Radio Across Time Zones

Radio transmissions are heard all over the world, from the largest urban centers to the smallest mountain villages. But what defines radio from a particular place, and what makes it different than radio from elsewhere?

Radio transmissions are heard all over the world, from the largest urban centers to the smallest mountain villages. But what defines radio from a particular place, and what makes it different than radio from elsewhere?

Radio professionals from four different countries -- Australia, Belgium, Canada, and the United States -- play examples and talk about public radio broadcasting from their respective homelands, touching on issues of style and essence, general strengths and weaknesses, what epitomizes a country's radio identity, and where radio might be headed in the not-so-distant future.

Radio Across Time Zones is moderated by Julie Shapiro (TCIAF) and features Edwin Brys (VRT), Torey Malatia (Chicago Public Radio), Robyn Ravlich (ABC), and Steve Wadhams (CBC).


Featuring

Edwin Brys

After a long career as a radio documentarian and head of the Radio Documentary Department at the VRT ( Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep), Edwin Brys now leads the Radio Training Department there. He teaches radio documentary radio at the Institute for Drama, Radio and Television in Brussels, and is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Radio Documentary Project Group and the International Features Conference. Brys co-produced Everyday Something Disappears with Luc Haekens, which won prizes at the the Prix Italia, Prix Europa and Premios Ondas in 1993. In 2002 he started up the EBU Master School for young documentary producers, and in 2004 compiled a box set with an overview of 30 years of radio documentaries from Europe and beyond.

Julie Shapiro

Julie Shapiro (@jatomic) is the executive producer of Radiotopia from PRX - a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven podcasts. She is also the executive producer of Ear Hustle .

Robyn Ravlich

Robyn Ravlich (@RobynRavlich) is the executive producer of the Radiophonic Unit of ABC Radio National, and a feature maker with a distinctive sound signature.

Steve Wadhams

Born in England, Steve Wadhams was a producer at the BBC before moving to Canada in 1974 to join the CBC program As it Happens.

Torey Malatia

Torey Malatia is president and general manager of Chicago Public Radio, where he oversees day-to-day operations, programming and production decisions. Malatia began working in radio in 1972 as music director for classical station KHEP-FM in Phoenix. His career took him to Chicago's Classical station WMFT, where he spear-headed the Beethoven Satellite Network, then to Seattle, where he served as program director of KUOW-FM. Malatia returned to Chicago where he joined WBEZ in 1993 as vice president of programming until 1996, when he assumed his current role as general manager.