By Tanya Steele
In June, the chance to learn and connect through audio storytelling is being offered to locals in the Cardinia Shire in the form of a free podcast training day.
Community broadcaster 3MDR will deliver a free, full-day podcast training workshop exclusively for residents of the Cardinia Shire on Saturday 14 June.
Station Manager Nat Grant said that in the free one-day course, participants will learn how to plan, produce, publish, and promote their own podcast.
“Podcasting is Australia’s fastest growing medium, according to a 2024 study by Triton Media,” they said.
The training is made possible by grant funding from Cardinia Shire and the session will run from 10:00am to 4:00pm at Forest Park Homestead on Riley Road in Upwey.
Cardinia Shire Council’s General Manager of Community and Planning Services Debbie Tyson said 3MDR was awarded the volunteer support grant through Cardinia Shire Council’s 2024/2025 Wellbeing Support Grant program.
“The Community Wellbeing and Support Grants Program funds initiatives that enhance the health and wellbeing of residents, promote volunteering opportunities, and support the sustainability of community groups, projects, and programs,” she said.
Cardinia Shire Council has granted funding to 63 community groups as part of the 2024-25 Wellbeing Support Grant program.
The program is aimed at beginners and will cover the fundamentals of podcast production, including planning, recording, editing, and publishing audio content.
“Anyone can come along, and no previous podcasting experience is required,’ said Grant.
According to the Triton media study, podcasting is a powerful medium for storytelling, conversation, and entertainment.
“In Australia, listenership has surged 37 per cent over the past two years (2022–2024), with growth across all demographics, including those slower to adopt podcasts,” read the report.
Since the term ‘podcast’ emerged in 2004, the medium has steadily become a cultural mainstay, fueling demand for content that spans everything from everyday subjects to highly specialised interests and this local training initiative is part of 3MDR’s effort to support the development of digital storytelling and media skills in the region.
3MDR Mountain District Radio is a community radio station based in the Dandenong Ranges dedicated to providing broadcasting opportunities and support for people across Melbourne’s outer east.
Participation is free, but places are limited and registration is required.
“Council is dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of our diverse community through various projects and initiatives, and encourages all interested residents to participate in the 3MDR training,” said Ms Tyson.
Interested Cardinia residents can register by emailing office@3mdr.com and information on accessing the station is at https://www.3mdr.com/about/access/
