For a while, the future of Lismore’s community radio station, River FM - 92.9 was looking shaky in this Covid-19 restriction-filled world - but for now, it’s still on-air.

Recently, community radio stations in Victoria received an email saying the Victorian Government had determined community radio stations were ‘entertainment’ facilities, not essential services. 

This brought the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) into fighting mode and it is now working with government to ensure the media and broadcasting industry, including community radio, is not shut down.

CBAA chief executive Jon Bisset said in an email to River FM “to date, no other media organisation in any state or territory has been deemed ‘essential’. As such, the whole media industry is in this together”.

Lismore’s River FM manager Basia Klim said community radio is an essential service that speaks directly to the community.

“We have a connection via the groups we are representing – from cultural minority groups to a cross section of the community’s demographic,” she said. 

“We offer specialist programs, local news and live events in the community. There’s a big difference between us and the ABC – many ABC shows are not locally produced and not embedded in local community. River FM is personal – it’s us taking to you as a fellow member of the community.”

Basia said the local station, based in South Lismore, had already changed how they operate to manage social distancing and hygiene guidelines, as recommended by CBAA.

“We limit numbers of people in the station to minimise the exposure of people to coronavirus and have a ‘one presenter at a time’ in the studio rule,” she said.

“About 50% of our programs are pre-recorded at home by presenters who already have the technology and capacity to do that.

“We are training others trained in how to do it by giving them information online.

“Some older presenters have been advised not to come into the stations and that marries up with what they government is saying about them staying at home. We’ve been rejigging their old shows and playing them in their time slot, so we still get to experience the show."

Basia said some people are still coming into do their shows and that they are following hygiene protocols, using alcohol wipes to wipe down desks before after and shows.

Some of the River FM regular programs which are being pre-recorded at home include the Blues and Roots show on Monday, the Italian show on Wednesdays at 6pm, the World Music show on Thuursdays at 6pm, and the Literature Word Nerds on Thursdays at 10am.

The Environment show on Saturday afternoon and the Arthouse show at Drivetime are currently in transition to prerecording. 

For more information about River FM’s programs, visit http://2ncr.org.au/

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