Every year students in the full-time commercial radio course at the Australian Film Television and Radio School launch their own youth targeted radio station as they approach the end of their seven month long course. This year the station is called RUSH FM and will be on air for two weeks, first on the internet and, in its second week of broadcasts, on FM 100.7 in Sydney’s west. The frequency, is being loaned to AFTRS by the WOW FM community radio group.

In past years, innovative slogans and program ideas invented for the broadcast have later been taken up by other stations. The two week broadcast also gives Managers and Program Directors a chance to sample the work of the radio students and earmark them for future employment.

Radio student and station publicist Josh King says: “A lot of work goes into the preparation for the success of this project… This is the starting point of some interesting careers and an opportunity to hear voices that, we hope, will one day be very familiar to radio listeners… Hours of hard work by the team of 13 students (pictured) ranged from programming, promotions and publicity for the station as well as selecting and scheduling the music young people want to hear. On top of that each student must prepare for their own shifts, write copy, and produce sweepers and ads.”

Each student has been assigned a management role to teach them about running a station as well as just being an announcer. Program Director and student Greg Allan (pictured) says “the team has worked together really well to be ready for the first live programs, which will begin this weekend.”

Job roles are: Greg Allan – Program Director; Dave Gillies – Assistant PD and Sales Manager; Rachael Stevens & Kristy Warner – News Directors; Richard Palmer – Production Manager; Andy Park – Creative Director; Brendan Englebrecht & Kristie Sommers – Music Directors; Nicole McCracken – Promotions; Josh King – Publicity; Lisa Lloyd – Image Producer; Aaron Kirby – Commercial Producer; Miki Boyd – Website Designer/Audience Research.

You can listen to RUSH at www.aftrs.edu.au/rush