Two-time winner 2SER faces bright digital future

Community radio station 2SER claimed two awards at the recent Community Broadcasting Association of Australia National Awards, coinciding with the start of its 35^th birthday celebrations.

The station received The Best Digital Media Initiative award for its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex community pop-up station, Star Observer Digital,   and the Tony Staley award for Excellence in Community Broadcasting for the national daily current affairs program TheWire.

Broadcast for a decade across Australia, The Wire is a daily current affairs program produced by a network of community radio stations, with 2SER providing content on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.

2SER Director Melanie Withnal

2SER Director Melanie Withnall said The Wire’s award win was an accolade shared by more than 125 dedicated volunteers working at community radio stations across Australia, with 45 based in Sydney at 2SER.

“Over the past 35 years 2SER has forged a trusted place within the community by offering listeners news and current affairs content that doesn’t simply mirror mainstream, commercial broadcasts,” Ms Withnall said.

“Our few staff and many volunteers, most of them journalism students, add an alternative flavour to how stories are reported, often going more deeply into issues, seeking wider and more diverse views, and reporting on important news that may be overlooked.

“The Wire owes its award win to its commitment to providing all Australians, including in remote regions, with cutting-edge current affairs content that reflects Australian diversity.”

2SER is owned by UTS and Macquarie University with broadcast facilities based on both campuses. It is one of only three stations still operating with university support in Australia, offering journalism students and volunteers the chance to develop new programs and hone the professional skills that will get them top jobs.

“We’d like to keep building on our 35 years of success by growing creative new content and diverse programming, particularly harnessing new digital channels combined with innovative web content, including video,” Ms Withnall said.

“In the past few years we have doubled our audience, attracting a large share of Sydney’s listeners. We want to grow this further by enriching our factual content that shares insights and understanding of the complex world we live in and new discoveries taking place in research.

“With so many changes taking place in the media landscape today, with broadcasters shedding staff, becoming less localised and simplifying world events into bite-sized chunks, I believe 2SER’s future lies in delivering valuable alternatives to engaged audiences who are looking for depth in news and cultural content.”