SYDNEY — "The left has always been good at producing alternatives. It has not been so good at communicating those alternatives to a broad audience", commented 2SER-FM development manager Steve Cassidy, launching 2SER's 13th Birthday Week.
The Birthday Week is an annual event celebrating the founding of the station in 1979. It is a time when 2SER-FM, which operates around the clock on 107.3 mHz, becomes even more active. The week, from September 26 to October 2, will involve diverse, exciting and challenging radio.
"Radio is an essential medium for presenting challenging ideas, opinions and debate about Australian society, economy and culture", says Cassidy.
2SER-FM is a public education station, broadcasting to an audience of more than 200,000 listeners, stretching from Bondi Beach to the Blue Mountains. It is Sydney's only metropolitan-wide alternative, independent voice and the largest public radio station in Australia.
The station is owned by Macquarie University and the University of Technology, Sydney. Programs are produced at and broadcast from studios on both campuses. 2SER has been recognised by awards both in Australia and overseas. Programs range from up-to-the-minute news and educational programs, through innovative and in-depth current affairs to contemporary and specialist music.
The 13th Birthday week aims to show alternative radio at its best and underline the differences between the mainstream electronic media and the main Sydney alternative.
One major difference, of course, is in the funding
for alternative radio. The station is not supported by the government nor by advertising, so the financial support of listeners is crucial. The station's birthday celebrations therefore coincide with the SERvive-a-thon membership drive.
Both individuals and organisations are encouraged to join, not only for the specific benefits membership gives but also in order to show their support for independent voices on the airwaves.
During the week, 2SER "will be producing a varied and inventive program, with a focus on the way community organisations have managed to survive and grow by building links with each other and by expanding their audiences", Cassidy said.
"We want to emphasise that 2SER fills a special niche in Sydney's cultural life, through its own programs, and also through the profile it gives to the activities of other organisations, local bands and artists."
2SER is part of a nationwide network of 101 stations which provide a voice for local, state and national expressions of diversity. "It deserves and needs support because it is not just another worthwhile community organisation", Cassidy points out. "It is central to the future of community action because it provides an outlet for all other community organisations."