A CONFIDENTIAL report will be delivered to the National Radio News (NRN) board of directors today, outlining the viability of the public news service.
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The service, produced and broadcast by Charles Sturt University (CSU) journalism students, is facing the threat of closure after 14 years on the air.
A Facebook site, Help Save National Radio News, was established last Wednesday by CSU graduate Luke Dufficy.
“It would be a travesty to see it go,” said Mr Dufficy, now a radio broadcast journalist with Canberra’s 2CC FM. “Not just for future journalism students, but for the reputation of the whole CSU Bathurst journalism course.”
The 22-year-old was a cadet with NRN in 2008-09. Last year, he was selected as the only Australian representative in the Young Reporters Programme for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
“Without NRN, I wouldn’t have had that opportunity,” he said. “NRN provides you with practical on-the-job training. My experience in a real news environment put me above other candidates.”
Mr Dufficy said he was overwhelmed by the public support for saving NRN.
“We’ve had people posting from Channel 10, the ABC, ESPN in New York, London,” he said.
“George Negus has backed it. So many people have offered their messages of support and it just shows how much the service is valued and respected.”
NRN has groomed many successful Australian and overseas broadcast journalists, including ABC 7.30 Report journalist Danielle Parry.
“As a former cadet, I know I would not be where I am today without the head-start NRN provided,” Ms Parry said.
NRN broadcasts every day of the year and features about 100 bulletins each week. It was established as a practical teaching school for journalism cadets in March, 1997.
It is networked to every state and territory in Australia and has a weekly audience of approximately 1.5 million.
