Over the past year, The Wire has expanded its collaborative network, enabling it to showcase more stories and a better diversity of voices.
The flagship national program for the community radio sector is now produced by five community radio stations: 4ZZZ, 3ZZZ, 2SER, Radio Adelaide and Radio 4EB – with the newest additions to its production team including: Moemina Shukur the producer for 3ZZZ, Mary-Kate Hannagan for 4ZZZ and Emma Wotzke for Radio Adelaide. The project produces up to five stories per episode – five days per week, which are freely available to any station and is supported by a content-rich website, podcast, social media feed, and distributed via the Community Radio Network (CRN) and Community Radio Plus app.
Running on a new production model since early 2023, The Wire has focused on increasing opportunities for women to contribute within the project and to get more involved in the decision-making processes of its production. ‘Across the producing stations, there is a gender balance in reporters and story producers at any given day’ explains Joanne Pratt, Station Manager of 4EB. ‘The Wire will continue increasing opportunities for women to be in the project, not only producing specific radio content, but hosting the program and being involved in the production day along with the assigned producer.’
With a focus on promoting greater gender diversity and cultivating a safe space within the newsrooms, The Wire team have been encouraging more interviews with female-identifying talent for stories as well as more of its female volunteers to present the radio program. It has even taken further steps to implement a ‘40-40-20’ strategy to ensure a minimum 40% of volunteers identifying as women, and a minimum of 40% of leadership roles to go to women.
This year, the program was awarded ‘Best coverage of Women’s Issues’ at the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council (NEMBC) Awards 2024 – acknowledging the stories contributed by community journalist and contributor, Netta Finney from 4EB, about gendered violence and support for affected women. The Wire has continued to cement its reputation as a significant platform not just for voicing diverse stories and news from the community, but where emerging journalists are keen to broadcast and learn from.
The Wire (via 4EB Ethnic Broadcasting Association of Queensland Limited) received $160,000 in funding under CBF’s Content grant Round 1 2023/24 for computer equipment, staff wages (Executive Producer, Daily producers, Project Management) including superannuation and workcover, and staff attendance at the Community Broadcasting Australia Association (CBAA) Conference 2023.
[Image: 4EB The Wire newsroom; The Wire’s Sameen Arshad & Nora Amath at MQ Awards 2023].