SpaceTime with Stuart Gary

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging well over two million downloads every year. It’s also number five in the United States. The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science. SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research. It’s written, produced, and hosted by award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary. He started the show in 1995 under the name ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network. Gary was part of the team that set up NewsRadio and continued there as a broadcaster and journalist. He created StarStuff during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor. Gary’s always loved science. He was the archetypal dorky school kid who spent his weekends at science museums rather than going to footy matches. He went on to study astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics. However, he instead made the fateful decision to focus his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. His radio career stretches back some 34 years, including 26 at the ABC. Gary’s first gigs were spent as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a broadcast journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. When asked to put his science background to use, he developed and presented the StarStuff Astronomy show which proved extremely popular, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience -- based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth). That compares to the ABC’s overall average radio ratings of 5.6 per cent and NewsRadio’s average of 2.1 percent. As the internet grew, the ABC also began publishing StarStuff as an online podcast – quickly achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually. However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC budget cuts, and a redirection of available funding to increase coverage of sports and horse racing. Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently. StarStuff was re-branded as “SpaceTime” with the first episode broadcast in February 2016 through Bitesz.com. Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. Each 30 minute SpaceTime show format (usually) includes three astronomy or space science features and three brief general science news stories, followed by either a skeptical science or technology feature.  The show is published three times a week (every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and is available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio. Gary says his greatest achievement was building an honest, factual, accurate and educational Australian based astronomy and science program that both entertains and informs the community. His greatest regret is not going for that PHD.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona