Let the sunshine in – future proofing a station with solar

April 27, 2021

2WAY FM studio
2WAY FM started broadcasting more than 30 years ago from a solar-powered caravan in the Hastings River valley not far from the NSW coastal town of Port Macquarie. Now located in the refurbished croquet club building in Wauchope, the station is an integral part of this hinterland community.

Throughout the year 2WAY FM actively promotes local news and events, offers a daily selection of interviews and music, holds regular open days where the community can see the inner workings of the station, and encourages the next generation of broadcasters through their mentoring program.

The future sustainability of the station is a key focus for the team at 2WAY FM. In the last year they started implementing strategies to reduce overall running costs and ensure equipment is updated so volunteers have everything they need to run their programs and avoid blackouts.

With CBF support 2WAY FM is once again using solar to power the station and save on electricity costs. They have also updated their 15-year-old microphones, bought ergonomic chairs for presenters and installed new 4-star energy rated air conditioning units for their ever-growing list of passionate broadcasters and other volunteers.

“Thanks to CBF, our station is running smoothly and economically putting live programs to air 14+ hours a day, every day of the year. And our presenters are very happy with the updated equipment.” – Liz Faassen, 2WAY FM

Support for 2WAY FM was funded through a CBF Development & Operations grant in 2019. We run two grant rounds each year, usually in January and July. You can check when our next grant round is open on the key dates page.

Subscribe to our enewsletter, Broadcast, and follow us on Facebook to hear the latest updates about our grants.

Photo: New microphones, chairs and air conditioning will be installed in the 2WAY FM studios.