Deakin's Waterfront campus to welcome ABC's month-long radio in residency

The ABC’s pop-up radio studio and newsroom will be on the corner of Cunningham St and Western Beach Rd, overlooking Corio Bay. Space has been provided by Deakin University’s School of Communication and Creative Arts.

The joint newsgathering and community engagement initiative will see presenters and program makers from ABC Radio Melbourne and ABC NEWS Victoria broadcast from the region, providing additional local coverage across radio, online, social media and ABC television.

Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin said the partnership was an exciting opportunity to provide listeners with engaging and relevant content that would ‘spread the word’ about the innovation happening at the University and in the community.

"There are so many untold stories when it comes to amazing work being done at Deakin and in Geelong. As more of these stories reach listeners, it will undoubtedly further strengthen Victoria’s position as the nation’s skills and innovation capital," Professor Martin said.

ABC Radio Melbourne Local Manager, Dina Rosendorff, said the initiative was part of a long-term commitment to telling the stories of Victoria’s largest provincial city.

"The relationships we’ll build in the Geelong region will further strengthen our ability to connect with and reflect the local community. We’re looking forward to talking to local Geelong residents about the issues, topics and stories that matter most to them," Ms Rosendorff said.

Deakin’s Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Education, Professor Vanessa Lemm, said the initiative would also provide opportunities for students to work closely with journalists, production teams, researchers and industry.

“It is so important for students to get workplace experience during their studies. This is a high priority in our course design at Deakin because students need to apply the skills they learn in a real-life setting. These kinds of experiences are just so valuable for their development and preparing them for their future careers," Professor Lemm said.

Popular ABC Radio Melbourne programs and presenters will broadcast live from the studio, including Walkley Award-winning Mornings presenter Virginia Trioli, AFL sporting gurus The Coodabeen Champions, The Conversation Hour and The Friday Revue with Jacinta Parsons & Brian Nankervis.

A complete program of community events and live broadcasts will be released in September.