2ser celebrates 30 years of broadcasting

The studios might be shiny new this year, but for community radio station 2ser, the raison d’être remains much the same as it did back on October 1, 1979: “a commitment to covering current affairs and giving underrepresented voices a chance to be heard, plus playing music that’s truly independent – presented by passionate and interested people.”

That’s the assessment of the station’s Marketing and Development Manager, Kurt Eckardt. “The styles of music have changed, but I think the general reasons people have gotten involved have remained the same,” he said. “We’ve always been committed to social justice, and that’s intrinsic to the station’s presentation.”

Talks coordinator Mark Robinson agrees. “I don’t think it’s changed that much since the beginning,” he said. “[But] back in the old days, it was more of an educational broadcaster – it was originally ‘capital E’ education, whereas now it’s more community-orientated.”

With Thursday marking the community station’s 30th birthday, the station remains young at heart. Having helped launch the careers of well-known broadcasters such as Julie McCrossin, Robbie Buck, Helen Razer, Eleanor Hall and even comic Tom Gleeson, the station has a hard-earned reputation as a great training ground for people looking to cut their teeth in radio.

“Education has always been a huge part of [what we’re about]”, Mr Eckardt said. “A lot of the volunteers who come through are looking to further their careers. That’s great – I would hope that the media is full of people who have been instilled with 2ser’s values.”

Program Manager Anthony Dockrill said the core of 2ser’s enduring appeal – it currently has around 190,000 listeners – is that it offers a point of difference. “It’s always been alternative, doing things which are eclectic and away from the mainstream,” he said. “We’re prepared to stand up and be unpopular – for example, the station was supportive of environmental and green causes when they were dirty words.”

To celebrate its milestone, the station is throwing more than 20 parties around Sydney throughout October, with over 70 artists performing including Astronomy Class, Front End Loader, Smudge, Peabody, The Paper Scissors and Talons. Also throughout October is Radiothon, the station’s annual subscriber drive.

The drive is important to 2ser’s ongoing viability. The station is partially funded as a joint venture between UTS and Macquarie University, who provide 25 per cent of the budget. The remainder comes from sponsorship, fundraising and listener subscriptions. Many volunteers also come from these two universities’ enrolment – indeed, for the first 29 years of its life, 2ser’s main home was the 26th floor of the UTS Tower, and the station also operates a studio at Macquarie University. Early this year, however, the city studios moved from the tower to their current location fronting Broadway, just around the corner from the ABC.

Not that there is any comparison in terms of facilities. But 2ser is now better-resourced than at any time in its history, and well-off compared to many other community radio stations. It’s upon that solid footing that Sydney Educational Radio embarks on the next 30 years.

Shant Fabricatorian is a volunteer at 2ser.