Community radio station 2Dry FM has been awarded $30,000 in grants through the Foundation of Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) Strengthening Rural Communities program.
The funding will help expand the capacity of 2DRY FM through accessible studio upgrades, including a new custom-built desk that will allow for better disability access. It will also help to finance the re-installation of the station’s original record players the radio station can play vinyl.
New carpets and ceilings to improve the acoustics of the room also forms part of the project, as does a new radio panel that will better facilitate talk-based programming.
2DRY FM Station Manager, Megan Williams, said the radio station was overjoyed to receive the grant, telling the Barrier Truth it will help upgrade the live studio at 200 Beryl St.
“It’s another big undertaking for 2DRY but the end result will be a new, fit-for-purpose live studio that will be accessible to all 2DRY programmers, members and guests,” they said.
“In community radio, we often have to do the best with what we’ve got and while we love our little space, in reality we have some pretty modest facilities.
“We recently won a number of awards and mentions in the South Australian Community Broadcasting Associations 2023 Bilby awards, which goes to show the station has always had the ability to make great community content, and soon we’ll have live studio facilities to match that.”
The FRRR has also awarded a $50,000 grant to the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation to deliver its Early Language and Literacy Far West Project in Wilcannia. The project will ‘address educational disparity and aid post-COVID-19 recovery of children in a remote region with an innovative adult upskilling program, empowering them to boost early language and literacy skills’.
