4ZZZ Community Radio

There's a local community radio station in Brisbane called 4ZZZ - it can be found at 102.1FM if you're within about 50 km of the city or on-line via http://www.4zzzfm.org.au/ . Ever since I found it it's become my regular radio station of choice. All music is chosen by the presenters, not by any media-driven playlist, and because of the demographic of the presenters that leads to a lot of what I would consider 'my music'. It's not uncommon to hear Joy Division, the Happy Mondays or the Stone Roses and I've even heard such long forgotten gems as Ride, the Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance & Slowdive. Classic British bands are in a minority though - there's a lot more local music and up & coming bands that catch the presenters ear.

Some of the shows are 'themed', such as 'Thunderstorms & Neon Signs' which plays blues & alt country, 'Locked In' which broadcasts messages & requests for people in prison, 'The Anarchy Show' which presents alternative news & rants and 'Dykes on Mikes', which is a professor called Michael discussing Dutch flood prevention schemes. Others offer a more random mix of music & opinion, although the general style of both is humerous, independent, alternative and a little bit out there.

All presenters are volunteers, and although the 'umms' and silences can be a bit irritating at first they soon become more soothing than the endless jabber of the commercial stations. It's worth a listen so if you're local tune in, and if you're overseas try the streaming option. If you're in another time zone then beware, it could get a bit wierd late at night. If the station plays Cannibal Corpse at 11am then Christ knows what will be airing after dark.

The station is independently funded, relying a lot on donations & subscriptions. It's their annual fundraising week this week so if you subscribe you're also in the running for a variety of prizes. It's $50 for a waged subscription - a small price to pay to keep a section of the airwaves free from corporate domination. Go on - you know you want to...