Backbencher

I listened to the local radio station 612 ABC Brisbane. This radio station broadcasts to Brisbane and the Brisbane region. The station was formatted a lot like American radio. They had weather, sports, traffic reports, and news. They had a lot of viewers call in and speak on-air. One of the main topics discussed was floods in the region. They had continuous weather reports to inform the residents of the forecast for rain in the coming days. They also had a lot of information about flood cleanup. A newscaster reported that some residents of the flooded region (Rock Hampton) were giving police a problem because they weren't following safety warnings. Many of the people calling in were wondering if the snakes coming out because of the rain and floods were harmful. The sportscast was focused on cricket and tennis. I don't know much about cricket, but there seems to be controversy between India and Australia. (What is a cricket test?!)

The most interesting thing I heard was actually the DVD releases for the coming week. The DJ's rated the DVDs that are being released in the next week. I happened to hear the review of the film Sicko by Michael Moore. Because Michael Moore is a critic of our government, it was interesting to hear the Australian point of view of this film. The movie is based on what Moore feels are weaknesses in the US health system. The reviewer spoke of privatized health coverage and insurance, which leaves me wondering if medical coverage in Australia is universal. From the response of the reviewer, I assume they do have universal health care. Neither of the reviewers criticized George W. Bush or our health care system, but they both agreed that it was a good film They rated it an A-.

I also listened to the Australian radio Station Triple J (ABC Radio). I listened to this station over the days January 28th-January 30th. Triple J is a government-funded radio station that is aimed at youth (those ages 12-25). The music played on the station is generally Australian bands. They also play a lot of live music. I don’t know a lot about Australian music, but it seemed to me like they played more alternative music, rather than popular or commercial music. I actually enjoyed a lot of what I heard. The music is eclectic, and the bands incorporate a lot of different instruments.

The schedule of this radio station is a lot like American radio. They have morning shows (Mornings with Zan) and request hours. For the few days that I listened to the radio station, they were holding contests to give away tickets to a large music festival. It was very similar to American radio stations. One difference is that the DJ's will play a song, then speak for a few minutes. Then they will play another song and speak again. They didn't really play a block of songs in sequence.

I actually enjoyed listening to Australian radio more than I enjoy listening to American radio. I personally enjoyed the music more. It was interesting to hear another point of view on international issues. American news radio tends to be negative and critical, but from what I heard, Australian news radio gives facts without negative opinions.