A Murdoch University radio broadcasting lecturer and a recent graduate have been recognised for their contribution to local radio, each receiving Community Radio Awards for their respective shows.
Hosted by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA), the national awards acknowledge excellence in the Australian community broadcasting sector.
Murdoch University lecturer in Introductory Radio Broadcasting and Creative Audio, and PhD candidate Kylie Sturgess, co-hosts weekly linguistics podcast program ‘Talk the Talk’ on local station RTRFM, which received first prize in the talk show category.
Ms Sturgess said she and her fellow presenters Daniel Midgley, Murdoch alumnus Ben Ainslie, and Hedvig Skirgård, felt privileged to be selected from the range of other high-quality talk shows that were in contention for the award.
“I think we were all honoured to be selected in the company of many other great programs past and present - we are continually astonished how broad a reach the show has internationally, and have discussions worldwide on social media,” Ms Sturgess said.
She said the dynamics between the hosts and Talk the Talk’s balance of research and fun, was what set it apart from other shows in the same genre.
“The team has a great sense of humour and we all share an amazing amount of curiosity about the world and how to help make it better,” she said.
“What makes ‘Talk the Talk’ unique is that we're not afraid to be wrong, to find something new, to be challenged or challenge each other – and winning this award has encouraged us to creatively brainstorm what we might get up to next.”
Ethan Kavanagh describing the SciTech experience to a radio audience. (Previously pictured with Assistant Sound Recordist, Paul Scaramella).
Adding to Murdoch’s honour roll was recent Radio and Sound graduate Ethan Kavanagh, who was acknowledged for his work with Vision Australia on ‘The Tourist’ – a program about Perth’s top tourism destinations aimed at listeners who were blind or vision impaired.
As both presenter and producer of ‘The Tourist’, Ethan provided the audience with entertaining and informative personal accounts of his visits to Fremantle Prison, the WA Maritime Museum and Scitech, earning the show the CBAA Award for ‘Excellence in Creative Audio’.
Mr Kavanagh, who now works in the radio broadcasting industry, said he was grateful for the support he received to bring the concept of ‘The Tourist’ to life.
“To be a part of something that has received a national accolade, and to have invested myself in a project that has managed to get this far, is an absolute blessing,” Mr Kavanagh said.
“It inspires me to continue with what I'm doing, to get better, and really makes me grateful to have my passion and love for sound production received and acknowledged in this way.”
CBAA Chief Executive Officer Jon Bisset said the awards were a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the value and impact of the community broadcasting sector.
Feature image (left to right): Three of RTRFM's 'Talk the Talk' radio hosts Kylie Sturgess, Daniel Midgley and Ben Ainslie.