History of the station

The station came about in 1998 from a community project put together by a local youth worker and a group of young people who wanted something different to put their energies into other than sport and regular small town activities. For two years it operated out of a donga in Bacon Street as 87.6 Rock FM  The diversity of its  set up appealed to the local youth and community as a whole.   This energy and interest attracted more youth and in turn their parents. So with adults wanting to be volunteer radio announcers as well as youth, the nature of the radio station changed, to meet this need.

The popularity of this initiative increased to the point where there was a demand for an extension to the licence. BMA and  CFMEU were both  instrumental in the permanent licence being granted because CFMEU members and BMA employees  expressed a desire to hear the radio not just at home, in Moranbah, the initial broadcast area, but while they were at work on the mine sites.

4RFM has evolved from 87.6 Rock FM Youth Radio to 96.9 temporary community radio to 4RFM permanent community radio.

More than 40 volunteers

The Moranbah community radio station is first and foremost a community radio station where the ‘average person is given a go’. It is operated almost entirely by volunteers. Currently there are more than 40 volunteers, most of whom are radio announcers who present their own weekly show. Each ‘DJ’ is taken through the training program by the station manager. Broadcasting occurs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.. There is live broadcasting of local events, regular interviews with community service providers and visiting dignitaries and community notices are aided and local events advertised. The community radio station is the ‘voice of Moranbah’.

The youth component of the radio station continues to be of paramount importance. Some of the young people who were involved when it commenced are still involved, mainly as volunteer announcers. A special training program for young people from the local high school has proved very successful in the five years it has been in operation. Often difficult always challenging the program outcomes make it all worth while.

Listeners indicate that one thing that is unique about the radio station is the variety of attitudes and values in evidence through the music played and the DJs. This is considered an important source of diversity for the town.. What all the volunteers have in common is a love of music and for many who have had a long term association, apart from the personal rewards from announcing and their skill development they have enjoyed being a part of the station growing and developing.

As a community radio station, 4RFM has met its goal of being run by the people for the people, and ‘giving the average person a go’.