The Community Broadcasting Foundation has a long history supporting gender equality in community broadcasting. In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting eight recent successful grant projects that are driven by women.
1. Over 50? So What
Over 50? So What is a show of fun, fitness and inspiration targeted at seniors. The show’s presenter, Carol O’Halloran, chats to diverse community groups, health and wellbeing experts and also hosts a regular fitness segment.
The show is aired three times a week on C31 Melbourne and Geelong, Channel 44 and CTV+, and is also available on demand through Youtube and Facebook. The show was a finalist ‘Best Seniors TV Show’ 2021 Antenna Awards and Carol won Best Seniors TV personality 2021. The majority of people who work on Over 50? So What (25 of the 33) identify as women.
2. Kids Health with Dr Nelu
Dr Nelu Simonsz is a paediatric doctor with a passion for sharing her knowledge and expertise with others. Through her work as a healthcare professional, Dr Nelu kept encountering parents who were either uniformed or misinformed about different aspects of their children’s health. This lead to an idea to present a studio-based series on C31 Melbourne and Geelong which provides parents with practical information on the health and wellbeing of their children.
Kids Health with Dr Nelu consists of 24 short online videos covering common topics of concern like fevers, emergencies, and food and allergies. The show’s focus on health literacy also aligns with C31’s vision to “support local communities to create and distribute video content in a multi-platform world”. As a woman of Sri Lankan heritage, Dr Nelu also helps promote gender and cultural diversity of female doctors represented in the entertainment industry.
Watch Kids Health with Dr Nelu >
3. Accent of Women
Accent of Women is a Melbourne-base radio program on 3CR by and about women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The show addresses gender imbalance by carving out a space exclusively for the voices of women of colour. The show is overwhelmingly directed by women of colour and of the ten participants involved, nine identify as women. The team at Accent of Women believe the best way to involve people of different genders is to empower those communities to use the show as a platform to organise their own activities and tell their own stories.
Between February and October 2021 Accent of Women organised five international zoom panels with speeches broadcast on the program. The panels included Afghan and Iranian women speaking on violence and the COVID-19 pandemic, International Solidarity with Thailand and Myanmar and How do we win in Palestine? The program is distributed nationally on the Community Radio Network.
4. Women of the World
Women of the World (or WOW) is a global movement seeking to build a future in which women and men are equal, and gender does not determine life outcomes. 4EB are bringing WOW to Western Queensland with three festivals to take place in Longreach, Cairns and Logan (after being postponed due to COVID-19).
In 2020, the CBF funded a project where 4EB partnered with the WOW Australia Festival to produce a range of interview-based audio content about women and by women. This included outside broadcasts at the festivals, as well as producing podcasts and web content. The funding also provided opportunities for new female broadcasters to receive mentoring and training opportunities in editing, interviewing and how to execute an outdoor broadcast.
5. HerStory
RTRFM in Mount Lawley, Western Australia recently released the first season of the podcast HerStory. Each episode features the stories of one of 12 influential women who have been inducted into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame. All have altered the course of WA history, and continue to shape the state today. Interviewees include the first WA female premier and federal politician Dr Carmen Lawrence, Walkley Award-winning journalist Estell Blackburn OAM, wheelchair racer Louise Sauvage OAM, actor and broadcaster Libby Stone, and many more.
The show uses an all-female team both in-front of the mic and behind the scenes. In late 2021, the station won several Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Awards including two members of the HerStory team, host Taylah Strano and producer Fiona Bartholomaeus, who were acknowledged for their outstanding contributions to the station’s programming.
6. Sisters in Law
Sisters in Law is a community legal education podcast about women, the law and access to justice. Now into production for its third season, the show has three hosts — lawyers from the Central Australian Womens Legal Service (CAWLS) – Sarah Edwards, Meaghan Lawrie and project and policy support officer Jazz Jones. All three have a passion for social justice and equality for women in the central desert region.
Each season consists of 12, 30-minute episodes broadcast on 102.1FM 8CCC Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. The podcasts are also available online. The show aims to increase the audiences’ legal literacy and gives a platform to empower female artists and guests.
7. Transcending the Gender Narrative
This Chanel 44 eight-part series takes a look at the women and men championing female leaders in traditionally male dominated industries. Hosted by Amelia Veale the program is a multi-platform TV, web and podcast interview series which shares positive success stories from women in senior leadership roles and from the men who support the rise of female leaders in their industry
The aim of the series is to provide a diverse viewpoint of the women and men who are championing diversity and equality in traditionally male dominated industries or roles. The program won Outstanding Direction in a Program at the 2021 Antenna Awards, and was nominated in both the Best Factual, Current Affairs or Interview Program and the Program of the Year categories.
Watch Transcending the Gender Narrative >
8. Women on the Line
This half-hour weekly national feminist current affairs program on 3CR offers a gender analysis of contemporary issues, as well as in-depth analysis by a range of women and gender diverse people around Australia and internationally. The show is hosted by Ayan Shirwa, Emma Hart, Iris Lee, Priya Kunjan and Scheherazade Bloul.
First airing in 1986, is a half-hour program that presents quality current affairs programming on women’s issues. All producers and presenters are women and gender non-conforming people from diverse backgrounds who bring their perspectives to the issues discussed. Some of the incredibly skilled women who have been involved in Women on the Line over the years includes Andrea Baker, Cath Keaney, Deb Welch, Helen Lobato, Karen James, Rachel Petra and Ruth Barney.
About our grants
We run two Content and Development & Operations grant rounds each year, usually in January and July.
Quick Response Grants are also available outside our grant rounds for community media organisations that are experiencing emergencies.
Grant round dates
Check our Key dates page for the next grant round.
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