Matthew Tomich is a volunteer broadcaster and collective coordinator at RTR FM, where he presents specialist music shows ‘Posted’ and ‘Behind the Mirror’. From 2015-2017, Matthew was on staff as Marketing Coordinator at RTR FM, promoting the station’s busy calendar of gigs, music festivals and community gatherings.
Tell us about your background
I grew up in Perth. As a teenager I was fascinated with the city’s local creative culture. I loved discovering these tiny niches artists carved out for themselves, finding pockets for collaboration, expression and performances against the backdrop of a city that felt isolated and incurious. Eventually I tried carving out my own niche, playing in bands, writing and finding ways to document that culture. Years later, I learned that the conduit for a lot of those artistic enclave was community broadcasting.
How did you get into community broadcasting?
Dumb luck. I made the pilgrimage that thousands of my Perth-born peers had made before me and moved to Melbourne. I figured everything in my life would click into place in a new city. It didn’t.
Days after a dramatic break-up, I threw in a Hail Mary job application at RTRFM, landed the gig and found myself back on home soil a week later. It was my first “real” job. It was also the most unreal job I’ll ever have.
Why did you sign up to be a CBF assessor?
Community radio was a game-changer for me. I had an inkling that there were hundreds of broadcasters having the same impact on their communities that RTRFM had on me. Being an assessor proved that suspicion right: there are thousands of fascinating stories unfolding across the country, broadcast out of tiny studios and told by people who don’t get paid enough for the tremendous work they do.
I don’t think we as a sector – or a country – appreciate how important the CBF is. Running a radio station or a TV station is hard work. Running one in Australia – particularly rural or remote Australia – is even harder. It’s a great fortune that successive governments believe in the CBF’s mission and continue to support its work to uplift and finance community broadcasting. I’m proud to be a small part of that story.
Finish this sentence: Community broadcasting is important because…
‘It’s one of the best damn things to happen to a whole a lot of us’.
About being a grant assessor
Interested in becoming a grant assessor? Read more about what a grant assessor does.
The CBF seeks nominations all year round to its Grants Assessor Team. Our team of volunteer Grant Assessors independently review, score and provide advice on grant applications to our Grants Advisory Committees.
Keen to get started? Nominate to be a grant assessor here.