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The following was presented to the annual meeting of the Community
Broadcasting Association of Australia, November 28 to December 1. For
more details about the CBAA conference, check their web site at
http://www.peg.apc.org/cbaa.

bg
--------------------------

                  World Community Radio Conference
                               comes to Australia!


by Kaye  Blackman,


     AMARC 7 comes to Australia! Australian Community Radios are looking
     forward to hosting the first AMARC Conference in the southern
     hemisphere in November 1997. The planning for AMARC 7 is currently
     being undertaken by representatives from the Community Broadcasting
     Association of Australia (CBAA), the National Indigenous Media
     Association of Australia (NIMAA) and the National Ethnic and Multicultural
     Broadcasting Council (NEMBC).

     To provide some background, community radio has existed as a third
     sector of broadcasting in Australia for 25 years, that is non-government
     and non-commercial radio - radios that are operated on a not-for-profit
     basis, where the community participates in decision-making, radios
     which demonstrate independence in their programming and which are
     inclusive of all members of the community.

     Community radio is recognised in broadcasting legislation and it is
     accepted and acknowledged as part of the Australian media landscape
     and this has been a critical factor in both its development over the past
     quarter century and its prospects for the future.

     The sector is very well developed, with over 130 licensed community
     radio stations spread across our vast continent. In addition, there are
     more than 80 indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) stations
     broadcasting to remote regions, particularly in the 'top end' (northern
     Australia), and through central and western Australia. There are also
     more than 100 community radio groups ready and waiting to be licensed.

     Within our community radio sector there are a number of special interest
     groupings that have developed over the years - indigenous, print
     handicapped, multicultural and ethnic broadcasting, broad-based
     community radios and Christian broadcasters. Each of these groups has
     its own national organisation to service member needs and each holds
     an annual conference. These sector organisations come together
     several times a year in the National Community Media Council - a forum
     for sharing information, discussing issues of mutual concern and planning
     strategies in response to federal government policy.

     While the CBAA, NIMAA and the NEMBC have taken on the joint
     responsibility for planning and coordinating AMARC 7, all the special
     interest groups mentioned will assist in developing conference forums,
     plenary sessions, debates and related conference activities. The
     Australian Council for Print Handicapped Radios, for example, are keen
     to explore the idea of holding a forum on radio reading services (for the
     sight impaired).

     To overcome 'the tyranny of distance' and to share resources, Australian
     community radio has harnessed new technologies and both the CBAA
     and NIMAA operate satellite programming services. The majority of
     stations have satellite dishes and reception equipment, and can record,
     or broadcast live, programs of interest to their communities. It's an
     excellent way for us to share the experiences of communities other than
     our own - for city-dwellers to grasp the issues and concerns of rural and
     remote communities; a means by which we can learn more about the
     different cultural and ethnic groupings which make up our society; a tool
     for promoting understanding, tolerance and solidarity.

     These new and emerging communications technologies, and how we can
     make use of them in furthering our own goals, will certainly be one of the
     themes AMARC 7 will be exploring. AMARC 7 will have a conference
     satellite programming service operating as well as a conference Internet
     site.

     Convergence of broadcasting, telecommunications and computing
     technologies and the inexorable globalisation of communications all
     herald the beginning of a revolution in the production and distribution of
     electronic media. These developments pose a significant challenge for
     countries where community broadcasting already exists and point to the
     absolute imperative of nurturing community media in the world's
     developing regions.

     Radio as a tool for education and development will certainly be another
     major conference topic. AMARC 7 in Australia will focus on the
     Asia/Pacific region and the conference will explore the role of community
     broadcasting in the political, economic and social developments taking
     place in the region and the critical role of independent media in societies
     in transition.

     Other conference topics we are looking at include Gender and
     Communications, Community Radio and Citizenship, Legislative and
     Regulatory Frameworks and Training Strategies. We encourage and
     welcome ideas and suggestions for conference topics you would like to
     see on the program. Please contact the AMARC 7 Conference
     Coordinator, Tracey Watts (see below for contact details).

     Griffith University in Brisbane, Queensland, has been selected as the
     venue and the conference will launch with a huge opening party on
     Sunday 30 November 1997. In order to maximise the opportunity for
     Australian community radio workers to attend AMARC 7, the three major
     host organisations have decided to hold their own conferences and
     Annual General Meetings on the two days prior to AMARC 7.

     Australia is an extraordinary place - it is one of the world's most
     multicultural societies whose indigenous peoples and culture has been
     continuous for 60,000 years. Australia is a land of extremes from the
     large interior desert to dense rainforests and wetlands; snow capped
     mountains to the Great Barrier Reef; shorelines of ancient cliffs to
     rugged mountain ranges. We urge you to start thinking about joining us in
     Australia for AMARC 7.

     Send your ideas for AMARC 7 and/or register your interest in attending:

        AMARC 7
        C/O NIMAA
        PO Box 5035
        West End QLD 4101
        AUSTRALIA
        Phone: 61 7 3876 3070 Fax: 61 7 3876
        3070
        Email: nimaa@ozemail.com.au

___________________________________________________
Bruce Girard
Agencia Informativa Pulsar
Email: bgirard@pulsar.org.ec
http://www.web.net/amarc/pulsar.html
Tel: +593-2-525521  Fono/Fax: +593-2-542818 o 226648
Fax en Montreal, Canada: +1-514-221-2009
Av. America 3584, Casilla 17-08-8489, Quito, Ecuador