Tania Court, the station manager of Tune FM 106.9, which operates out of the University of New England in Armidale had just returned to her actual workplace proper post the pandemic when a once in a lifetime tornado ripped through the region.
The station is the oldest university broadcaster in Australia and was given the first non-commercial broadcast licence back in 1970. It offers UNE students industry-standard volunteering opportunities, work placement and a way of connecting with others via stories, music and interviews.
With 80% of students online and distance education now integral, Tania was already very aware that something would have to change to keep Tune up and running, and viable.
She contacted AVC who had taken on the Wide Orbit support and asked what, if anything they could do to assist:
Tune FM can now be run from anywhere with people just needing the VPN, a laptop, internet connection and a microphone. The main picture was the set up at the CBAA Conference 2024, but Ian Campbell from AVC said that much was for additional decoration, for those of us who do like having the bells and whistles at home.
Tania didn’t know it yet, but she would be out of the Armidale campus studios for 18 months post tornado. Via integrating AVC broadcast operations through a remote server, which took all of 48 hours to happen after Tania’s call, the station can be run from anywhere, anytime.
Additionally, AVC is a New Zealand company offering 24-hour support. As Tune and AVC worked through small teething problems as everyone found their feet, Tania said AVC just took the weight of tech off her shoulders, adding with a laugh that nothing ever breaks down at 10am on a Tuesday morning.
You rarely inquire about such things until you need / are forced to. Below are further details for AVC who are passionate about radio, and for UNE, as a great place to pick up radio and communication skills. As Tania said, every job requires that within the role somewhere.
AVC: https://www.avc-group.net/
UNE: https://www.unelife.com.au/
Tune FM: https://www.tunefm.net/
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