Commercial Radio Australia and AFTRS team up for CRA Podcast Scholarship
Commercial Radio Australia has partnered with screen and broadcast school AFTRS on the CRA Podcast Scholarship.
The announcement:
Commercial Radio Australia and AFTRS announce the CRA Podcast Scholarship
AFTRS, the national screen and broadcast school, and Commercial Radio Australia (CRA), the national industry body representing Australian commercial radio broadcasters, today announced a new scholarship to support a regional student moving to Sydney to study AFTRS’ Graduate Diploma in Radio which covers all aspects of audio including podcasting.
The CRA Podcast Scholarship will provide $7,500 in 2020, to support the student’s living expenses and re-location to Sydney plus a 4-week internship at Podcast One
“Podcasting has been growing at a substantial rate both nationally and internationally. AFTRS foreshadowed this exciting emerging field for Australian broadcast storytellers and began teaching podcasting in 2006. AFTRS Graduate Diploma Radio curriculum includes opportunities for students, working alongside industry experts, to regularly create, edit and publish radio and podcast content, preparing them to work professionally as podcast producers. We are thrilled to be partnering with CRA to support a talented regional student to study at the School,” said AFTRS Head of Radio Fyona Smith.
CEO of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner, said: “We are pleased to announce the CRA Podcast Scholarship to support a regional student studying at AFTRS. Many of the radio students AFTRS produces invariably find employment in commercial radio across Australia, including within the podcasting space, and several have gone on to win prestigious radio awards. Through the CRA Podcast Scholarship, the commercial radio industry is investing in the development of the next generation of industry talent and showing our continued commitment to supporting the growth of podcasts in this country.”
Radio has long been active in driving the production and development of podcasting in Australia, with commercial radio in particular investing heavily in both branded and original content. At CRA’s national Radio Alive Conference in Brisbane on 18 October, a new monthly cross industry Australian Podcast Ranker was launched, which acts as a reliable and regular reporting tool for Australia’s most downloaded and listened to podcasts and aims to increase podcast awareness and consumption.
AFTRS Graduate Diploma in Radio is a high level, intensive, hands-on course for upcoming on air and behind the scenes broadcasters. Offered as a one-year full time or two years part time course, the graduates achieve a high employment rate of 95% plus and work in broadcasting around the country.
The CRA Podcast Scholarship recipient will be announced in early 2020.
Source: CRA media release
