Cheryl Northey is an experienced radio producer and reporter, with an extensive working background in digital media, technology and business. She has held former roles at the Community Broadcasting Australia Association (CBAA) where she worked on the Australian Radio Airplay Project (AMRAP) and Sydney’s 2SER as a volunteer.
Tell me about your background including where you grew up and your life before community broadcasting.
I grew up in Sydney and the South Coast of New South Wales in the Shoalhaven district.
I was obsessed with audio at a young age. I recorded a primary school presentation on tape to be played with the book I created to go with it. Today that’s called multiplatform content production!
What station do you work/volunteer at and what is your role at the station?
I volunteered at 2SER whilst I was studying Communications at the University of Technology (UTS) part-time.
I also worked for the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) on the satellite service that eventually became the digital network whilst I was studying.
I was a freelance audio producer and then came back to the CBAA for the Australian Radio Airplay Project (AMRAP) to distribute Australian music through the community radio network.
How did you get into community broadcasting?
I took a break between high school and university and worked. It was during that time I did a Radio Production Course with 2RRR. I found radio so exciting and felt a great sense of camaraderie with volunteers.
Why did you sign up to be a CBF assessor?
I have many years of experience in digital media, technology and business and I wanted to be able to give back to the sector where I started as a media professional through being an assessor.
I wanted my experience to be leveraged by stations and communities that aren’t always represented in mainstream media to have access to all the tools they can for impactful broadcasting.
Finish this sentence: Community broadcasting is important because…
It offers a diversity of choice and representation in our media that reflects the true concerns and communities that make up Australia.
[Photo: Cheryl Northey in the studio of Deutsche Welle in Bonn, Germany].