After 28 years Melbourne’s community radio station 3RRR FM is moving to new premises. In a reunion last weekend themed I Lost My Heart to Triple R a huge cast of radio stars who got their start on Triple R returned to the station for a final fling in the old location on the studio equipment they began their careers with.
Presenters who returned to the station included: Francis Leach, Jen Oldershaw, HG Nelson (Greig Pickhaver), The Coodabeen Champions, Punter to Punter, Danger Low Brow, Kate Langbroek, John Safran, Julian Schiller and Tony Moclair.
Francis Leach, whose career has included RRR, Triple J, Radio National and now 3SEN, last broadcast from the Brunwick studios in 1990. He said: “It felt strangely familiar – like never been away although it didn’t sound on air like I hadn’t – it even smelt the same.”
Former presenters agreed that in the station “there’s a real sense of ownership and belonging both for the people at the station and the listeners.”
radioinfo spoke to former RRR presenter Jen Oldershaw (pictured) about the weekend she returned to the station that launched her career: “Walking into the station again after 14 years was like an old memory coming back into focus but the feeling of a shared experience came back straight away – we spent so much time at RRR back then because we felt like we were around likeminded people – people obsessed with music and radio.”
Oldershaw, who joined Triple J as a music researcher after her stint on RRR, went on to present the station’s national morning show and to produce Merrick and Rosso. She later joined Sydney’s Nova 96.9 and is currently teaching at AFTRS and in demand for voiceover work. She is the female voice of ABC TV’s Voiceovers.
Oldershaw, who was on air with her former co-host Francis Leach, reflected on the unstructured nature of community radio programming, telling radioinfo: “After working at the other end of the radio spectrum it reminded me of why I got into radio – for the chance to talk about music and cut loose on the airwaves. After years of playlists it was a treat just to play our own stuff again – probably hugely self indulgent, but fun.
“The whole weekend sounded fantastic – there was such a wide range of talent and passion on air. All my favorite shows were back sounding like they were only on last week. The amount of talent that has been developed and nurtured at RRR over the years is absolutely amazing when it’s all put together like that.
“The quality of the shows was fantastic, it sounded great all weekend – most sounded like it was a week between shows not a decade.”
Program manager Tracee Hutchison who had spent the last 3 months preparing the Lost My Heart To Triple R weekend came onto Oldershaw and Leach’s show about 11.30pm after overseeing the broadcasts for almost 48 hours. She praised the volunteer announcers who had reassembled their old teams, dug out ancient tapes and put in a huge amount of effort and enthusiasm to their one off shows.
Some presenters did graveyards to brush up on rusty skills. Many rummaged through old tapes for highlights – much to others amusement and their own embarrassment.
Announcers who went on to radio careers who hadn’t seen each other for years swapped stories of stations, studios and sackings. Some former presenters, like Steve Vizard, did not manage to make it to the event, but those who were there told radioinfo there was a great feel to the weekend.
At midnight on Sunday at the official end of the weekend 13 people had signed up for the $5000 lifetime subscription including the Nova Breakfast team of Kate Langbroek, Dave Hughes and Dave O’Neil (Langbroek and O’Neil began their radio careers on RRR), Triple J’s Wil Anderson and Michael Gudinski.
Triple R expects to be in it’s new building (a former lingerie factory) in Bruswick around July.