The Informer

This was the first year for JOYs new program director Chris Tait who dived head first into JOY managing outside broadcasts in his first few weeks.

He coordinated a huge Mardi Gras program with 3 shows broadcast from SBS and a live broadcast from the SBS van with JOYs commentary of the Mardi Gras Parade.

Chris joins The Informer to talk about this achievement and what his first year in the role was like.

2017 saw JOY broadcast 6,552 hours of unique broadcasts, as well as 10 podcast only programs announcing this year that our podcast count reached  1 million downloads. We spoke to JOYs Production Manager Jason Gipps about how important JOYs podcast network is giving a space for the voices of our communities to be shared around the world past the broadcasts live to air.

It was a huge year for the award-winning team from Chicks Talkin Footy who made a name for themselves within the broader AFL and AFLW communities – because they know their stuff and they can communicate it in a way that is accessible and enjoyable whether or not you are a footy fan. We spoke to Fiona Newton from the team about how the year has been kicking off with broadcasting live from the second AFL Pride Match in Sydney.

Empowering women to be active participants in football, particularly during the inaugural AFLW season that kicked off in early 2017, there is plenty inshore for 2018.

In the lead up to and after the postal survey, JOY fully supported the YES vote on and off the airwaves and created a space for our communities to express how they were feeling and processing through this difficult time, CEO Tennille Moisell shares with us why it was important that JOY was more than just a voice for the communities but a safe space for them as well.

 

During the YES Campaign JOY rebranded to YES94.9 with more than 1000 hours of YES content produced and broadcast across the Community Radio Network, it was a great space to hear from the diverse voices in our communities celebrating our 61.6% YES result. Shaping that voice on our airwaves was our program manager Chris Tait who continues his reflection on JOY during 2017.

In this segment of The Informer we look at JOY during 2017 and speak to the team members behind the scenes that help keep JOY Out, Loud, and Proud.

Our radiothon for 2017 was our biggest and most successful yet with over $300,000 raised. That’s over 50% of JOYs revenue coming from Radiothon and we continue our conversation with JOY CEO Tennille Moisell about keeping JOY out and proud on the airwaves during radiothon, with JOY presenters sharing why ‘We Still Need JOY’.

We look at JOY during 2017 and speak to the team members behind the scenes that help keep JOY Out, Loud, and Proud.

 

JOY started its 24th year in January officially changing its community of interest to involve every part of our rainbow family.  JOY CEO Tennille Moisell joins us discusses the change in culture and direction for the station this year.

Over 320 volunteers have worked together to create over 6,552 hours of broadcasting which has helped us to achieve our highest listenership ever 377,000 listeners.

19 venues were nominated for Best Venue for The Melbourne Drag Awards earlier this week, but as we end 2017, not all those venues are still running. On this segment of The Informer we speak to nominees Piano Bar Geelong & Vau d’vile Drag Cabaret Restaurant about what it’s like creating spaces for our communities, and how they keep them relevant and inclusive.

Better Together 2018 is a two-day national conference to be held at the Melbourne Town Hall in Victoria, Australia from 12 to 13 January 2018.

The conference will explore current issues facing the LGBTIQ movement, bringing together voices from women’s rights, indigenous rights, disability, the Deaf community, and multicultural and faith groups.

Jason Tuazon-McCheyne joins The Informer team to discuss the conference schedule and events.

Christmas has come early for seven LGBTIQ community groups, who will share in $65,000 of funding announced today by Aurora, Alison King speaks to The Informer about this years recipients.

In 2018, Aurora is delighted to be supporting:

* The Women and Girls Emergency Centre – to develop new support services for LBQ women experiencing violence across wider Sydney.

* Bolton Clarke aged care services – to research and develop a handbook for NSW aged care services on providing best practice care to LGBTIQ people.

* Bellingen Neighbourhood Centre – to deliver a series of community forums and events aimed at bridging the gap between the younger and older LGBTIQ communities across their region.

* Outstanding LGBTIQ Short Story Competition – to develop an e-book of winning LGBTIQ Short Stories and run a new mini-story competition during the 2018 Mardi Gras Festival.

* Dress for Success Sydney – to purchase appropriate clothing and to develop initial transgender Dress for Success workshops – helping transgender women into the workforce with confidence.

* Northcott Innovations – for the collaborative development of disability and sexuality programming for the LGBTIQ community, driven by community members themselves.

Aurora will also continue giving special assistance to its key funding partner – Twenty10, incorporating the NSW Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service (GLSC), to deliver services and support to young people across central and western Sydney.

 

Many festivals filled with LGBTI celebration and culture began years ago as protest marches fighting for equality.

In this segment  of the Informer, we speak to the Midsumma and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festivals and ask them how our queer festivals are changing with our ever evolving LGBTI narrative?