Independent, not-for-profit community radio station FBi has weathered a financial crisis with an emergency fundraising campaign that saw it “live to fight another day”.
FBi, with studios located in Alexandria, has been on air since August 2003.
It places a heavy emphasis on local emerging music with a policy that at least 50 per cent of its music content is to be Australian, half from Sydney, “handpicked by people not algorithms”.
The station is recognised as an important platform for emerging artists and underrepresented voices not usually heard on mainstream radio.
It has helped launch and champion the careers of artists like Flume, Cloud Control, Red Riders, Montaigne, Julia Jacklin, the Presets, the Kid Laroi, Nina Las Vegas and Genesis Owusu.
It is also an incubator for the next generation of Australian radio, media and creative talent, equipping young people with skills and pathways into media, broadcasting and creative work.
Journalistic alumni include Alison Piotrowski, Marc Fennell, Dom Alessio and Avani Dias.
It costs roughly a million dollars per year to run FBi, including rent, broadcasting fees, electricity and staffing. Without any recurring government funding or advertising partners, FBi relies on its listeners, of whom less than 1 per cent are supporters of the station.
In February, faced with a rising operational deficit and declining membership and sponsorship revenue, FBi cut 10 permanent staff and told volunteers it needed to find $1 million to survive and $2 million to thrive.
In June it held a town hall to outline its situation to the broader arts and cultural sector, laying out operating costs and the breakdown of the existing revenue stream.
And it asked supporters for $30,000 to keep the lights on until the end of the financial year.
Tyson Koh – formerly director of anti-lockout campaign Keep Sydney Open and producer of the ABC’s music program Rage and now presenter of FBi’s Loose Joints program – joined the FBi board and became Managing Director in April.
He said through the appeal FBi was able to receive a lot of support from its listeners and people in the community. It had been a huge boost to the station.
“It’s meant that we live to fight another day. However, what makes a station viable in the long term is a sustainable revenue model.
“We had to let go half of our paid staff earlier in the year, which went some way to addressing our expenditure, but now we have to look to the ongoing support from our listeners as well as sponsors.”
No time for complacency
Mr Koh said, “Our listenership has remained strong. It’s not an issue of people listening to the station or knowing who we are. I see the problem as more around engagement.
“I think we need to be honest as a station and question what we haven’t done and the ways we have taken the community and our listeners for granted.
“That’s one of the problems for a station that has been around for 20 years: you can become complacent.
“It has nothing to do with our reach or standing in the community, it is more about how we keep them engaged, whether that’s through events or other forms of media; digital media for example.
“Are we really listening to our audience in terms of what they want us to be?
“These questions are really important in terms of lifting those numbers of people that are willing to financially support the station.
“We can’t just expect people to give us money or subscribe to us simply because we ask for it. We need to be of value to people in the community.
“It is about converting people who are fans of the station to supporting us financially. Not so much with big donations. It is that very low entry point of $10 a month, which is very comparable to what people might pay for a streaming service or a piece of software.”
The digital future
Mr Koh said digital was part of a longer-term strategy integral to future proofing the station and the artists FBi supported. A website refresh had already contributed to more online engagement.
“Our core business is connecting artists and culture with audiences. And we know that even as a Sydney-based station our audience extends beyond the metro boundaries. Since Covid, some of our listeners have moved to regional NSW and interstate but still want to keep an eye on what happens in Sydney.
“So digital is absolutely key in that. We often get compared to other digital radio stations that are based overseas that enjoy global audiences, including here in Australia, and we want to see that for FBi as well.
“There is no reason why someone in New York or Amsterdam or Lagos shouldn’t be able to listen to who the most exciting acts in Sydney are.”
Supporting the community
Part of FBi’s appeal to its donors is that community radio supports the local economy by spotlighting the small businesses, cultural initiatives and neighbourhood icons that make Sydney vibrant.
Mr Koh said, “I’d like people to consider the impact that supporting something as local and community-based as FBi has on the world around them.
“It’s more than that the money stays in Sydney. It goes toward supporting the venues and art galleries and artists. It’s people finding out about a particular band and therefore might consider buying their merch. It’s people attending music venues they might not have heard of if it wasn’t for FBi.
“The money that is invested in FBi really does go back to the community.”
He said FBi was more than just a radio station. “We put on events, we sponsor gigs and festivals and other happenings around the city. So, if we were to vanish, I think that impact would be felt without a doubt.”
Mr Koh said his goal was to future proof the station because it deserved to exist for another two decades.
“Ultimately, people need to understand that community-based organisations, not-for-profits like FBi, aren’t guaranteed. They need money to exist like any business does.
“Now’s the time for our audience to step up and support us in the same way we have supported Sydney music, arts and culture for over 20 years.”
He said, “Now the real work has begun. I’m determined to see through a good result for the station.”
An important part of Sydney music and culture
Stuart Coupe, rock music writer, author, band manager, promoter, publicist and music label founder, is presenter of FBi’s Wild Card program.
He said, “I’ve spent 22 years of my life as a volunteer presenter at FBi radio. I believe it’s a very important part of Sydney music and culture – and the way I hear so much new and exciting music from Sydney, the rest of Australia and around the globe.
“It’s how I stay ‘down with the kids’ if you will – and also I’m honoured that every week I get to share music with my FBi listeners.
“I find it hard to imagine what a Tuesday will be like when I don’t walk through those doors, plonk myself behind the mic and say, ‘Hey, happy Tuesday – you’re listening to 94.5 FM – that’s FBi Radio.’”
Mr Koh said, “If anyone reading this does value FBi or community organisations in general, please consider becoming an ongoing supporter. It’s a simple as signing up on the website.
“It’s the same for the South Sydney Herald: it really does exist because of the passion that is put into it by a very small and dedicated team and if we take those efforts for granted maybe they will disappear.
“I don’t think that’s something that anyone wants.”
You can find FBi on 94.5FM and online.
