WHAT’S NEXT FOR 2SER?

Elise Martin attends…

Beloved community radio station 2SER is grappling with the big question––what comes next?––as the July deadline for an alternative funding source to save the station rapidly approaches. 

2SER has served as a cultural pillar of the community for nearly 45 years. It has been a forerunner for inclusive media representation, providing invaluable learning opportunities for up-and-coming journalists and nurturing Sydney’s homegrown talent and culture. This community institution has proven time and time again to be critical to Sydney’s rich tapestry of music, arts, and culture. 

The station’s future has been thrown into jeopardy as major funding partner Macquarie University announced they will be withdrawing their funding of the station by the end of this year. UTS have pledged to continue fulfilling current funding obligations; however, to keep the station running at full capacity, it must find an alternative to fill Macquarie’s shoes. Soon. 

The question on everybody’s lips right now is … what comes next? 

I attended last week’s town hall meeting to find out. The lecture theatre hall was packed to the brim with people from all walks of life. Attendees were united: comrades-in-arms ready with pens, laptops, and recorders to fight for their radio station’s future. 

Cheryl Northey, the station manager, was the first to address the crowd. She explained that the board had been  working tirelessly over the last 10 months to find a viable partner who met the specific requirements; that is,  a financially stable organisation which shares the station’s values and which has a similarly strong, like-minded community. Unfortunately, they have as of yet not been able to find any suitable organisations, and have not had interest from other tertiary institutions like USYD or UNSW. 

Board Co-Chair Chris Dixon, representative of Macquarie, reiterated that they were grappling with a complex problem. To meet licensing regulations, the funding must be sustainable and in line with certain requirements for 5 years of operation. This means that raising money to meet short term costs will not be enough.

The other solution tentatively approached by the board co-chair and UTS representative James Bennett was the potential for a significant station downsizing. This was received by the audience with apprehension. He laid down UTS’s official position: “We understand the value of it, but the question is how we evolve it”. 

Question time from the audience prodded Bennett further on what this ‘downsizing’ might look like for 2SER. While he couldn’t provide concrete details, he elaborated,  “we are in a position now where we are looking at changing the size and operating model at 2ser…It is a lot to work through”. 

Once the roving mics came out, the audience’s polite albeit dissatisfied facade of acceptance fell. Pointed questions, directed at the speakers, were interwoven with emotional testimonies about the role of 2SER in their lives. The crowd’s questioning tried to undercut the polite formalities of the panel discussion, getting down to the nitty gritty: how deep is the hole 2SER is facing? What were the figures? Why can’t UTS take full responsibility for funding? Why didn’t they tell people earlier? 

The crowd’s questioning [got] down to the nitty gritty: how deep is the hole 2SER is facing? What were the figures? Why can’t UTS take full responsibility for funding? Why didn’t they tell people earlier? 

While the quick fire questions came, some received answers while more were deflected. Northey explained that the cost to run the station over the last year amounted to approximately a million dollars (however, last year’s financial reports have not been made publicly available and she did not provide a cost breakdown). 

UTS’s representative Bennet was firm: within the current economic model, UTS would not be completely funding the station. He was unwilling to engage with any further discussion around UTS’s management of funds and what they have been, and will be, willing to shell out the big bucks for.

As the tensions within the room began to boil over, it became clear the meeting was veering off course. To regain control, the speakers drawing the discussion to a close announced the formation of an open working group inviting concerned citizens to collaborate in partnership with the board to search for a solution.

Overall, the main takeaway from this meeting was that nobody is really sure what the future holds for 2SER––or if they do, the general public is not privy to that information just yet. On a more positive note, it is apparent that 2SER’s community is refusing to let the beloved station go down without a fight.

it is apparent that 2SER’s community is refusing to let the beloved station go down without a fight.

As I sat in the audience listening to all the stories from impassioned community members, I was overcome with the desire to help, unfortunately without the hundreds of thousands of dollars in my back pocket to effect it. Luckily, the final point in the meeting directed audience members to the campaign Love 2SER, giving audience members like me a channel to help with a petition and survey to support the future for 2SER.