A variety of events are held to allow the public to experience Brisbane, including tours of the official residence of the Governor of Queensland; Brisbane's oldest residence, Newstead House; houses designed by famous architects; walking tours of the city; live music; and more.
This time, I participated in one of those events, a tour of the Brisbane studio of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Australia’s public broadcaster.
The ABC is like Japan’s NHK, producing and broadcasting a wide range of programs, including news, documentaries, and educational programs. My favorite show is the world's longest-running music show, "Rage". With an MTV-like structure, it covers a wide range of songs, from the latest hits to niche music, and plays songs selected by guest artists, making it a great program for music fans.
Other programs produced by the ABC include children's programs popular in Japan: "Bluey," which features a blue dog as the main character, as well as "Bananas in Pyjamas", which features 2 bananas wearing pajamas.
The ABC Brisbane studios were built in 2012 and house TV and radio studios, a staff office area, and the rehearsal studios of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
For this tour, participants were divided into groups of about 20 people per time slot, and the staff guided them around the studios. My Australian friend who went with me grew up watching ABC and seemed very happy to meet the news anchors, program performers, and radio DJs there in the studios.
After going past the reception desk and then inside, we were guided to a hall with a stage and audience seating.
The tour guide went into detail about the green screen that is often used in weather forecasting, as well as the cameras and sound equipment actually used for broadcasts. Having the experience of actually standing in front of that green screen made me feel like a weather forecast presenter.
There were small stalls here and there along the tour route, and there was also information about buying original goods.
The "Bananas in Pyjamas" costumed characters, B1 and B2, were there on that day and were walking around the studio together, but the timing wasn’t right, and I only got a glimpse of them from a distance, which was a pity because I actually quite like them.
I also got to go into a radio studio. It was very interesting to see current radio program presenters tell the story behind radio production and show us how they use the actual equipment.
In the office area, we got to see a whiteboard with the timetable for that day's broadcasts and desks piled with documents, true to life.
There was also a program monitor, so you could see the list of which programs were being broadcast at what time. Next to that room was a room with more monitors, but it wasn’t as complex as I thought it would be.
ABC News Studio
It was a bit strange to see before my eyes the set that I usually see on TV.
It was a valuable experience that allowed me to set foot in a place that I usually only experience on TV and radio, it made me realize how the staff and presenters create programs in a limited amount of time, and how the editing and filming go on behind-the-scenes every day in this building.
Brisbane Open House is an event held every year, so if I get the chance again, I think I would like to go on a tour of a historic building next time.
