Help keep community radio on digital platforms alive

Community radio is a medium crucial for keeping local ideas, visibility and economies alive. Radio stations like RTRFM in Perth, Triple R in Melbourne and FBi Radio in Sydney work tirelessly to present an array of alternative music for listeners who don’t want the usual doof-doof you hear coming out of commercial airwaves – while also supporting their respective local artists.

Community stations are also a platform for fairer political speak, covering subjects in their talks programs as diverse as environmental issues, gender equality, indigenous affairs and local-specific topics.

A lot of the time, in regional areas in particular, it can be hard for communities to tune in on the traditional dial so the digital option of radio-listening is necessary to keep them up-to-speed and feeling included and involved.

Without community radio on digital platforms, we’d only have commercial stations delivering the same-0l’ same-ol’ and millions of streaming options that, while genre-specific, are hardly personal.

Now for the bad news. Community radio in its digital form is currently under threat.

The government has removed a major amount of funding to digital community radio. The Federal Budget previously maintained $1.4 million p.a. for digital community radio, keeping stations broadcasting digitally in five capital cities and it’s important to keep this level of funding going, if not more.

The Labor Party has announced it would restore community radio funding if elected. The Australian Greens have also committed to restoring funding. We’re still calling on the Coalition Government to maintain funding to keep community radio stations broadcasting on digital radio.

You can join a host of musicians in asking the government to reinstate funding to keep community radio on digital if they win the election again this time ’round.

Simply sign up to ask them to do so here!  Antonino Tati

Something else to consider:
Community radio serves so many Australians – not just the hip and alternative-minded; from radio for the vision-impaired to programming in different languages spoken across our country, even faith-based stations and regional-specific ones. Let’s not leave these communities behind.

Pictured, top of story, Josh Pyke pushing to keep community radio alive, and, middle of story, The Smith Street Band also doing their bit.