Celebrating 70 years

Jean‑Gabriel Manguy was the head of Radio Australia for 10 years from 1997 to 2007. During this time he set a new course for the network  by redefining Radio Australia’s target audiences and programs and focusing on the Asia Pacific region.

Charged with the daunting task of rebuilding Radio Australia after a significant reduction of its services in 1997, Jean-Gabriel fostered the development of close relationships between the ABC and broadcasting organisations throughout Asia and the Pacific. This resulted in closer contacts, staff exchanges and a rebroadcast network of over 100 stations. He also promoted the station’s online and education delivery potential through joint production initiatives with a range of Australian educational institutions.

Jean-Gabriel remembers the staff of Radio Australia rising to the challenge during this time of change. ‘I was privileged to be part of Radio Australia’s rebuild and expansion, building on the commitment and the expertise of a team of professionals who know their vast audiences like no one else,’ he says.

‘These Australians of Asian and Pacific backgrounds remain Radio Australia’s best asset.  They are the true architects of Radio Australia’s rebirth, initiating new program ideas, expanding audiences through local relays and building new relationships in Asia and the Pacific.’

From 2005, Jean-Gabriel also played a key role in the ABC’s renewed involvement in media development projects in Asia and the Pacific. He was involved in building close links with the Australian Government’s foreign aid agency, AusAID, and took an active part in the launch of ongoing projects in Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Pacific region.

Jean‑Gabriel was born in France and migrated to Australia in 1969. After initial ‘hands-on’ experiences as a factory worker in Sydney and a stockman in the Kimberleys, he joined the ABC in 1970 as a staging assistant in TV. He first worked for Radio Australia from Sydney before moving to Melbourne.

A broadcaster of some 30 years experience, Jean-Gabriel held a variety of positions at Radio Australia, from reporter in the French service to producer of programs in English and Pidgin, before being appointed head of the network in 1997. He was also involved regularly in the training of broadcasters in Asia and across the Pacific.

For several years Jean-Gabriel was chairman of the Radio Group at the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union and was a member of the Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development’s Strategic Team.  In 2008, he received the Commonwealth Broadcasting Union’s Leadership Award for Service to Public Broadcasting.

For the past two years, Jean-Gabriel has been working as a governance adviser with the Vanuatu Broadcasting Corporation. He says the need for Radio Australia in the region is only growing.

‘More than ever, Australia needs a voice in the global world, accessible to all. Our friends and neighbours want to hear what we think, who we are, how we can help them. They want to hear us readily in a way most can afford, through local radio or the internet, free of charge. They want to hear us in a language they can best understand, their own language first, whether it be Pidgin, Indonesian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Khmer, French or, now, Burmese.’

 Jean-Gabriel is proud of the position Radio Australia now holds in the region: ‘Celebrating 70 years of international broadcasting, Radio Australia is once again a clear and trusted voice on radio and the internet in a constantly evolving and challenging international media environment.’