Community radio plays an important part in our community. They offer a wide diversity of music programming that is not provided by the two commercial radio stations licensed to broadcast in the Northern Rivers, ZZZ and 2LM.

The problem for community radio stations is finding enough money to not only fund their operational costs, but also the expensive capital costs for their broadcasting equipment.

92.9 River FM, based in South Lismore, is having a fundraising night next Saturday, September 27, by showing the movie about rock legend Bob Dylan, 'A Complete Unknown' at the Star Court Theatre.

River FM is one of NSW's oldest community radio stations. It began operations in 1976 after the license was issued to the Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education using the call letters 2NCR. When Southern Cross University came into being, the studios were moved to the East Lismore Campus. They have been in Club Lane and the Conservatorium of Music as well over the years.

SCU lost interest in the radio license, so a new association was formed to take over control of the license, North Coast Radio Inc. The official name of the radio station is still 2NCR, but it has been known as 92.9FM and, more recently, River FM.

Since 2008, River FM has called South Lismore home, on the second floor of the Hernes Security building on Foley Road.

(Fran Healy broadcasting on 92.9 River FM from its South Lismore home)

North Coast Radio Inc. is a not-for-profit organisation, and River FM is run by volunteers. It makes money through 'sponsorship' advertising, because community radio cannot run commercials like ZZZ and 2LM due to government non-compete legislation. Yes, it is legislated that there can only be one commercial license in the Northern Rivers.

River FM's main source of funding is through government grants. This is due to its niche programming that caters to Lismore's indigenous and ethnic communities, like Italian and French, giving them a voice that they would not otherwise have.

Being on the second floor in South Lismore during the 2022 big flood did not affect their broadcasting equipment or their transmitter, which is at South Gundurimba. But that was where River FM's luck ran out. The transmitter was being repaired at the time of the big flood in Lismore's CBD.

Basia Klim has been River FM's station manager for 10 years. Basia told the Lismore App they could still broadcast thanks to a small, old transmitter used as a backup.

"It was much lower power. So, we were running that for a while, but it had faults, so we ended up having to swap it for a loan transmitter. We got it off Cow FM, they're in Casino."

Since those dark days, River FM has managed to buy a new transmitter, but it is still broadcasting on low power until it installs the recently purchased new antenna system.

The problem is that the antenna installation costs $25,000, and that is money that River FM don't have sitting in the bank account.

"Just before the end of the financial year, we bought the antenna system itself. The transmitter we bought about six months ago," Basia explained. "The antenna system is basically in parts, parked in a warehouse, and the installation cost is what we're working on. That is substantial. The installation cost will be about $25,000 because it requires high expertise. It requires three riggers to be climbing around, pulling down the old antenna, getting the new one up, and setting it all up.

"They're beautiful pieces of equipment and wonderful things, but they don't come cheap. So, this is why it's taken us a very long period of time and big effort of multiple grants to get to this point, and we're still slightly short.

"We have the good fortune to have a high-end technician on the transmission end of things who has worked right across Australia. He is now retired, but he's a friend of the station, and he basically just charges us for parts and his petrol. So, his part of things in terms of the transmitter talking to the antenna system is going to be free, other than his costs.

Once the money has been raised and the antenna is installed, the result is a stronger signal for River FM, meaning you will be able to hear the community radio station across most of the Northern Rivers, from Ocean Shores in the north, Yamba in the south and Kyogle out west, which is what its license allows for.

Topography has always been an issue for low-powered transmitters and antennas, so people living in Dunoon or Modanville would have trouble receiving the River FM programming on 92.9. That will be a thing of the past.

Basia said the original grant timeframe has come and gone; however, they did manage to get an extension until the end of the year. Which is why they are now desperate to raise the $25,000 installation cost, and why they are raising money from a rock and roll icon who is regarded as one of America's greatest singer-songwriters. 'A Complete Unknown' is a James Mangold movie about a 19-year-old Bob Dylan.

A Complete Unknown is showing next Saturday, 27 September, at the Starcourt Theatre from 4pm. The cost is $25, concession $20, with money raised going towards the new River FM antenna installation.

It stars Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan, Edward Norton as Peter Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash and Scoot McNairy as Woodie Guthrie.

You can book your ticket by clicking: https://www.trybooking.com/DERBT or from the Star Court Theatre website.