Australia’s 1st regional community radio station celebrates 45 years

Radio 2MCE at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst was the first non-metropolitan community radio broadcaster in Australia and is celebrating its 45th birthday in May.

  • Radio 2MCE the first non-metropolitan community radio station in Australia broadcast its first program on 8 May 1976
  • Community and student volunteers are the heart and soul of the radio station
  • Celebration broadcasts and events will be held throughout May

Radio 2MCE at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst was the first non-metropolitan community radio broadcaster in Australia and is celebrating its 45th birthday in May.

In November 1975 the then Mitchell College of Advanced Education in Bathurst, one of the predecessor institutions of Charles Sturt University, received a special licence for educational broadcasting from the federal government and in February 1976 received the call sign 2MCE-FM.

The first test broadcasts were conducted in March 1976 and the first broadcast was a few weeks later on 8 May.

L-R: Maree Curtis (community volunteer), Noah Secomb (first year student), Brett Van Heekeren (volunteer, board member).

The present 2MCE station manager Ms Lisa Mclean said, “The underpinning ethos of public broadcasting at the time of establishing 2MCE was to ‘ … encourage the introduction of new ideas into the community through direct community participation in operating it’.

“Since then the station has evolved and engaged a wide spectrum of the Bathurst and Orange communities presenting a diverse range of programs – from feminist history, nostalgic music, the ‘Talking Newspaper’, community news and information, and new Australian music, to name a few.”

Ms McLean said a major factor in the success and longevity of 2MCE is the dedication of the station’s community volunteers.

“Our community and student volunteers are the heart and soul of the radio station,” she said. “Their commitment to broadcast professionalism and presenting great music, information and entertainment, as well as local stories, is something our entire community can be very proud of.

“While we can access news from around the world, it’s the news and stories from around the corner and hearing our own voices which becomes even more important.”

Ms McLean said for more than four decades the station has provided a practical training experience for generations of broadcast professionals.

“Our community volunteers also support the Charles Sturt University students who work in the station, and vice versa,” she said.

“Seeing these groups support each other in community broadcasting is one of the joys of being part of 2MCE and is something special and great for a community radio station located in a University.”

Ms McLean said during May the station will be broadcasting birthday messages and memories from the archives and encouraging listeners to become members of the station.

There will be a special on-air event celebrating the milestone later in May and photos from the archives across 2MCE’s social media platforms.

“A special thanks to the communities of Bathurst and Orange – and everywhere in between and beyond – for their ongoing support of 2MCE and our community and student volunteer presenters and station workers,” Ms McLean said. 

“Here’s to the next 45 years.”

Some of the early staff team of 2MCE: (L-R) Katrina Frost, Ian Stanistreet, Pat Hobbs, Brett Van Heekeren and (front) an unnamed intern.


 



 
 

 


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