Chinese from the North, 88.6 Plenty Valley FM

Chinese from the North
Your Local Station, 88.6 Plenty Valley FM
By Arthur B.W. Yong JP

Plenty Valley Community Radio Inc. (PVFM) licensed as 3 PVR, broadcasts on 88.6 Mhz to the communities on the north eastern fringe of Melbourne. PVFM now serves the North Eastern area of Melbourne including the Cities of Whittlesea and Banyule and the shires of Nillumbik and Murrundindi, a total population of over half a million potential listeners. The listeners can hear the radio signal all over Melbourne and within a 100 km radius in most directions.

Every Friday Night, from 10 pm, Arthur Yong, the program presenter and producer and his volunteers broadcast the Chinese from the North Radio program, in Mandarin and English for two hours. The program covers Chinese and western music, community information, local news, culture, history, entertainment, sports, brief overview of service providers and community organisations. They also discuss active for life, community engagement, cultural diversity, education, environment and sustainability, health, lifestyle, migration and recreation.

Arthur, who is President of Whittlesea Chinese Association, commenced this program from 18 April 2008. Many volunteers, who speak fluent Mandarin and English and have a variety of skills and interests, contributed this program.

Between 2008 and 2009, Arthur and his team members have interviewed more than 50 interviewees, who are tertiary academics, health professionals, educators, writers, musicians, artists, small business entrepreneurs and people, who are from diverse cultural communities.

A few examples of feedback comments of the show indicated below.

How fabulous! I loved what I heard of the show - I had to be a bit of a taxi driver for my nephew and Tony that evening - but I caught a fair bit - I got to hear about half the show. I love the mix - even us non-Chinese can listen to it and gain a lot. Thank you for giving me such a fabulous opportunity to be more in contact and learn more about Chinese culture. Even listening to the Chinese was rewarding - it's funny how after listening to a language after a while, a person can start recognising words - makes it so much easier if then we try to learn a language. Dimitra Bouzalas (ESL Teacher, Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE)

I thought you were wonderful the way you asked me questions and opening the way for me to give a plug to our show (From Little Thing). The way you did it was very natural and not 'commercialised". No radio interviewer ever did that so nicely. I was wondering if you want to attract more corporate listeners...sort of English educated Aussies or bananas like me...
Dr Moni Lai Storz (Novelist, Playwright, Cross-cultural Consultant)

I heard your station on Friday night it was good, well done. Ya, the topics are good and informative to the Chinese Community in Whittlesea.
Bee Yew (Local resident, City of Banyule)

Further information of Chinese from the North program is available on website of WCA, http://whittleseachineseassociation.blogspot.com
Information of 88.6 Plenty Valley FM is available on website http://www.pvfm.org.au

This article was published by:
Yong, 2009: Arthur B.W. Yong, Chinese from the North, Your Local Station, 88.6 Plenty Valley FM, Town Crier, Volume 230, May 2009, p.32.