Volunteers from Byron and across the Northern Rivers celebrated nearly $100,000 worth of new studio equipment at Bay FM Community Radio station on the weekend.
The impressive looking state-of-the-art microphone and broadcast panel setup in Bay FM’s Studio One comes after years of campaigning for much-needed funds.
Volunteers on the station’s management committee invested immeasurable hours in targeted fundraising campaigns only to have to shelve calls for help when the region struggled through a pandemic lockdown and then floods and landslides, not to mention an ongoing declared housing crisis.
Presenters broadcast essential updates during the 2022 disasters despite having inadequate resources and tools, highlighting the urgent need for station upgrades and extra support.
The bulk of funds for the station’s studio upgrades come from the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF) and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, with the rest of the money pooled from station sponsors, subscribers, donors and fundraising events such as January’s Boogie for Bay FM.
One down, Studio Two to go
Bay FM President Ange Kent said on Saturday the new equipment meant presenters would be able to present their content with confidence and listeners would no longer have to expect frequent technical glitches.
Studio Two was the next project in need of funds, with presenters using it still faced with regular equipment challenges.
Broadcasting is an expensive exercise, with Bay FM having previously quoted annual costs at around $250,000 including rent, power, insurance, licence fees and equipment maintenance.
The local community radio service is provided free of charge, with most presenters and all management working on a volunteer basis.
Support is received for certain projects from the CBF, including $80,000 towards Studio One’s upgrade.
Live, lit and ON AIR
Presenters and other station volunteers gathered at the studios on Saturday to celebrate the new fit-out, with training still to happen over the next month or two on the new digital desk.
The new set from Broadcast Components features Rode microphones on agile manoeuvrable arms with headsets for the presenter and up to three guests / co-hosts.
Broadcast participants are able to go on-air either standing or sitting, unlike the old studio which had static mics requiring everyone to sit.
The desk can also be pre-programmed for various input arrangements, with the station already having set defaults for live vinyl DJs and phone interviews.
It takes over from an analogue desk installed nearly twenty years ago.
The flash new kit also finally means Bay FM now has a sign saying ‘ON AIR’ above the studio door on the outside that will light up in red whenever any of the mics are open.
President Ange Kent presented the first live-to-air show from the new Studio One on Friday 15th March with her weekly regional music drivetime show, Northern Rivers Music Box.
You can listen to Bay FM Community Radio via www.bayfm.org, the Community Radio Plus App, or at 99.9 FM on the Northern Rivers.
*Mia Armitage is a Bay FM member
