Radio Adelaide fights for its future

Staff Writer
Radio Adelaide

SA community station Radio Adelaide has been broadcasting for 47 years, but is now battling to avoid closure.

A leading community broadcaster for many decades, Radio Adelaide has faced several challenges to its status as an independent, non-for-profit since a controversial separation from the University Of Adelaide in 2016.

As a result, the station has launched its StartSomeGood campaign to try and raise $50,000 before January 2020.

The funding shortfall must be addressed if Radio Adelaide is to keep producing over 120 hours of original, local radio every week and implement its plan for sustainability.

“Radio Adelaide is an authentically local voice for Adelaide,” said Station Manager Chris Leese.

“It’s a voice for Adelaide arts, music and ideas you won’t otherwise hear on Adelaide airwaves. Over the past 47 years, Radio Adelaide has enabled many thousands of South Australians to tell their stories, to share their music, to explore and discuss innovative ideas. Radio Adelaide helps us find community.”

“Radio Adelaide develops communities through media. We’re South Australia’s leading source of new media talent, providing training and invaluable experience to over 200 aspiring broadcasters and podcast producers every year.”

Radio Adelaide has plans to focus its programming on Adelaide arts, music and ideas; by expanding its industry-leading radio and podcast training into secondary schools.

It will build on the growth of its new Podcast Works production arm.

“Since 2016, we’ve maintained our commitment to our community despite significant losses of funding, big reductions to staff and other difficult challenges,” continued Leese.

We’re working very hard to build the partnerships and revenue streams that will help us achieve sustainability, but we urgently need to bridge a financial shortfall if we’re going to get there.”

“Radio Adelaide doesn’t just want to survive, it wants to thrive! Building on our strengths in arts and culture programming, in training and podcast production, we can grow our capacity to tell South Australian stories, develop a strong support base and grow our revenue.”

“We’ll update and focus our programming to bring listeners even more Adelaide arts, music and ideas. We’ll expand our industry-leading training into schools to give students the communication and production skills to thrive in a multimedia world. And we’ll expand our Podcast Works initiative to tell even more South Australian stories.”

At the time of writing, the campaign has raised over $15,000 of its $50,000 target.

Donations can be made here.

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