Source : Perth Now news
Western Australia’s first community radio station is celebrating its golden jubilee anniversary with a new exhibition for the public to explore.
Curtin FM originally launched as 6NR in 1976, and has cemented itself over the past 50 years as one of the State’s most popular community broadcasters.
The non-profit radio enterprise is completely funded by community support and sponsorships, and has provided more than just a platform for music and sport enthusiasts.
Curtin FM has been committed to platforming migrant groups and other underrepresented voices across WA, even launching the country’s first Noongar radio program in 1979. The program eventually evolved into its own independent station on 100.9 FM titled Noongar Radio – Perth’s only dedicated Indigenous and First Nations community radio station in the metro area.
In honour of this rich history, Curtin University has pulled together five decades worth of artefacts, stories and archival material to present ‘50 Years of Curtin FM: Your stories, your community’, a free exhibition charting the station’s legacy.
Curtin FM station manager Quinn Glasson said the exhibition was a must-see for the station’s loyal 195,000 weekly listeners and any avid music and history fans.
“Visitors to the Curtin FM exhibition will be treated to a nostalgic trip down memory lane, celebrating the key milestones that have made our community radio station a key fixture in many households over the past five decades,” he said.
The TL Robertson Library on the Bentley campus will showcase the display, exploring the people and programs that have shaped the radio station and contributed to WA’s media landscape.
Vintage radios, photographs and newspaper clippings will be exhibited, as well as immersive audio recordings featuring live performances, ethnic music collections and iconic interviews over time.
People can also explore the station’s wide range of content, from specialist sports broadcasts to a unique show produced from inside a WA prison.
Curtin design students were invited to create a poster celebrating the 50th anniversary. Master of predictive analytics student Anmol Shrestha submitted the winning entry, now on display at the exhibition.
The TL Robertson Library and Curtin FM developed the exhibit together, with additional artefacts loaned by Signal Sound Design and the WA Museum.
It will be on display in the level 3 exhibition space at the library until October 23.
