CBAA Conference
The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia holds its national conference each year in a different Australian city, and the 2025 conference was recently held in Hobart, making it a nice short journey for our delegates to attend.
There were many sessions that covered many topics, including a fundraising masterclass, building stronger music programming, fact verification in the National Radio News broadcasts, innovation through inclusion, and an insight into community radio in India, Sudan and Afghanistan.
Congratulations to our very own Multicultural Unit for winning the “Excellence in Multicultural Content & Engagement” award. Your community station, and the entire community, are very proud of all our MCU presenters.
One of the many interesting topics discussed at this year’s conference was reported by CPR delegate Vivi, and it was about Artificial Intelligence, or AI, in music. Opinions on generative AI range widely, and the conversation is growing louder in media circles, including community radio.
While AI can boost efficiency, accessibility, and data analysis, it also raises serious risks around bias, misinformation, and loss of trust. For community broadcasters and local outlets – often operating with limited resources – AI tools such as synthetic voice and automated summarisation could enhance reach, especially for audiences with accessibility needs or limited literacy.
There are no established guidelines or safeguards yet, but watch this space…… in the meantime, read the report in full at the bottom of this newsletter.
(right) CPR conference delegates met the Hon. Rebecca White, Assistant Minister for Women, Indigenous Health, and Health and Aged Care. They took the opportunity to thank her for her support of digital radio in northern Tasmania, and she was invited to visit our studios when next in Launceston.
DOWNLOAD DECEMBER ROSTER HERE
Outside Broadcasts
As summer approaches and the weather warms up, we love getting out of the studio and into the community.
Early November saw the opening of the newly refurbished Albert Hall, and City Park Radio had a presence in the foyer of the new extension during the Public Open Day. It was certainly one of the easiest set-ups for us, being only 2 minutes walk from our studios.
Pictured here is host Chris Sayer talking to Launceston Councillor Ross Marsden, who said “Thank you to City Park Radio for having me on to chat about the Albert Hall and its exciting new chapter. It’s always a pleasure to talk about one of Launceston’s most treasured icons and what it means for our community.”
The station was also invited to broadcast a Long Lunch program from Woolmers Estate at Longford, to herald the annual Festival of Roses. Several guests from Woolmers spoke about the history of the World Heritage Site and the rose garden, which was in full bloom providing a spectacular vista (pictured left).
Coming up in December, the 13th to be exact, our Multicultural Unit will be broadcasting from the Brisbane Street Mall from midday, outside the Myer building. Make sure you come along, say hello and meet the dedicated presenters who bring you our diverse range of multicultural programs.
We will also be bringing you a Saturday of cricket on December 20th, with two limited-over games at UTAS Stadium for the Greater Northern Raiders, who will be playing the Clarence and then the South Hobart/Sandy Bay cricket clubs. Join Dave Mohr and his team for some quality local cricket.
Christmas BBQ
Our Member’s Christmas barbecue will be on Sunday 14th December, starting at 12 noon, in the backyard of the cottage. There will be live music, great food and the raffle will be drawn on the day. To book your place and to buy raffle tickets, please call the office on 6334 3344. Raffle tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5. Donations for the raffle are most welcome. Sweet, savoury or salad dishes would be appreciated on the day.
Life Member farewell
City Park Radio was sadden to learn of the passing of life member Noel Broomhall. She was one of our very first presenters when we went to air in 1986, producing and co-presenting the Bahai program “One Planet, One People”. She also hosted many other programs, such as Breakfast, Classical and Jazz. She is pictured here broadcasting from our first studio at Alanvale College in 1986.
With her husband Edward, they were an inspirational couple who touched the lives of many people, not just at CPR but throughout the whole community.
City Park Radio is successful today because of the efforts and dedication of Noel Broomhall over her 30 years at the station. We will always be grateful for her contribution and camaraderie.
Vale Noel Margaret Broomhall
Have you ever dreamed of being a sports commentator?
Our Sports caller Dave Mohr is taking well deserved leave from early May to early July next year. An opportunity therefore exists for an aspiring sports commentator to join the team in the commentary box, calling the play at NTFA games, and perhaps VFL games, on City Park Radio in season 2026.
A good knowledge of Aussie Rules footy and a commitment to prepare prior to games is essential. No experience is necessary as we can do some training prior to you going live in front of a radio audience.
Please contact the station if you are interested – call us on 6334 3344 during office hours, or email us at cityparkradio@cityparkradio.com.au
Don’t forget …
the traditional family Christmas event, Carols in the Park, will be held in the City Park on Sunday December 21st, from 5pm. The concert will feature some of Tasmania’s most talented artists, and of course a visit from Santa. CPR is proud to then bring you a recording of this special concert on Christmas morning from 9:30am.
The Tasmanian Independent Country Music Awards
… was recently held in Launceston, and featured a performance of CPR presenter Garry Pengelly on the night. Congratulations to Justin Jones who won the Tasmanian Songwriter of the Year, an award that was sponsored by City Park Radio.
Examiner readers wanted:
If you can help out with this valuable service by being a reader, please get in touch with the station.
Dates for the diary:
Generative AI and Community Media: Opportunities and Cautions
By: Vivi (Presenter Across the Ocean) – City Park Radio delegate to 2025 CBAA Conference
Have you tried tools like ChatGPT, Copilot? Or do you avoid them completely? Opinions on generative AI (Gen AI) range widely, and the conversation is growing louder in media circles. At the recent CBAA Conference, one session, “AI and Media: Opportunities, Challenges, and Audience Trust”, was presented by Michael Davis from the Centre for Media Transition, UTS. His team reports, Gen AI and Journalism (2024) and Towards Common Principle (2025), offer valuable insights for community broadcasters.
Let’s experiment. First, I use only ChatGPT to summarise, without human editing:
The “Gen AI and Journalism: Toward Common Principles” (2025) report by UTS highlights that while generative AI can boost efficiency, accessibility, and data analysis in news production, it also raises serious risks around bias, misinformation, and loss of trust. For community broadcasters and local outlets—often operating with limited resources—AI tools such as synthetic voice and automated summarisation could enhance reach, especially for audiences with accessibility needs or limited literacy. The report stresses that AI should augment, not replace journalists, and that strong editorial guidelines and collaboration across sectors are vital to ensure technology supports public interest journalism and equitable access to its benefits.
Second, I read and summarise the highlights, then use Copilot to improve readability, while still manually editing for accuracy and tone:
AI can make tasks like summarising articles or improving readability faster and easier, especially helpful for people who write in English as an additional language. But in Australia, its use in journalism is still low. According to the MediaNet 2025 Report, 63% of Australian journalists hadn’t used AI in the past year.
Why? They say the benefits are limited, it costs too much, and they worry about trust and integrity in the news.
Community media values accuracy, transparency, and audience trust. AI can struggle with these because it often makes mistakes, misses context, and mixes fact with opinion. This happens because AI works by spotting patterns in data, not knowing what’s true. So, AI is only as good as the information it’s trained on. Chatbots and AI assistants need accurate, up-to-date data, but even then, summaries can include errors or fake sources. Because of these risks, Australian media guidelines like SBS, ABC, and Nine require humans to check AI outputs. They also limit AI behind-the-scenes tasks such as transcription or research, not writing or publishing news (Attard et al. 2025).
Notice the difference?
AI is great with repetitive tasks, but it should never replace human judgment, the key to trustworthy reporting. As the saying goes, “We start and end with humans.” Editorial decisions must always remain in human hands.
Curious about using AI in your script? Keep these tips in mind:
1. Verify facts: If AI gives you a summary, only include details you can confirm. When in doubt, leave it out.
2. Watch for oddities: AI accuracy depends on its source. Check for strange patterns, especially in images.
3. Be transparent: If AI played a big role in creating your content, let your audience know.
4. Test before you commit: Try different tools to see which best fits your workflow.
5. Protect privacy: Never upload confidential or personal information to an AI platform.
6. Control data sharing: Many AI tools share your inputs by default to improve their models. Turn this off if you prefer.
For more insights, read the latest report:
Attard, M., M. Davis and T. Markus (2025), Gen AI and Journalism: Toward Common Principles, Sydney, accessed at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29818829.