Radio Station of the Year 2007 - Why We Won
 2007 was an especially busy year for Noosa Community Radio.
We not only moved to new premises, but also managed an on-air marriage proposal, regular attention-garnering new stints at the Noosa Farmers' Market, training
new presenters for every program block, renewing our permanent licence, producing a CD with music by 19 local artists and a host of other things.
The ethos of community radio is to harness the diversity of the community and to provide involvement and a voice for everyone in it, especially
groups representing the disadvantaged members and residents of the community. (Read more about this by clicking here).
And so we did. Our management structures encouraged active participation by all members of our community and connected with various community groups.
We broadcast live from the Peregian Originals local music talent promotion event for the National Day of the Disabled, other Peregian
Originals concerts, Eumundi Markets and the Sunshine Coast Blues Festival. We collected spectacles for Mongolia in an appeal initiated by a former member
now doing charity work there with an international organisation and ran training courses for people with special needs, for example a Youth Training
and Mentor Project called Ten2Air.
Fund-raising was also key in 2007. There was the Hat Party, the Gemini Party, Country Music Jamboree, Classical Concert plus a brand new
subscriber drive gaining 130 new subscribers.
Other community-related 101.3FM activities included:
- Reporting on the anti-council amalgamation rallies in Brisbane and locally;
- Interviewing Samantha Martin and Michael Butler in relation to the National Aborigines and
Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week's events at "the J";
- Youth training courses for Brosnan Models, providing work experience and working with the TAFE migrant English
students;
- Providing a platform for All Nite DJ Raves;
- Fitting out our production studio with a grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund (GCBF);
- Adopting a local charity and pledging 1% of annual turnover and providing special attention through announcements and interviews;
- Commissioning a listener survey by students of the University of the Sunshine Coast;
- Launching a station CD called Noosa Sound Waves featuring local artists at "the J"; and
- Changing our overnight programming to a mix of the best local and Australian music and spoken word from our
collection plus our choice from the satellite operated by the
Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA).
 What's more, some of 101.3FM's voiceovers were used on prime time television
(click here to view - 1.1MB - please allow time to load)
and the Tewantin Primary School erected signage to show 101.3FM's connection with them.
Our former vice-president, Miki Venn-Brown, pictured above with the award trophy, collated all our activities in a presentation.
It convinced the panel of judges and we beat over 360 other community radio stations around Australia to take the CBAA Award for
Radio Station of the Year in 2007. We're immensely proud of it.
2008 is proving to be just as action-packed. Our youngest presenters (from Tewantin School) are just
11 years old, fund-raising events have been well
underway with a bike raffle and wine raffle, the Gemini Party at the end of May
and the Wolverines due to top the bill at the Country Comes to the Beach Country Music Showcase on 16 August.
There is definitely plenty to do at Noosa Community Radio, so if you have a few hours to join in as a volunteer, we'd love
to see you. It's a great hobby that connects you with where you live.
Oh yes, the marriage proposal? She said yes.
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