Radio programme for Slovenians in Australia is back – first in Sydney, soon also in Melbourne
The loss of the programme on national radio has left a huge void in the Slovenian community, especially among the first generation of immigrants. For them, the Slovenian programme was a very important source of news both from Slovenia and from the Slovenian community in Australia.
A few months ago, representatives of all Slovenian organisations in Sydney joined forces, determined to revive the Slovenian radio programme – this time on a local radio station. After careful analysis and consideration, local station 89.3 2GLF was chosen. There are several reasons for this, including the fact that its signal covers the areas of Sydney where most Slovenians live, and that it allows listeners to tune in to radio broadcasts online.
Preparations quickly started and on Saturday 24 February, at 8 am local time, under the direction of editor Tania Smrdel – who has gained a wealth of journalistic experience in SBS's Slovenian programme – the “Voice of Slovenian Australians” was already ringing out on the airwaves in Sydney. The now one-hour show is to be extended to two hours a week in April.
The programme is devoted to important news from Slovenia and mainly to covering what is happening in the Slovenian community in Australia, but there will also be plenty of time for Slovenian music. In order to attract as many listeners as possible from the second and third generations of immigrants who no longer speak Slovenian so well, part of the programme will be in English.
You can listen to it live every Saturday at the link below.
Link for listening live online
Tune in!
But it is not only Slovenians in Sydney who are active: a similar campaign has also been launched in Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria and an equally important centre of Slovenian identity in Australia.
The community there decided to revive their cooperation with the local radio station 3ZZZ, with which they worked well in the past. If all goes according to plan, they will start regular broadcasts in March, at 7 am local time on Sundays.
In Melbourne as well, the revival of the Slovenian radio programme enjoys the unanimous support of the local Slovenian community. The programme will be presented by Katarina Van Der Linden and Lenti Lenko, who has offered his studio for this purpose. Like Tania Smrdel, both gained their journalistic experience at SBS Radio. They promise a very relaxed show, with as much local news, interesting guests and music as possible.