Wild Horse FM celebrated its 20th birthday this year in August – a year after the station welcomed its first Station Manager, Amanda Gordon. The timely appointment has lifted the station’s capacity to give more focus to strengthening its governance policies, deepening community connections and laying the groundwork for future sponsorships.
In the face of today’s economic challenges and volunteers increasingly at capacity, the station has been drawing on the strength of its wellbeing-focused initiatives to deepen engagement with local communities and stakeholders – embedding its Wild Horse Wellness Project Pilot into programming and community events. This year’s initiatives have included teaming up with non-for profit organization Jean Hailes for the Women’s Wellness Morning event, and a Mental Wellness bus tour in collaboration with Rosalie North Landcare.
Through the recent launch of the Yarraman State School Radio Club, Wild Horse successfully engaged with local schools to broadcast three student-led shows every week, giving students and teachers new opportunities to learn and create. The newly launched program ‘Shoot the Breeze’ has also been well-received featuring local interviewees sharing positive insights every week on how they have overcome personal challenges.
This year’s highlights also include the Yarraman Festival, where the station teamed up with the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Users Association to host the annual event and garnered strong support from local businesses and other sponsors. ‘The regional economic climate remains challenging, but we’ve laid the ground for future sponsorships through relationship building’ shares Station Treasurer Jane Hodgkinson. ‘Personal contact proved more effective than social media for engaging people and securing sponsorship.’
The station has recently secured two new regular sponsors along with six new active volunteers and several more expressions of interest underway. With increasing outreach from community groups, the station’s raised profile has attracted a wide array of new opportunities for collaboration, fundraising, sponsorship as well as new avenues for community engagement.
Wild Horse was the recipient of CBF’s Round 1 2023/24 Development & Operations Grant for Station Manager salary support.
Listen to Wild Horse FM live on 99.7FM, myradiostream or on demand at wildhorse.fm.com.