| Broadcast area | Inner West Sydney |
|---|---|
| Slogan | The Voice of Sydney’s Inner West |
| Frequency | 88.1 MHz FM |
| First air date | 5 November 1983 |
| Format | Community radio |
| Owner | RDJ-FM Community Radio Co-op Ltd |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | Official Site |
2RDJ-FM is a community radio station based in Burwood and broadcasts to the Inner West suburbs of Sydney.
2RDJ-FM aims to provide a local voice for and to promote Sydney’s Inner West through open access to the community of their own broadcasting facilities. The station also aims to provide a mix of entertainment, information, news and training opportunities that reflects the community's needs and interests. [1]
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The original idea of establishing a community radio station was formulated in 1974 by a group of enthusiastic local residents. After a proposal paper was written, a steering committee was set up. The first public meeting was held at the Burwood Public Library on 15 October 1975 where office-bearers were elected.
It was found that there was no provision in the then Broadcasting and Television Act for the issuing of community broadcasting licences. The members of 2RDJ-FM Community Radio set about lobbying the Federal Government to prove the necessity and practical benefits of public broadcasting. But they met with no success. During this period the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia was founded. The CBAA brought all aspiring public broadcasting groups under the one umbrella, in the process creating a lobby group that had greater influence.
Between 1975 and 1982 2RDJ-FM carried out a number of test transmissions. The first studios were two that were already established within the home of one of the founding members. The first test transmission involved the volunteer members of the radio station themselves assembling and erecting an FM mast in the back yard. In 1980 the station moved into a new home in the Woodstock Community Centre in Burwood.
In 1982 the then Minister for Communications Ian Sinclair toured the Burwood area during election campaigning. The Mayor of Burwood, Alderman Phillip Taylor invited Mr Sinclair on a tour of the Woodstock Centre, which included an inspection of the 2RDJ studios. Mr Sinclair was informed about the plight of aspirant public broadcasters being unable to apply for a full-time broadcast licence.
A few months later a notice appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald calling for applications for nine C Class Public Broadcasting Licences in the Sydney metropolitan area. Following a public hearing on 5 September 1982 the then Australian Broadcasting Tribunal granted a licence to 2RDJ to serve the Inner West suburbs of Sydney.
During the following fourteen months a 100-foot mast was erected adjacent to the Woodstock building and the studios and equipment were upgraded. After many test runs, 2RDJ-FM went to air at 7:00am on 5 November 1983.[2]
The Community Broadcasting Foundation supplied a grant to 2RDJ-FM to purchase and install a satellite dish. This was to enable to station to receive the CBAA’s Community Radio Network programs direct, thus replacing audio cassette delivery. Also the BBC World Service was now available and could be put to air as required. During the 1993 season, 2RDJ supplied live commentary of local Rugby Union matches every Saturday that was uplinked to the Community Radio Network. Since 1994 the station has supplied parts of its weekend broadcasts to the satellite network, available for other community radio stations to relay. In 2003 2RDJ stopped supplying programmes to the Community Radio Network. November 2008, saw live streaming introduced, therefore listeners from worldwide are able to listen.
In June and July 2009 2RDJ-FM presenters Jase and Nikolina did 2 live broadcasts from the USA including coverage of the Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from Daytona International Speedway.[3]
The station’s current programs cover most music styles from jazz, country, dance and fine music. Some evening and weekend programs are broadcast by specialist interest groups or in languages other than English.[4]