I had my first contact with Radio Monash at the beginning of 2010, when I was looking to get experience as a radio announcer. This had been somewhat of a dream of mine for a long time growing up in Melbourne – a city recognized as having some of the best community radio in the world. I soon attended my first Radio Monash curated gig at the Tote where I got to see and meet some of Melbourne’s leading bands. It was a wild night, and the sense of community amongst the members really impressed me.
In case you haven’t casually gawked through the studio window before, Radio Monash is located at the heart of the Campus Centre and has been broadcasting in various forms since the mid-60s. Today, Radio Monash is the standard bearer of wholly student-run radio in Australia. In 2001, the abolition of temporary broadcasting licences meant that Radio Monash and many other radio stations lost their radio frequencies. However, the student body refused to lie down and accept the abolition of Radio Monash, and so it became the first radio station in Australia to broadcast online. Since then, it has been at the forefront of the growing world of webcasting and podcasting.
There are plenty of old hacks around RadMon, as it is colloquially known, many of whom encouraged me to host my own show and gave me a radio training crash course to ensure I didn’t cause too many on-air bungles. Embarrassing moments avoided, I quickly developed my radio confidence and started hosting some pretty wicked shows. Bands started regularly playing on my show to promote their gigs, and before I knew it I was deep inside the Fitzroy music scene.
With Music Hipster Cred ticked off on my ‘to achieve’ list, I applied to become part of the Radio Monash committee. Unlike standard, dreary committees, RadMon is great! I’ve been able to organise gigs ranging from finding a DJ for AXP, to smaller events around town, to working with up-and-coming Melbourne artists such as Saskwatch and Courtney Barnett. I’ve worked across a huge range of genres, providing eclectic beats to the wonderfully eclectic people of Monash.
The people at RadMon are legendary too; my posse now includes other announcers and people with fiendishly good taste in music. Not just a Radio Station, RadMon is an important part of campus life that carries with it opportunities to seriously hit up the Melbourne music scene. They call it RadMon for a reason.
