2RDJ
Encyclopedia
2RDJ-FM is a community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...

 station based in Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....

 and broadcasts to the Inner West
Inner West (Sydney)
The Inner West is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia...

 suburbs of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

.

2RDJ-FM aims to provide a local voice for and to promote Sydney’s Inner West through open access to the community of their own broadcasting facilities. The station also aims to provide a mix of entertainment, information, news and training opportunities that reflects the community's needs and interests.

History

The original idea of establishing a community radio station was formulated in 1974 by a group of enthusiastic local residents. After a proposal paper was written, a steering committee was set up. The first public meeting was held at the Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....

 Public Library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...

 on 15 October 1975 where office-bearers were elected.

It was found that there was no provision in the then Broadcasting and Television Act for the issuing of community broadcasting
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...

 licences. The members of 2RDJ-FM Community Radio set about lobbying the Federal Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

 to prove the necessity and practical benefits of public broadcasting. But they met with no success. During this period the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia
Community Broadcasting Association of Australia
The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia is a peak body and the national representative organisation for community radio and television stations in Australia. The CBAA provide leadership, advocacy and support for members to actively provide independent broadcasting services and to build...

 was founded. The CBAA brought all aspiring public broadcasting
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...

 groups under the one umbrella, in the process creating a lobby group that had greater influence.

Between 1975 and 1982 2RDJ-FM carried out a number of test transmissions. The first studios were two that were already established within the home of one of the founding members. The first test transmission involved the volunteer members of the radio station themselves assembling and erecting an FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...

 mast
Radio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...

 in the back yard
Back garden
A back garden is a residential garden located at the rear of a property, on the other side of the house from the public street-side entrance and front garden.-Number and size of back gardens:In Britain there are over 10 million back gardens....

. In 1980 the station moved into a new home in the Woodstock Community Centre in Burwood.

In 1982 the then Minister for Communications
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (Australia)
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy is currently Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy. He replaced Senator the Hon Helen Coonan on 3 December 2007.-Portfolio:...

 Ian Sinclair
Ian Sinclair
Ian McCahon Sinclair AC , is an Australian politician and former leader of the National Party of Australia.Sinclair was born in Sydney, the son of a suburban accountant. He was educated at Knox Grammar School and at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in arts and law...

 toured the Burwood area during election campaigning. The Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Burwood, Alderman Phillip Taylor invited Mr Sinclair on a tour of the Woodstock Centre, which included an inspection of the 2RDJ studios. Mr Sinclair was informed about the plight of aspirant public broadcasters being unable to apply for a full-time broadcast licence.

A few months later a notice appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald calling for applications for nine C Class Public Broadcasting Licences in the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 metropolitan area. Following a public hearing on 5 September 1982 the then Australian Broadcasting Tribunal granted a licence to 2RDJ to serve the Inner West
Inner West (Sydney)
The Inner West is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia...

 suburbs of Sydney.

During the following fourteen months a 100-foot mast was erected adjacent to the Woodstock building and the studios and equipment were upgraded. After many test runs, 2RDJ-FM went to air at 7:00am on 5 November 1983.

Current

The Community Broadcasting Foundation
Community Broadcasting Foundation
The Community Broadcasting Foundation is an independent non-profit funding organisation based in Melbourne. The CBF solicits and then distributes funds that assist with the maintenance and development of community broadcasting in Australia....

 supplied a grant to 2RDJ-FM to purchase and install a satellite dish
Satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...

. This was to enable to station to receive the CBAA’s Community Radio Network
Community Radio Network (Australia)
The Community Radio Network in Australia is a satellite program feed available to subscribing community radio stations. It was created and is managed by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia . The CRN does not produce the programs that are broadcast on the feed, but acts as a...

 programs direct, thus replacing audio cassette delivery. Also the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...

 was now available and could be put to air as required. During the 1993 season, 2RDJ supplied live commentary of local Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 matches every Saturday that was uplinked to the Community Radio Network. Since 1994 the station has supplied parts of its weekend
Workweek
The workweek and weekend are those complementary parts of the week devoted to labour and rest respectively. The legal working week , or workweek , is the part of the seven-day week devoted to labor. In most Western countries it is Monday to Friday. The weekend comprises the two traditionally...

 broadcasts to the satellite network, available for other community radio stations to relay. In 2003 2RDJ stopped supplying programmes to the Community Radio Network.
November 2008, saw live streaming introduced, therefore listeners from worldwide are able to listen.

In June and July 2009 2RDJ-FM presenters Jase and Nikolina did 2 live broadcasts from the USA including coverage of the Coke Zero 400
Coke Zero 400
The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually, beginning in 1959, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida; the second major stock car event held at Daytona on the Sprint Cup circuit...

 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...

.

Programming

The station’s current programs cover most music styles from jazz, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

, dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

 and fine music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

. Some evening and weekend programs are broadcast by specialist interest groups or in languages other than English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

.

See also

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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