By John Gauci
SYDNEY — Black is back loud and proud on Koori Radio 96.9FM. The Australian Broadcasting Authority has granted Gadigal Information Services a four-week test transmission licence from April 19 to May 18, so Koori Radio is back on air.
Gadigal Information Service was established in 1993 to provide a community based media/arts and information service for the indigenous community.
For many years, Koori people were concerned about ensuring that they had equal access to services that most non-indigenous people took for granted. Named after the traditional owners of the inner Sydney area, Gadigal grew out of a need for an indigenous-controlled and operated media organisation in the city with the largest indigenous population in Australia (36,000 people).
Because mainstream media has consistently portrayed indigenous Australians as negative stereotypes, Gadigal was established to counter this.
During the early 1980s, Radio Redfern was established to give Kooris in Sydney a voice. Its impact was incredible. During the bicentennial year, 1988, Radio Redfern played a pivotal role in informing and educating the public about indigenous responses to this celebration.
Due to management and funding problems Radio Redfern disbanded some time later.
Currently there are indigenous-held licences in Alice Springs, Brisbane, Perth and Townsville. Gadigal is now in the process of trying to obtain a licence for the Sydney metropolitan area.
The Australian Broadcasting Authority has stated that there is the possibility of two licences being offered for Sydney community radio in 1998. Gadigal is confident that it will have a good chance of obtaining one of these. You can show your support for Koori Radio by faxing letters of encouragement to the station manager, Cathy Craig, on (02) 9310 4970.
Koori Radio's programming policy ensures that at least one-third of all its music come from Aborigines or Torres Strait Islanders and covers a broad range of musical styles including country, rap, reggae hip hop , dance, rock and blues.
While addressing indigenous current affairs and making important community announcements, Koori Radio's programs also cater for indigenous youth, the gay and lesbian community, women's business and ethnic minority groups such as Freedom Chants for the East Timorese and a Burmese radio show.
Arts Yarn Up is a national program produced weekly at Gadigal that is dedicated solely to the promotion of emerging artists and indigenous arts issues from across Australia. Each week it is broadcast to all community radio stations around the country. For the past two years the program has been voted the best Aboriginal program by the Community Broadcasters Association of Australia.
Gadigal's charter is to collect, collate and disseminate any information that concerns indigenous people. Aside from radio, it is also involved in areas such as publishing, literature, entertainment/promotions, public relations and as an outlet for the general public to gather information on indigenous people and their lifestyles.
Gadigal runs a writers' group as well as master classes for established writers. Gadigal's first major publication, an anthology of Sydney-based writers, will be published in 1998.
The first Gadigal CD, featuring original music by Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, is in production and will be launched in November.
Gadigal is also involved in a number of theatre projects that deal with a range of indigenous issues.
With the Olympic Games in 2000, it is hoped that Koori Radio will be on air to give an indigenous perspective on an event that will have the world watching.