Triple R’s Radiothon is making its return, asking listeners to donate now more than ever 
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23.08.2021

Triple R’s Radiothon is making its return, asking listeners to donate now more than ever 

Photo by Naomi Lee Beveridge
Words by Matthew Parnell

The beloved community radio station needs your help more than ever.

Beloved community radio station Triple R has locked in the date for its Radiothon fundraiser, once again asking everyone who’s in a position to do so, to dig deep and subscribe and donate in order to keep Triple R afloat.

The not-for-profit, community media organisation’s last Radiothon happened five months into a global pandemic, and the tone of last year’s corresponding piece was more optimistic. In the twelve succeeding months, things have felt progressively less and less hopeful. But do you know who hasn’t felt dejected? Triple R.

Throughout the turbulent year, Triple R’s volunteer presenters have continued to pump out music, shows, and content 24/7 despite all that’s going on in the world, let alone in Melbourne’s own backyard.

What you need to know

  • Radiothon is the biggest, most celebratory time in the Triple R calendar
  • It’s when the station asks everyone who’s in a position to do so, to dig deep and subscribe and donate in order to keep Triple R afloat.
  • Everyone who subscribes between Friday 27 August and Wednesday 6 October automatically goes in the draw to win a huge array of prizes

Catch up on the latest music interviews, news and reviews here.

Much like last year, Triple R needs the support of the community that forms it as a community station. In a normal year, of which they’ve missed two, half of their revenue comes from sponsorships and a half from subscriptions. Last year, it was estimated that 80-100 per cent of their money came from sponsorships, and that’s where Radiothon comes in. Subscribing and donating to Triple R provides essential station income. It also ensures Triple R remains completely independent, meaning the station can continue to provide a platform for music and opinions and ideas that may otherwise never be heard.

Monique Sebire hosts ‘Out on the Patio’, Triple R’s Wednesday drivetime show and shares similar concerns about the state of Triple R, more than a year into the pandemic.

“The message still stands, we need the community support and we’ve lost so much support,” she explains.

“The way it [restrictions] ebbs and flows is really hard to keep up with – there was a time when gigs were back happening and we had tickets to give away to events and screenings, we had support from businesses and things like that, but when businesses are closed and events aren’t happening they’re not going to pay Triple R for sponsorship because there’s nothing to advertise. So we’ve lost all that again, and we still need our subscribers to keep us going and unfortunately, it’s a lot of the same old story.”

 

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The message of 2020’s Radiothon was Now, More Than Ever! I Listen, I Subscribe. This year’s Radiothon slogan – It’s Your Station – celebrates the hundreds of volunteers behind the scenes at Triple R and in particular, the volunteer presenters who have been there for them and remained their listeners’ constant companions, keeping the community connected, inspired, informed, educated and entertained throughout the pandemic.

The slogan also celebrates everyone out in the community who holds the station dear – especially the listeners who subscribe and donate to fund the station’s operations.

“It’s a two-way relationship. The listeners and the subscribers are grateful for the station and everything, but in the same way, we absolutely wouldn’t be there without them. It’s just such a great community to be a part of and I’m reminded of that all the time. It’s definitely symbiotic,” Sebire says.

At its heart, Triple R is a hub and showcases the best aspects of community radio and has done so since its beginnings in 1976. It truly is your station, more than somewhere to simply find out what’s going on in Melbourne and that’s never been truer, or more reflected, than in the last 12 months where very little – if anything- has been going on.

If you do decide to become a Triple R subscriber during Radiothon, kicking off from 6am on Friday the 27th of August, you’ll go into a prize pool. Potential prizes include a getaway to the Pyrenees Ranges, an e-bike, a year’s supply of pizza, and so much more.

Triple R On-Air Radiothon Campaign runs from Friday August 27, to Sunday September 5, with Radiothon officially ending on Wednesday, October 6. You can find out more about Triple R’s Radiothon here.