Below is a brief listening guide to a selection of community radio programs (with links) which prioritise sovereign and self-determined voices[1].

The listening guide accompanies a panel that brings together community broadcasting practitioners and researchers, both academic and community-based, to engage in candid and critical discussions on decolonisation and decentring whiteness in community media. By reflecting on the work that is being done and looking towards the work that still needs to take place, this panel represents the beginning of an ongoing, proactive conversation between practitioners and researchers towards decolonising the community broadcasting sector.  This session is part of the CBAA Conference research stream, which occurs every two years.  29 October 2020 @11am AEST. Register here.

Panellists: Nicola Joseph, Priya Kunjan, Catherine Liddle and Areej Nur.

Thank you to the panellists and to Maddy Macfarlane and Bridget Backhouse for contributing their suggestions to this list.

Accent of Women (3CR)

On air: Saturday 1:00pm to 1:30pm; stream/listen back via website; podcast; distributed via CRN.

About: A program by and about women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with a commitment to progressive politics. 

Anything Goes (Radio Skid Row)

The Black Block (3CR)

On air: Monday 11:00am to 1:00pm; stream/listen back via website

About: An interactive Indigenous current affairs program spotlighting everyday local Indigenous voices and connections made through social media. Hosted by Viv Malo. 

Backchat (FBi)

On air: Saturday 9.30am to 10am; stream/listen back via website; podcast

About: Your alternative to talkback. Interviews, discussion, feature stories and news; informed and approachable politics and current affairs. Hosted by Shami Sivasubramanian and Chantelle Al-Khouri.

Blackchat (Koori Radio)

On air: Monday to Friday 9am to 12 pm; distributed nationally via NIRS; tune in via IndigiTube

Flagship program presenting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander news and views, hosed by Lola Forester.  Blackchat informs its national audience on a range of current issues and celebrates the excellence of First Nations people across Australia.         

Beyond the Bars (3CR)

About: annual radio series held each year during NAIDOC week, dedicated to giving voice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women in the Victorian prison system.

Breakfast Show (Ngaarda Media)

On air: Monday to Friday 8am to 9am; stream via website; tune in via IndigiTube

About: News and current affairs show hosted by Tangiora Hinaki, bringing new local stories from the Pilbara and Kimberley.

Come Together – Songs of Change with Ajak Kwai (PBS)

On air: Mondays 1-3pm, stream via website or tune in to PBS 106.7FM

About: Humans do amazing things and music is one of the greatest things we create.

Come together, means the power of many hands and many thoughts. Come Together will bring you the unknown world of music and your favourite tunes; the songs that changed the world, and the tracks that changed our lives, both old and new.

Diaspora Blues  (3CR)

On air: Monday 2:30pm to 3:00pm; stream/listen back via website

About: Diaspora Blues provides a platform for people interested in ideas about home, community, and belonging. Hosted by Bigoa and Baasto and produced by Ayan Shirwa.

Dial Afrika (EastSide Radio)

On air: weekdays 9:00am; stream via website

About: Hosted by PJ (Patrick Johnathan) who co-found the radio program African Connection on Radio Skid Row in the 1980s.  Dial Afrika shares the music PJ loves and has collected with the wider community.

Doin’ Time (3CR)

On air: Monday 4:00pm to 5:00pm; stream/listen back via website

About: An open forum, presenting information and discussion around issues faced by prisoners in the criminal justice system and migration detention centres. Hosted by Marisa and Peter.

Fire First (3CR)

On air: Wednesday 11:00am to 12:00pm; stream/listen back via website

About: A historically informed, critical analysis of Aboriginal affairs and the ongoing political movement for land rights, treaty, sovereignty and the cessation of genocide. Hosted by Robbie Thorpe.

Flight 106.7 to Africa (PBS)

On air: Sunday 3:00pm to 5:00pm

About:  A musical journey into the world of traditional and contemporary African music. Hosted by Stani Goma.

Highly Melanated (TripleR)

On air: Mondays 10pm – Midnight; stream/listen back via website.

About: Celebrating the creative genius of melanin-soaked people – locally, nationally and worldwide.

Presented by Eva Lubulwa.

Indigi-Brizz (4ZZZ)

On air: Sunday 1pm to 3pm; stream/listen back via website.

About: Interviews and yarns, deadly discussions, community announcements and alternative news, what’s on, what’s wombah, as well as music from Indigenous artists.

Let’s Talk (98.9fm)

On Air: Monday to Thursday 9am to 10am; stream/listen back via website; distributed via NIRS; podcast

News and current affairs that focuses on all relevant First Nations issues from a First Nations standpoint. Hosted by Boe Spearim and Karina Hogan.

MegaHerzzz (4ZZZ)

On air: Sunday 12pm to 1pm; stream/listen back via website      

About: an intersectional feminist program and give voice to various marginalised communities featuring news, opinions, and interviews, as well as music.           

The Mission (TripleR)

On air: Tuesdays 7pm – 8pm; stream/listen back via website

About: Exploring the issues that impact the lives of Aboriginal people and those at the wrong end of social justice in this country. Presented by Daniel James.

Palestine Remembered (3CR)

On air: 3CR, Saturday 9:30am to 10:00am; stream/listen back via website

About: News and views regarding the Palestinian situation. Bringing listeners the untold side of the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict. Hosted by Yousef Alreemawi, Nasser Mashni & Robert Martin.

Queering the Air (3CR)

On air: Sunday 3:00pm to 4:00pm; stream/listen back via website

Queer current affairs with an anti-racist, feminist, and anti-capitalist bent. We have a particular interest in the intersection of queerness with other experiences of marginalisation.       

Race Matters (FBi)

On air: Saturday 5pm to 6pm; stream/listen back via website; podcast

About: Conversations between people of colour about the ways we understand and value our racial and cultural identities; race, culture, arts and current affairs. Hosted by Sara Khan and Darren Lesaguis.

The Rap (TripleR)

On air: Wednesday 9am – 12pm; stream/listen back via website; podcast

About: The Rap weaves conversations about culture, politics, literature, art and music into a weekly mix.

Presented by Areej Nur.

Refugees on Air (SYN)

On air: Listen back via website

About: Fortnightly podcast giving refugees from all around Australia a voice to share their stories. Hosted by Syrian twins Sarah and Maya Ghassali. 1 season, 12 episodes.

Salaam Radio Show (3CR)

On air: 3CR Sunday 4:00pm to 5:00pm; stream/listen back via website

About: Salaam aims to introduce you to the surge of new, modern and reinterpreted sounds of Arabic music ranging from trap, rap, RnB, pop and electronic music. Hosted by Marroushti.

Sierra Leone Radio (Radio Skid Row)

On air: Saturdays; stream via website

About: The latest news from Sierra Leone, along with interviews and music. The program is a meeting place for people who have arrived in Sydney and need to connect with their brothers and sisters.

Still Here (TripleR)

On air: Sunday 1pm – 2pm; stream/listen back via website

About: Indigenous peoples have been subject to a torrent of attempted eradication in extensive ways over the course of history since colonisation on this land. Presented by Neil Morris and Paul Gorrie.

Strong Voices (CAAMA Radio)

On air: Weekdays at 11am; stream via website; tune in via Indigitube

About: Flagship magazine program with up to date Aboriginal current affairs daily. Produced by Paul Wiles and hosted by Damien Williams, Lorena Walker, Paul Wiles, and Philippe Perez.

Survival Guide (Radio Skid Row)

Podcast via SoundCloud

About: A podcast series which centres Indigenous voices amongst multicultural Waterloo residents to critique colonisation and gentrification showing there is a Blak History to your flat white. 2 series. Hosted by Lorna Munro and Joel Sherwood Spring.

Thursday Breakfast (3CR)

On air: Thursday 7:00am to 8:30am; stream/listen back via website

Current affairs, media analysis, alternative media. Hosted by Carly Baque, Max Castle, Scheherazade Bloul, Cait Kelly, Priya Kunjan and Rosie Isaac.

Tuesday Breakfast (3CR)

On air:  Tuesday 7:00am to 8:30am; stream/listen back via website

Current affairs, media analysis, alternative media. Hosted by Lauren Bull, Zoya Gill, Madison Griffith and Genevieve Siggins.

Wild Black Women (98.9fm)

Previous episodes are available via podcast

About: Dr Chelsea Bond and Angelina Hurley discuss all the things that made them wild this week.

Women on the Line (3CR)

On air: Monday 8:30am to 9:00am; stream/listen back via website; distributed nationally on the CRN; podcast

About: National feminist current affairs program with a gender analysis of contemporary issues, as well as in-depth analysis by a range of women and gender diverse people around Australia and internationally.  Hosted by Amy McMurtrie, Anya Saravanan, Ayan Shirwa, Emma Hart, and Iris Lee.

Women of Colour in Solidarity and Struggle (Radio Skid Row)

Coming soon: keep an ear out for a new podcast series which will explore the feminist strategies of women of colour – how they fight against gender injustice inside families and communities, while also fighting racism and poverty from the wider world.  Produced by Rose Nakad.

Beyond community radio:

Namila Benson on The Art Show (ABC Radio) and Behind the Biennale (podcast). Namila is a Tolai Gunantuna (PNG) woman DJ, and past long term 3RRR announcer. Namila is a highly skilled interviewer and focuses on black representation, decentring whiteness and decolonising perspectives and public spaces. At 3RRR Namila fought for changes we see there today, as well as supporting many of the broadcasters currently doing the decolonising and diversifying work listed above.

Hey Aunty (podcast)

About: Hey Aunty! gives voice to black women, fems and non-binary siblings in Australia. Connecting Sisters across cultures and generations and showing that there’re millions of ways to be magical.

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[1] Program descriptions adapted from radio station program guides where available.