Weekdays
7 - 8.30 am

Alternative news, current affairs and media analysis - high fibre media to accompany your weekday breakfasts! Read the CRAM Article below about 3CR's popular Breakfast programs.

In English.

Listen to 3CR Breakfast Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

If you have queries or stories for the above programs contact 3CR's Current Affairs Coordinator.

CRAM Article November 2005: 3CR's High Fibre Breakfast Shows!

On 3CR’s Breakfast Show dedicated a current affair enthusiasts bring you the latest alternative news and views every weekday morning, 7 am to 8.30 am. So important when the mainstream media often locks out the alternative voice.

You will not hear John Howard being interviewed on 3CR’s Breakfast Show. Rather than presenting the official line on an issue that you see in mainstream news, the Breakfast Shows interview activists and community members and delve into the details of issues from indigenous, women’s, and community perspectives. “It’s inspiring to interview people who care about the community,” Beck Muir from Tuesday Breakfast

Celebrating the range of voices and perspectives rarely heard in mainstream media, Breakfast Show presenters focus on diverse news from specific issues like the 2nd anniversary of the Iraq Invasion, Youth Week and World Aid’s Day, to alternative and activist events in Melbourne, across Australia and around the world.

Miki and Nina alternate presenting their show with Greg and Heather every other Wednesday. Miki says that one important story they recently covered on the show was the Timor Sea Justice campaign with Thomas Freitas and Tom Clarke. Interestingly, Thomas Freitas commented on the potential dangers of a small island becoming oil dependent despite this issue being central to East Timor’s economic future.

Other topics covered recently on the Breakfast Shows were Catholic feminists on the legacy of Pope John Paul II, indigenous views on the toxic waste dump planned for Victoria, Baxter detention centre protests and food politics. Moses Havini, the international representative for Bougainville, was interviewed on Monday Breakfast about the historic June autonomous elections for Bougainville. Moses Havini said of dissenters in Bougainville “we speak the same language”, such poetry is rarely heard in the mainstream press.

Not content just to present alternative news, at 7am and 8am every morning, Breakfast Show presenters also critique the major daily newspapers, exposing the bias and neglect of the papers but also highlighting important stories that interest 3CR listeners.

“It's been a great learning process to be part of 3CR current affairs. I've become more familiar with the breadth of issues that 3CR covers and learnt a lot about how both Independent and mainstream media do current affairs. It's exciting and challenging to learn all this while actually producing informative and engaging news which is really alternative. 3CR would have to be one of the few places this is possible,” Andrew Carter from Thursday Breakfast.

Each Breakfast Show has a different current affairs flavour as there is a different Breakfast Show team every day of the week. This variety means that the news is never stale. Presenters draw on their interests and knowledge to present alternative perspectives on the news of the day. All presenters are volunteers and work and study as well as doing the Breakfast Show.

For example, David Jamali, Monday Breakfast, works at Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, Andrew Carter is studying applied media at Swinburne University and Elanor McInerney is studying journalism at RMIT. Elanor says that “doing current affairs at 3CR is ‘more real’ way to do journalism”. Craig Garrett has recently joined the Monday Breakfast Show fold. Craig is a fiction writer but also creates a zine called Rocket Dog which is a ‘do-it-yourself’ on civil liberties. Craig says that doing interviews for current affairs is another creative outlet for him. The Friday team is quite new. Mark Skelton and Shane alternate with Jay, a community radio veteran and program manager at 3KND. Mark recently joined Friday breakfast, coming from Brisbane’s activist radio station 4ZZZ.

We are all supported by Sarojini Krishnapallai, the current affairs co-ordinator, who disseminates information to all the Breakfast Show presenters about activist news and events, organises training, for example, on interviewing technique, and ensures the voice of 3CR’s Breakfast Shows is progressive, alternative and informed.

For alternative news, views and current affairs, tune into 3CR’s Breakfast Shows!

By Sarah L'Estrange
The above article was published in 2005.