‘Go join that radio station up there’: The role of Australian community radio in journalism education and training

Abstract

Community broadcasting represents the largest independent media sector in Australia, with over 26,000 actively involved volunteers per annum. While people come to community broadcasting at many different points in their life, there is a common, unofficial narrative that describes community radio volunteers ‘cutting their teeth’ in the sector and then ‘moving on’ in their careers. This article details research that interrogates the experiences of journalists and other people working in the creative and cultural industries, who spent significant time in the Australian community broadcasting sector. Employing a collective case study approach, this article identifies and discusses key themes describing the impact of community radio on the employment pathways and career trajectories of its practitioners, with a focus on journalism and media production. These themes provide a framework for further research into the impact of community media on journalists’ employment pathways and career trajectories, viewing community media through a rhizomatic prism.