This month’s ‘Program of the Month’ on Radio 4EB is an ‘Outside Broadcast’ (OB) special with the Tamil Program. Bharathi Rajendran gave us the low down on not only the Tamil show ‘Tamil Oli’, but the specifics and fun of broadcasting from live events as well!
Thanks to our Outside Broadcasting (OB) van (pictured), live broadcasting DIRECTLY from community events is something that Radio 4EB loves to do. So, if you’ve got a community event coming up and would like to use the OB van (members or subscribers), or if you are simply interested in have us attend your event, please contact [email protected] | 07 3240 8600.
What is the name of your program?
Tamil Oli and our outdoor broadcast ‘Chithirai Kalai Vizha’ – a multicultural festival
When does it go to air and on what station (FM or Global Digital)?
Saturday 7-8 PM (Global Digital)
What do you do on the program?
Produce, announce, and encourage public participation
Who else is involved with your program and what do they do?
Mr. Siva Kailasam (Broadcast), Mrs. Uma Palvannan (Broadcast), Mrs. Saradha Ravichandran (Broadcast) & Mrs. Saraswathi Sekar (Studio control)
Tell us a little about your program?
Chithirai Kalai Vizha is a multicultural community festival celebrated annually in Robelle Domain Park, Springfield. The festival marks the auspicious day of the Tamil new year and also brings together diverse cultures of Australia.
Our program Tamil Oli has been using this opportunity since last year to indulge people from various communities to take part in our live broadcast from the venue which gives an excellent platform for us to directly interact with the public about the importance of such cultural events.
Share a few interesting things with us about the culture and language your program represents?
We represent Tamil language, one of the world’s longest-surviving classical languages, with a history dating back to 600 BCE. Tamil literature is dominated by poetry, especially ‘Sangam’ literature, which is composed of poems composed between 300 BCE and 300 CE.
Tamil is widely spoken in most parts of the world and the official language in a few Asian countries. Tamil has a rich set of a unique culture that are still adopted by proud ‘Tamilians’.
What sort of content and features do you normally include in your program?
Our outdoor broadcast program mainly focuses on the event’s significance and capturing the views of the general public regarding the event. Also, we try to grasp their thoughts and feedback on why and how these cultural events are vital in keeping multiculturalism intact in Australia. Our program will include interviewing patrons from the event location, asking them trivia, indulging kids to learn about the culture and interviewing event organisers about the event.
When did the program start?
We started our Global outdoor broadcast in 2019 and we strive to do at least 2 outdoor shows annually.
How did you get involved with Radio 4EB and why?
Radio 4EB has provided us with an opportunity to directly interact with the community which is something I like to do. 4EB has given us the platform where we can connect with people and keep our community together and at the same time, a chance to learn about other languages and their cultures.
What’s your favourite part of your program and why?
Interacting with the public in a live show. This is something we can’t do in our traditional program which is broadcast from the studio. Outdoor broadcast allows us to take the show to the public directly and get their views on various aspects of our culture and traditions. Also, it gets the patrons excited to have their voice on Radio 4eb.
What’s the most popular part of your program for your listeners?
Definitely interviewing event organisers and broadcasting the vibe from the event venue.
What is it about your program that listeners talk to you about the most?
Interaction with patrons. Listeners have given us feedback that it felt like they were able to witness the event through our radio show even though they couldn’t make it along!
What inspired you to start / get involved with your program?
As far as outside broadcasting goes, we wanted to try it out in 2019, thanks to our former Secretary Mrs. Rema. Our first outdoor broadcast was well received by the community and the comments from them motivated us to do more!
What is it that appeals to you about radio?
Radio is a great channel of communication in which we can blend entertainment with information. I like the way how our broadcasters produce their program packed with lots of useful information for the community without sacrificing the entertainment part.
What do you love most about your community?
Tamil community comes from different geographical areas such as India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia etc, yet we share the same culture and traditions. Tamilians are known to be very patriotic towards their language across the globe and this is something I have
Anything else you’d like to share? Thanks to Radio 4EB for providing us with an opportunity to connect with our community. Outdoor broadcast is something that we and our community love to do.