Walcha could soon be on air if a meeting to gauge the level of interest in our very own community radio station draws enough support.
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Tony and Jillian Orchiston have a long involvement in community radio, with Tony taking the plunge back in 1990 at HillsFM in Dunedin, New Zealand and then volunteering at a number of stations in Australia in the intervening years.
“We were members of the community radio stations in Narrabri and Tamworth and between us we have 39 years of experience in community radio,” Mrs Orchiston told the Walcha News.
The couple moved here in February and quickly discovered there was nothing like MaxFM in this neck of the woods.
“There’s a big gap in community radio up here,” Mrs Orchiston said.
“We want to gauge the community support to set up a radio station here and we already have the support of local MPs Adam Marshall and Barnaby Joyce.
“James Goodwin has offered us the use of some transmission equipment and we have also received the support of mayor Janelle Archdale.
“We need to get the community to support us and if they want this we will go ahead and apply for the funding to get the ball rolling. We will have to make sure all our ‘t’s are crossed and our ‘i’s are dotted.”
Community radio falls under the jurisdiction of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia and the first stages would involve applying for a temporary licence. A studio and broadcasting equipment would need to be built and set up, with the bulk of the funding from federal grants.
Mrs Orchiston said she couldn’t put a figure on set up costs as every station was different, however, some savings could be made by purchasing equipment from an existing station that has upgraded recently.
“We haven’t really got a ‘set-up’ figure at the moment,” she said.
If successful, the radio station would be for use by all members of the shire including community and sporting groups.
“It’s all about giving Walcha a voice,” Mrs Orchiston said.
“There will be roles for people who don’t want to be on air - for example sales, as we have to have money coming in, and production.”
The meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 19, at 7.30pm in the Walcha Council Chambers.
