Loading ...- Category:
- Community
- Author:
- Andie Noonan
- Posted:
- Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Melbourne GLBTI radio station JOY 94.9FM is celebrating its sweet 16th birthday this week and marked the occasion with an old-fashioned blue light disco last Saturday.
JOY 94.9 president Stephen Duns said the anniversary was a cheeky nod to another significant coming-of-age date.
“It’s the age of consent,” he said with a laugh.
“There is a certain coming-of-age to go along with that… celebration was one of the big things that came out of our [member] survey, so it’s a nice time to celebrate.
“I think the metaphor is entertaining as well.”
The station has come a long way from part-time broadcasts in its former cramped South Melbourne headquarters to its swanky new Bourke St studios, a full-time broadcasting licence and the production of podcasts.
This weeks marks the station’s anniversary because the first JOY broadcast occurred on World AIDS Day on December 1, 1993.
According to the station’s history, the first words of its inaugural broadcast were station founder John Oliver saying, “Can I have a cup of coffee and then we’ll get going?”
Broadcasts are a lot more polished these days, with many volunteer presenters and producers now old hands.
“We’ve got the new premises which are fantastic, we’ve got [new general manger] Danae [Gibson] which is really fantastic…so time has passed where we’re growing up as well,” Duns said.
What’s in store for JOY 94.9 in the next 16 years?
“I see big changes. I think we can’t probably even think what they might be, but what we do know is that even if you look at the last five years, and observe where we came from 16 years ago, I think the level of change in 16 years time is likely to be even greater than where we came from to where we are now,” Duns said.
“There’ll be a change in the environment with digital [radio] and those sorts of things, and there will be changes in our community as well.”
The station is still in the process of appointing a new broadcast manager. Applications closed November 20.
Tags: JOY 94.9FM
