I was asked to write a letter of support for something today. Here’s what I wrote:
I write in support of the proposed Children’s Radio Network in New Zealand.
I campaigned for KidsNet in 1999-2000 when the Youth Radio Network was a hot topic on the NZ political landscape. While the aims of the teenage Youth Radio proposal were laudable – and it is to this government’s shame that no Youth Radio services were established (Kiwi FM does not begin to address the issue) – the YRN proposals under consideration did not address the area of greatest and most urgent need.
There is still not one radio station in the country that specifically targets the needs of 400,000+ primary and intermediate school-age New Zealand children, and this is a tragic missed opportunity on so many levels. The ability to share ‘our songs and our stories’ with those most eager to hear them; the chance to provide in-school music lessons with some of New Zealand’s finest performers (and much more besides); the opportunity to have our kids grow up in a media environment that values and respects their interests is one we would be neglectful to turn up. Not having a non-commercial public media outlet for New Zealand children denies them their cultural birthright.
New Zealand is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which guarantees fair and open media access to our youth, and yet our current media landscape does not provide programming, let alone the access to media guaranteed when the Convention was ratified by our representatives.
Moreover, our children deserve the same access and inclusion in a non-commercial public media space that treats them as citizens, rather than as simply consumers. Public radio currently only offers that ‘privilege’ to their parents.
But perhaps most importantly, in a world where youth suicide, teen pregnancy, drug addiction and other youth-related problems is at near-epidemic proportions, turning down a chance to have our children grow up with access to information, cultural connectedness, identification with their peers across the country, and the feeling of belonging to something greater than them, is to walk away from our best chance of ever addressing these issues.
There’s no use applying these measures as band-aids at the point of crisis, and nor should we be putting all of our ambulances at the bottom of the cliff. We need to encourage and foster healthier, more engaged and better prepared New Zealanders – and for this to happen, our kids need to grow up in a society that values them and gives them every opportunity to access to the information, education and cultural context that they deserve.
I support the establishment of a Children’s Radio Network in New Zealand because, quite frankly, I believe that NOT to do so would not only be a grave disservice to the next generation of New Zealanders, but also lacks political courage in the face of self-serving corporate commercial radio lobbyists, shows an outrageous imbalance of priorities, is entirely short-sighted and uncaring – and represents the antithesis to the kind of character that we kiwis pride ourselves on.
I urge you to support this important venture. If you would like further information from me about Children’s Radio in New Zealand, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Sincerely,
Andrew Dubber
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8695705b-992e-4bcb-b871-06e0f2e7e73e)
Tagged: Kiwi, Kiwi FM, New Zealand, Politics of New Zealand, Radio Network
2 Trackbacks
You can leave a trackback using this URL: http://andrewdubber.com/2008/10/kids-radio-in-nz/trackback/
[...] Dubber has written in support of a Kids’ Radio Station for New Zealand. Remembering how important radio was when I was young, thi is a good idea long [...]
[...] Dubber has written in support of a Kids’ Radio Station for New Zealand. Remembering how important radio was to me when I was young, this is a good idea long [...]
5 Comments
Bravo! Where can we find out more?
Nice write up Dubber
Kids radio, or Children’s radio?
I think it got a bit blurred in there when you mentioned youth suicide and teen pregnancy. A clear definition between ‘youth radio’ and ‘kids radio’ needs to be given consideration. Primary and Intermediate kids have very different social behaviours. For example, I believe sex education only comes in at intermediate age.
There are schools running LPFM stations up and down the country, which does capture their interest in ‘radio’ as a social skill, so I wouldn’t expect kids in future to lose a connection to the medium of radio, however with the media landscape continually expanding, the strong bond to radio that you and I have (or once had) may not be “as necessary” for our kids in future, therefore less relevant.
10 to 15 year old intermediate kids are of the age of early drug addiction, smoking, pregnancy and pimples. Despite the commercial environment, many iwi stations try these issues daily, and The Edge seems to be the social hub of their life and identity at hand – for better or worse.
Is “radio” where a childrens network should be? Is radio the best outlet for this, or television? Or the internet? Or all of it?
If education is a big driver behind a “Youth” network, then perhaps there should be a publicly run network to teach “Adults” how to be better parents, offering financial advice, and other coaching and education programming for adults, in order to stay connected with their child – even if that means understanding Facebook to do so.
We cannot lump *everything* on schools, nor the government. I still firmly believe there is always the responsibility to be a good parent.
Time has been of the essence for the last 10 years as you well know. The more time passes, the more challenges this proposed network faces.
Triple J here in Oz is considered a Youth Network. Would you consider dance parties and battle of the bands appropriate for an 8 year old boy to actively learn about?
Kids radio, or Children’s radio is the first question I think needs answering. I’m pro either, but not both as one.
Some clarification points:
1) Kids = children. Youth = teens.
2) I’m not saying you address sex education. I’m saying you address issues of self-esteem, belonging, social and interpersonal skills. These things are the pre-requisite that you bring before you get to the mechanics.
3) Radio is an incredibly powerful medium to address children – but it’s not mutually exclusive to the internet. You could not do a new radio station without thinking about its online, interactive component. But just because there’s a website, that does not mean it can do all the things radio does so well. Compartmentalised thinking doesn’t help here.
4) Public media does not equal government. Quite the opposite. It means exempt from all commercial and political influence. The whole public radio = “state” radio idea is essentially RBA propaganda bullshit. Surprised they got you with that one.
5) Likewise, providing good content to the education sector does not mean letting parents off the hook.
Cheers for that.
I do know public radio and am certainly not seduced by the RBA.
Consider the complex arrangement Niu FM has with govt, noting there is a commercial feasibility element (see: requirement) that influences the whole intiative. I worked with this ‘to and fro’ for 4 years. It has been fiercly discussed at public fono (public meetings), much like the open debate about Kiwi FM.
A sound framework away from any commercial or political influence I agree is where it must begin.
Point 2 has cleared my muddy interpretation of your post. I’ll go clean my antennae tonight.
thanks mate
It is great to read that you are still supporting kids’ media in New Zealand. I have a feeling that the first time I discovered your blog was when you were writing about the same subject 2 or 3 years ago.
As the ‘producer’ of NZ’s longest running kids’ podcast, Korero Pt England (KPE) I applaud what you are doing. Our kids took to podcasting easily back in 2005 and have loved having their voice on iTunes ever since. And as Richard says schools up and down the country have their own radio stations of sorts running.
However I do wonder whether you should be putting the push into kids’ TV rather than radio in 2008. We have been buying time on Triangle TV in Auckland for our students weekly since 2001 (for our 15 minute programme schoolTV) and it doesn’t come cheap. Our decile 1a school finds the bill a challenge, but the value we get for the students and parents through having them create content that can be seen around Auckland is huge. It would be fantastic if the government would recognise this and pay for a channel where we could go to air for free, along with other kids from around the country.
We don’t need adults to be creating the content – maybe guest appearances – as kids can do this themselves.
Keep working on this!