3MDR is one of many 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...

 stations which broadcast in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It covers the Shire of Yarra Ranges

Shire of Yarra Ranges

The Yarra Ranges Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer eastern and northeastern suburbs of Melbourne extending into the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges...

 and Shire of Cardinia

Shire of Cardinia

Cardinia Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne between the Western Port bay and the Yarra Ranges on the outskirts of Melbourne...

. With the Studio and transmitter located in Emerald

Emerald, Victoria

Emerald is a town and semi-rural locality in the Greater Melbourne area, Victoria, Australia, 44 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, outside the urban area. Its Local Government Area are the Shires of Cardinia and Yarra Ranges...

. This is a form of 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...

.

It is broadcast on the frequency 97.1FM and acts as the Emergency Broadcasting Station when there is an emergency, such as a bushfire.

3MDR was granted a broadcasting licence for a medium power community radio service covering the outer eastern region of Melbourne. Initially this coverage area along with that of neighboring radio station 3VYV (Yarra Valley FM) were intended to form part of the Melbourne Eastern community radio broadcast area, however the areas were divided upon entry of more localised FM community aspirant groups back in the early 1980s.

History

Mountain District Radio was formed in 1983 as a result of the lack of public communication during the Ash Wednesday fires. .

Mountain District Radio was incorporated on 11 December 1985 as a non-profit community operated radio station to service the areas of Monbulk, Woori Yallock, Gembrook, Pakenham, Berwick, Belgrave, Emerald, Cockatoo and everywhere in between.

MDR ran 13 test transmissions on the following dates between 5 August 1985 and 29 October 1989

3MDR's first temporary broadcast - as part of its demonstration phase intended to generate and display a community need for the service, it broadcast from a small studio in the back of an old bus by the side of a water tower on the ridge above Cockatoo.

Licencing

3MDR was the only applicant for a community licence in the outer eastern (mountains) area of Melbourne, and was granted a licence following a short public hearing which took place in 1989. 3MDR was granted a licence on the same day as 3PVR (Plenty Valley - Outer North Eastern Melbourne), 3SCB (Central Southern Melbourne), 3INR (Inner Northern Melbourne), 3SER

3SER

CASEY RADIO on 97.7 FM is a non-commercial community radio station which caters to the south-east of Melbourne, Australia, an area which includes the City of Casey and the City of Greater Dandenong.-Overview:...

 (outer South Eastern Melbourne), 3WBC

3WBC

3WBC FM is a local radio station in Melbourne, Australia with a frequency of 94.1 MHz. The station is operated under licence byWhitehorse-Boroondara Community FM Radio Incorporated. It often involves local school students in its programs and is developing a larger audience...

 (Inner eastern Melbourne) and 3VYV (Yarra Valley, Outer North Eastern Melbourne).

Today - Programs

3MDR airs a wide variety of programs for all audiences.

On Sundays the station also airs a significant number of Non-English language programs, including Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

n, Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, and other nationalities. Community radio stations such as 3MDR are offered financial inducement to broadcast Non-English programs via a grants program administered by 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....

External links

• http://www.3mdr.com 3MDR Website
• http://www.cbaa.org.au CBAA Website