Janet Stewart says the station is going from strength to strength

More than two thirds of the 59 fully licensed community radio stations in Victoria are in country areas. The stations, mostly run by volunteers offer a range of programs and services often not found on commercial stations. Reporters Anthony Loncaric and Charlotte Cullum Jenkins speak to some of the people behind the microphone.

When Janet Stewart went out of her comfort zone to become a radio presenter on Melton’s 979fm she wouldn’t have thought she’d end up being the station’s president within three years.

Stewart, who came to Australia 31 years ago from Yorkshire in England, decided to join the station because she wanted to get involved with Melton community.

‘‘I’m a very community-minded person and I’m also the vice-president of the Lions Club of Melton,’’ she says.

‘‘It was quite scary to sit behind the microphone at first but I settled fairly quickly and I’ve really enjoyed working at the station.’’

She has her own music show Born to be Alive, which airs on Wednesdays from 8-10am. She spends the rest of her time attending to her administrative duties.

‘‘I play fast-paced music in my segment which I really enjoy doing because it gives young listeners something to look forward to in the morning,’’ she says.

‘‘We have 76 volunteer presenters on the station and they are all really hard-working people.’’

According to the National Listeners Survey, the station attracts 13,450 listeners in a typical week and an average of 29, 417 listeners a month.

‘‘When former president Bob Turner took over the station 10 years ago, it was really struggling. But now our listener numbers are rising each year,’’ Stewart says.

‘‘People of ethnic backgrounds listen for information on their cultures while young people tune in for announcements.

‘‘I definitely think we’re going from strength to strength.’’

The station hit the airwaves on November 29, 1981.

The first presenter was Leslie Vitale, at the time a 14-year-old student at Melton High School.

This first test broadcast was over two days, using borrowed equipment.

The original name of the station was Satellite City Radio but was soon changed to Melton Community Access Radio before becoming 979fm.

As well as a few name changes, there have also been location changes. Its first studio was at the Melton Resource Centre but soon moved into the regional shopping centre and is now at Mowbray College.

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, the national body for community radio stations, has set out some of the broadcasting guidelines that the station adheres to and supports the running of the station.

‘‘Community radio is based on the principles of access and participation to members of the community in a local area. It provides a broad range of programs produced and presented by people who are part of the local community, provides training and experience in broadcasting and in many communities forms an important part of the social framework and information network so critical to maintaining a strong sense of community,’’ the general manager of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, Kath Letch, says.

‘‘Community radio stations play a vital role in small communities throughout Australia, with 75 per cent of stations located in regional and remote areas. According to our industry research, approximately 30 per cent of regional community radio services are the only radio services providing information specific to their local community or region.’’

Community radio offers a variety of programs to cater to many interests.

But one of the challenges that community radio stations face is raising the money to run them. Mostly they rely on sponsors and membership.

In nearby Sunbury, it costs about $15,000 each year to run the town’s local station 3NRG.

Station manager Mike Cherriman says there are also grants available from local, state and federal governments and community groups.

‘‘Funding is a huge challenge … we have just enough money to manage our affairs so we’re not attractive to grant givers, which is a bit of a catch-22, so we rely on grant givers.

‘‘As a manager there’s a lot of networking, a lot of getting out there and helping people understand what community radio is, why it’s there, what it can do for them, engaging various community centres — providing them a platform to promote themselves. We offer the opportunity to anyone who wants to come along and stand on their soapbox and be heard. The airwaves are there for that.’’

Source: Melton Weekly