About the Scholarship

The Brian White scholarship is an annual radio news cadetship awarded by CRA to the finalist who best exemplifies a passion for and talent in radio news and current affairs reporting. 

In 2023, the scholarship included a four-week paid placement in Sydney’s leading commercial radio newsrooms with a stipend for airfares and accommodation.

CRA funds the scholarship to assist a student with a passion for radio news to graduate from study into the commercial radio industry.
The scholarship is named after legendary radio broadcaster Brian White, Australian commercial radio’s first cadet journalist in 1953, who went on to cover wars in Vietnam and the Middle East, authored a book on politics and the media, served as general manager of 3AW in Melbourne and chaired the Fitzroy Football Club. Brian was a pioneer of the news talk format.

The competition is open to recent graduates or students who are in their final year of study in an applicable course such as Communications, Media, Journalism and Radio. Entrants should have graduated no more than two years prior to the opening date.

The judges will be looking for a journalist who has a passion for radio news and is ready to take up an exciting opportunity to see how the major metropolitan newsrooms operate at Nine Radio, ARN, NOVA Entertainment and Southern Cross Austereo (SCA). The successful applicant will be immersed in the news cycle and will relish the chance to sit in the same room as senior journalists at commercial radio stations to experience how the news is sourced and compiled.

Applications for the 2024 Brian White Scholarship will open in May 2024