There’s a buzz around Community Radio 2BBB at the moment … it’s the buzz of renewal, fresh energy and a sense of purpose.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In September the station celebrates 35 years since those first test broadcasts from Carl Foster’s garage – it is a milestone board chairman Kye Ruigrok is confident can be marked with optimism.
“I first started here when I was 14, now I’m 30 and as the chairman, it was clear to me that change was needed,” Kye said.
“We’ve been working hard to revitalise the station and a lot of that has to do with getting the right people in the right roles.
“I love networking and I’ve been actively head hunting – we’ve now got an ex-banker as our treasurer and an ex-bureaucrat as our administrator, plus we are hoping to bring an audio engineer into the fold.
“We are trying to have every aspect of this operation covered.”
One aspect that is superbly covered is programming, with former ABC sports presenter and journalist Debbie Spillane having taken the reigns.
Experienced broadcaster, music journalist and presenter, Seth Jordan, is also part of the team.
“Their experience and professionalism is invaluable.
“We’ve also got a whole heap of new presenters, such as musician Peter Barry with his guitar show, Joe Newton is on air on Friday afternoons and Bernard Kelly has an indigenous program.
“And we are getting more youth on board – such as Harry and Seth from Team Strange, which airs on Tuesday afternoons from 4pm.
“That freshness is so important.”
Partnerships with other community groups is another thing Kye and his team have been working hard to build … groups such as the Youth Hub (where 2BBB ran a training course recently), the Neighbourhood Centre and the festivals .
“Over the three days of Bello Winter Music we had 30 guests on-air for our outdoor broadcast and about 20 of them performed live. We had a great crew and it all came together – it was huge!”
He said the September milestone would be all about bringing the station’s past and present together.
“We’ll have old presenters and new, stories, an open day and a smorgasbord of programs to let presenters showcase their skills – and to meet each other!”
Tune in anytime to 2BBB on 93.3 FM & 107.3 FM.