The theme for this year’s radiothon is Paint The Town Triple R. “Basically, it’s about showing your colours,” says Breakfasters host Steve Wide. “The colours basically become a symbol for emotion, as well as people’s show of support for who they barrack for. It’s also tied in with the theme of art, and how art is a creative expression. We like to think of the radio station as being a creative expression as well.”
In tune with the radiothon’s broad theme, there are countless ways for listeners to get involved. The most important of all is to subscribe or re-subscribe to the station, with the money raised going towards keeping Triple R on-air. For those who want to go the extra mile, there are some other options.
“If they know anyone who would really like the station and appreciate where we’re coming from, let them know about it,” Wide says. “They can also get involved as volunteers at the station. We have people come into answer the phones when others ring up to subscribe. There’s plenty of things, like doing artwork. We always like to decorate the studio here whenever there’s a radiothon on. There’s plenty of things to be covered in vibrant colours.”
For those who subscribe, you won’t just be doing your part to help secure a Melbourne icon, you’ll also be placed in the running for numerous prizes. The major prizes include a 12 month supply of wine, coffee, beer, albums and cinema tickets, a trip through Japan, a season pass to Meredith and Golden Plains Music Festivals, a Sonos HiFi package and a bicycle from Walkers Wheels.
“They are all really diverse prizes that can suit a whole bunch of people,” says Wide. “There are also daily prizes, which are specific to each day. If someone subscribes on a specific day, they’ll go not only into the running for the major prize but for whatever prizes are running that day as well. There’s separate prizes for business, artists and bands. Music is very important here so there’s special prizes for bands. They can get things like a recording session, or artwork for CDs.” There’s even pet prizes for your lucky pooch or feline companion. “It’s all pretty good fun,” says Wide.
For many Melburninan’s, Triple R’s diverse programming has had a significant impact on their worldview. Wide is certainly one of these people. “I initially lived in the suburbs and I didn’t have a lot of interesting stuff to listen to radio-wise. I was watching TV shows to try and find, amongst all the commercial stuff, some bands that would interest me. I realised that there was a station that was playing the stuff I was in to. It had just started up and it was still the early days. There was a show I liked – it was the all-night show on a Saturday night. People would ring up and they’d be all sorts of crazy people from all walks of life. They’d have all these bizarre opinions. Amongst all the great music, there was a really interesting view into the counter culture in Melbourne. Eventually, that made me move into the city and start DJing in the clubs.”
From musicians and artists to environmental activists and everyone in between, Triple R has provided a platform for people who wouldn’t survive on mainstream radio. Through the station’s independence, it has ventured into places other broadcasters simply don’t dare.
“It’s massive, the amount of bands that have been exposed through Triple R. It’s unbelievable. Probably even more importantly, the arts community has been supported. Melbourne is a very arts-based town and I think it’s one of the great cities in the world in terms of the arts. That’s been largely due to the exposure that Triple R has given the arts. Just the viewpoint that Triple R have, where we’re not funded by advertising or government, we can have a free voice and quite an independent voice as opposed to everyone else. It’s helped shaped the Melbourne political and arts landscape, and certainly the music landscape as well. Without question, it’s very important. A lot of cities don’t have a radio station that does that specifically, particularly one that’s driven through subscribers. Whenever somebody comes here from another city or another country, they say, ‘You don’t know how lucky you are to have a station like this’.”
Triple R’s core independence is intrinsic to its role not only as a music destination, but as a station that built a community from the ground up. “Making people feel like the stuff that they’re into is being shared by a lot of people is very important. It stops people from feeling lonely, like they don’t have a place. Triple R makes them feel like they do have a place.”
BY JAMES DI FABRIZIO
