Australian woman elected to a seat in the House of Representatives,
where she lent her considerable energies to improving the economic and
civil lot of women and children. Radical and conservative by turns, she
remained outspoken in public life until her death in 1981. For this
program, we adapt an interview given by Dame Enid to the ABC in 1978.
(Sole broadcast.)
Wed. 1630 on 9580 - EARSHOT - Stories told from within Australian
communities about daily life. This week: "The Colebrook Kids". The
unusually successful reconciliation story of the children of the Stolen
Generation who were taken to Colebrook Home, in the Adelaide hills. They
come together with the people who were their neighbours at an event that
the Blackwood Reconciliation Group thought only a hundred people would
attend - in fact, there were around two thousand! (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. The topics of this week's stories:
- Packing Stone-fruit. Alison Buchanan takes us on a mission to find
perfect stone fruit at a packing shed in the Shearmore orchard near
Adelong in the Riverina highlands. The orchard employs sixty people and
they're now packing nectarines and peaches. Alison speaks to the owner
of the family run business, Lauren Curtis.
- The 3 Bears. A yarn which involves 3 oversized bears, Baby Ted, Big
Ted, and Turbo Ted at Bo-peep...no it's not a fairy tale but a true
story about these characters which are made from hay. The larger than
life statues are at John Fraser's farm at Bo-peep near Ballarat in
central Victoria. Lyndal Reading spoke to John and his son Ben who built
the bears with his sister Megan.
- Recycling Worms. Worms are the stars of this recycling report. These
slimey creatures are turning millions of tons of smelly garbage into
fertiliser every day at the Sunburst plant at Millicent, on the
Victorian and South Australian border. Fleur Bainger talks to Sunburst
Managing Director, David Ellery.
- Picking Grapes. The grape harvest is underway at the Cowra Estate
winery on the Central Tablelands, in NSW. Amy Cass talks to two of the
seasonal workers, Greg and Crystal and Greg Johnston, vineron.
- Broom Making. A 71 year-old man gives us some tips about how to make
brooms by hand, brooms a witch would be proud to fly. Cornelius
Brandenberg's uncle taught him how to make brooms in Holland during the
second world war when they were in short supply. Keva Gocher spoke to
Cor who was selling his brooms at the Bega show, on the far south coast
of NSW.
(Also Thu. 2130.) %
Thu. 0010 on 21740 - BACKGROUND BRIEFING - ABC Radio National's
investigative documentary program. This week: "Small Business Blues".
Small business makes up 40% of the Australian economy, and its woes are
as old as Noah. The latest is the slow payments issue.
'Thirty days to pay' is a thing of the past - now it's commonly months.
The cash isn't flowing into small business, and when small business gets
crook the whole country feels like a bit of a lie down. (Sole
broadcast.) T
Best frequencies noted for RA here in upstate NY:
2100 - 0100 UTC: 21740
0100 - 0200 UTC: 17750 [17580 also noted]
0200 - 0900 UTC: 15515 [17580 and 17750 also noted]
0900 - 1100 UTC: 13605
1100 - fade out: 9580 [11650 also noted]
Best frequencies for RA in UK as reported in Shortwave Magazine (further
reports from UK/Europe welcomed):
0500 - 0800 UTC: 21725, 15240
0800 - 1100 UTC: 21725, 17750, 15240, 13605
1100 - 1400 UTC: 21820
1330 - 1700 UTC: 11660
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 some specials and 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 issued by late evening Wed. Feb. 28 EST. Good listening!
--
John A. Figliozzi
Volunteer Publicist, Radio Australia