ABC Radio Australia

TV.Cynic · October 5, 2023, 12:52am

ABC Radio Australia launches new programs, Culture Compass and Pacific Scientific

The two specialist programs – Culture Compass and Pacific Scientific – have launched on ABC Radio Australia and as podcasts on ABC listen, offering Pacific audiences bespoke stories of cultural history and scientific breakthroughs from across the Pacific.

Listen to the latest episodes of Culture Compass and Pacific Scientific here.

Culture Compass host Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche holds a high chief title from her home country of Samoa and brings nuance to the show’s exploration into traditional and contemporary cultures of the Pacific. She describes her program as an exploration of survival, revival, and connection within Pacific cultures and so far, she has covered cultural practices such as kava, traditional medicine, the popularity of corned beef and navigating the oceans.

According to von Reiche: “Our Pacific cultures have evolved with the changing times. The ceremonies and crafts that give importance were fading in and out of existence. I am honoured to be able to share journeys of people who are passionate about keeping traditions alive, passing them down to the next generations while adapting old ways to the present.”

Salamasina von Reiche continues: “I am also part of a very dedicated team who are passionate about sharing these stories so that we may understand better.”

Pacific Scientific is another exciting new program offering and each episode dives deep into the work of Pacific scientists exploring and researching the regions of Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and the Republic of Marshall Islands. So far, the program has delved into Tonga’s abandoned car problem, a killer fungus threatening PNG frog species and the fight for fresh water in the Marshall Islands.

ABC Science Editor Dr Jonathan Webb said: “These stories and voices aren’t just important: they are compelling, fascinating, and fantastic company! Our reporters were lucky enough to witness groundbreaking science happening right across the Pacific, and they also connected and collaborated with local journalists and organisations. The results have an amazing sense of place and personality. Get ready for an inspiring ride!”

TV.Cynic · November 14, 2023, 6:34am

ABC Yours for the Pacific Games

The ABC will be providing live broadcasts and special programming on ABC Radio Australia and ABC Australia. ABC Pacific online and social media accounts will offer around-the-clock competition results, interviews, and stories featuring the sporting stars of the games

TV.Cynic · November 20, 2023, 5:45am

ABC Radio Australia launches in Gizo, Solomon Islands

ABC Radio Australia is now available on 107FM on the island of Ghizo, Solomon Islands.

The ABC has established a new FM transmission service for ABC Radio Australia in the second largest urban population hub in the Solomon Islands, the town of Gizo in Western Province. Residents of Gizo and surrounds on its island of Ghizo will now be able to enjoy the full suite of ABC Radio Australia’s content and program offering.

The addition of Gizo to ABC Radio Australia’s transmission footprint is a key deliverable for ABC International Services under the Federal Government’s enhanced funding for ABC services across the Indo-Pacific. Prior to the Gizo service, ABC Radio Australia has been available only to residents of Honiara on 107FM.

In the coming months, further transmission locations will be added across the region including in PNG, Nauru, Kiribati and other locations in Micronesia.

ABC International Services Head Claire M Gorman said, “We welcome Gizo and Ghizo Island to the ABC Radio Australia family and are delighted that its residents will have access to a rich new offering of news, information, entertainment, sport and music content. The commencement of broadcasting in Gizo marks an important milestone in the ongoing expansion of ABC Radio Australia’s footprint across the Pacific.”

Ghizo Island residents will now have access to ABC Radio Australia’s flagship regional current affairs program Pacific Beat, in addition to its weekday morning program Nesia Daily and newly launched culture, science, music and sports shows including Climate Mana, Culture Compass, Pacific Scientific, In The Fale, Off The Record and Fresh Off The Field.

ABC Radio Australia programs can now be heard on 107FM on Ghizo Island and in Honiara.

crankymedia · November 21, 2023, 2:12pm

Population 7 100 in 2019:

Be great if the ABC could fill their FM blackspots in Australia.

TV.Cynic · February 13, 2024, 6:56am

ABC Radio Australia’s Nesia Daily launches afternoon edition

Australian-Fijian journalist Melissa Maykin joins popular weekday program Nesia Daily from 20 February, launching a new-look afternoon edition focused on health and religion at 4:00pm PNG time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Listen to the latest episodes of Nesia Daily, available on ABC Pacific online here.

Nesia Daily, hosted weekday mornings by Jacob McQuire and Michael Chow, connects Pacific audiences with entertaining conversations, the latest music and inspiring stories from across the region. The new afternoon edition offers listeners a daily wrap-up of highlights from across the Pacific, with two specialist segments – Pacific Pulse and Pacific Soul – discussing health, lifestyle and religion.

Melissa Maykin is a journalist and presenter from the ABC’s Asia Pacific newsroom who has reported on the Pacific and the Australian diaspora, with proven expertise in radio and podcasting and in breaking regional and national news.

Broadcast as part of the Tuesday afternoon program, Pacific Pulse will cover the biggest health issues across the region, distilling fact from fiction and challenging body taboos. Maykin will speak to health experts, industry figures and everyday people, unpacking the relationships we have with our own bodies and others, and the health implications of culture, community and island life.

Wednesday afternoons will see Maykin dive into all things divine with Pacific Soul. She’ll investigate the melting pot of diverse faiths, religions and philosophies in the Pacific today and ask theologians and worshippers about their beliefs within the broader context of Indigenous rights, gender equality and decolonisation.

Maykin is excited to be joining the Nesia Daily team, commenting: “I have big shoes to fill with Jacob and Michael expertly steering our flagship daily program but I’m honoured to be in the chair, and I hope the talanoa on Pacific Pulse and Pacific Soul helps affirm our experiences as Pacific peoples, and the wonderful nuances of our lives.”

ABC Radio Australia manager Justine Kelly said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have someone of Melissa’s calibre hosting the new afternoon edition of Nesia Daily. With her extensive background in journalism and passion for reporting on key issues in the Pacific, listeners can look forward to Melissa’s daily wrap-up and deep dives into health and religion.”

PROGRAM DETAILS:

Nesia Daily airs weekdays on ABC Radio Australia from 6:00am to 8:00am PNG time and in the afternoon every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00pm to 5:00pm PNG time.

Pacific Pulse will air on Tuesdays between 4:00pm and 5:00pm and be repeated on Wednesdays at 6:00pm PNG time.

Pacific Soul will air on Wednesday between 4:00pm and 5:00pm PNG time and be repeated on Sundays at 8:00am PNG time.

TV.Cynic · March 6, 2024, 10:18pm

Sista Sounds amplifies Pacific women’s voices on ABC Radio Australia

In time for this year’s International Women’s Day, ABC Radio Australia has launched a new weekly program celebrating female musicians from across the Pacific.

Listen to the new episode of Sista Sounds, available on ABC Pacific online here.

Liven up your Tuesday afternoons with an hour of curated sounds from 3:00pm PNG time. Hosted by award-winning Samoan-Australian music journalist Sosefina Fuamoli, Sista Sounds highlights emerging and established Pacific female musical talent, representing the region’s diverse sounds and musical influences.

Fuamoli is an established music journalist who has twice won Best Live Music Journalist at the Australian National Live Music Awards. Already known to ABC Radio Australia listeners as the host of On the Record and Pacific Sundays, she now joins forces with Island Music host Rick Howe, who produces the new show.

Fuamoli and Howe hope listeners will learn about new music not only from their home island nations but also from neighbouring island countries.

Fuamoli explains: “It’s a really cool opportunity for me as a music fan to be able to discover more music from our beautiful island regions. But more importantly, as someone with the platform to do so, this show is going to be a haven for incredible women to have their moment. And have that moment in a way that is organic and real; not just a token spotlight week on female music that is gassed up once a year.”

“We’re really looking to create a space within our community to feature and preference talented female artists. Somewhere that audiences, fellow artists and anyone who is interested can discover new music and powerful female voices, all year round.”

ABC Radio Australia manager Justine Kelly said, “I’m thrilled that in the same week as International Women’s Day, we’re able to launch Sista Sounds as a platform for Pacific women’s music to be amplified. Sose’s expertise in music journalism and passion for Pacific artists, combined with Rick’s extensive knowledge of Pacific music, will provide listeners with an exciting weekly discovery of emerging female talent from across the region.”

PROGRAM DETAILS:

New episodes of Sista Sounds are broadcast on ABC Radio Australia every Tuesday at 3:00pm PNG time and repeated on Fridays at 5:00pm PNG time.

TV.Cynic · May 4, 2024, 8:12am

ABC Radio Australia launches in Palau

In a first for the northern Pacific region, residents of Palau can now enjoy ABC Radio Australia’s full service on 91.5FM.

The service launch comes after a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in 2023 between the ABC and the Republic of Palau’s national radio broadcaster, Eco Paradise FM (EPFM). It is the first time since 2014 that ABC Radio Australia has been available as a full channel service to northern Pacific audiences.

Attended by Palau’s Vice President, the Hon. Uduch Sengebau Senior, the launch event at EPFM’s Koror headquarters on Friday 3 May coincided with International Press Freedom Day.

ABC International Head Claire M. Gorman said: “The Palau launch marks another important milestone in the ongoing expansion of ABC Radio Australia’s FM footprint in the Pacific and cements our collaboration with EPFM and the people of Palau.”

ABC Radio Australia head Justine Kelly, who co-hosted the launch event, said: “I’m excited that audiences in Palau will now have access to the very best of Pacific news, music, sports, culture and health programming, all day, every day via the new service.”

Australian Ambassador to Palau, Richelle Turner, also attended the launch event and Gorman acknowledged the Australian Embassy in Palau’s support in brokering the 2023 MOU with EPFM.

Acting Director of the Palau Bureau Archives and Media, Linda Ngirameketii, who co-hosted the launch event, added: “I express my wholehearted support for today’s ABC Radio Australia launch in Palau in partnership with EPFM 87.9, Ngerel Belau AM 1584 and the Palau Division of Media & Information Services (DMIS). I am so happy to see ABC Radio Australia return to the Palau airwaves, bridging the distances for many listeners near and far. Through radio waves and the power of media, communities are united and vital information disseminated, reaching many in the Pacific region. We welcome this endeavour, knowing it will resonate far beyond the shores of Palau.”

Palau’s Acting Chief of the Media Division Rondy Ronny, who MC’d the launch event, said: “Radio Australia stands as a beacon of connectivity, illuminating the vast potential of the airwaves in the Pacific Ocean. Its opening here in Palau marks not just a milestone in broadcasting, but a testament to the power of media to unite, inform and inspire. I envision this new platform as a catalyst for innovation, education, and cultural exchange, enriching the Palau communities and advancing our collective understanding of our surrounding waters.”

In coming weeks and months, more countries and locations will also receive ABC Radio Australia’s service, including Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, Kokopo in Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Kiribati, the Cook Islands, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands.