"Save RN Music Eurobodalla" will be meeting today, Thursday, December 15, at 12.45 at St John’s Hall, Moruya. ABC Radio National is set to cut all but one of its music programs in 2017 What does it mean for regional RN audiences and to Australian music? Radio National plays a special role in the life of many regional musicians and audience members. Candelo’s Michael Menager notes:“Programs like The Daily Planet and The Inside Sleeve provide a listening space for all Australian musicians and songwriters, independent or otherwise,” he says. “It’s how many of us keep up with new developments, new ideas, new sounds from all over Australia (and the world) right from our regional homes. “And – as has happened for me and for other regional artists – Radio National (in my particular case, via The Inside Sleeve) has given us the opportunity to play our songs and to talk about our music in front of a nationwide audience. “To share the art that we create, and the process by which we create it, with listeners that we wouldn’t be in touch with otherwise,” Michael says. Renowned Candelo singer – songwriter Heath Cullen describes how growing up listening to Lucky Oceans’ The Daily Planet informed his musical career. “In Lucky’s show, I found a daily dose of new inspiration and discovered much of the music that would become a tangible part of who I am as an artist, as a human,” "The full weight of the music community has come out in support of ABC RN music programs, programs that will be cut from the 2017 line up." Kate Burke, the primary driver behind the Hands Off Radio National nationwide campaign, has tapped into a passion and tangible relationship between these programs, audiences, and artists. “There was nothing in the world like the Daily Planet, and I believe that is still true today. The recent news that the ABC will be cutting the show altogether is heartbreaking to me.” “The loss of RN music programming will limit Australians’ exposure to diverse cultural ideas and forms, and will make this country less harmonious and more boring. Change can be refreshing, but the cuts to RN seem more like a cultural slap on the wrist than a healthy makeover.Can the ABC guarantee that future programming will be supportive of Australian arts?“ "Our national broadcaster’s charter requires it ‘to encourage and promote the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia’ and Radio National have, up until now, always done it well,” says Heath Cullen. “The decision to cut nearly all of this treasured music programming from RN‘s schedule is the wrong decision. It must be reversed immediately.” Candelo resident David Ross MacDonald has played drums with Australian folk-pop legends The Waifs for almost two decades.“ABC Radio National‘s music programs have been key to the exposure and successes of The Waifs over the past 18 years while I have been drumming for them,” David says.“On the times I have got to play live and record in the ABC it has always felt like I was participating in a bigger Australian story that encompasses national identity and also felt a sense of pride and professional opportunity during such experiences. “The cancellation or scaling back of music programming at the ABC will be to the greater detriment of the Australian music industry and also diminish the valuable role music plays in the creation and bolstering of national identity,” he says. While Hands Off Radio National remain staunchly apolitical in their approach, they briefed Shadow Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke yesterday about their concerns and fears in regard to cuts at the ABC and enjoyed being offered the courtesy of being listened to.
Above: Ruth Hazelton of Hands Off Radio National was joined by Caroline Moore (Director Port Fairy Folk Festival), Dobe Newton OAM (Chair of the Country Music Association of Australia) and Dean Ormston (Head of Member Services Group for APRA/AMCOS). That large document being poured over contains ALL the comments from the online Hands Off our RN petition to date. The group now welcomes further discussions with politicians of any colour and will continue seeking wide support for music diversity on OUR ABC!
To learn more about the Save RN Music campaign visit their website here "Save RN Music Eurobodalla" will be meeting today, Thursday, December 15, at 12.45 at St John’s Hall, Moruya.
