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For Rhian Todhunter, RTRFM has been a place to discover, share and champion great music for almost two decades. We sat down to talk about her journey with the station, the community that keeps independent radio alive, and to learn a little more about our partnership with RTRFM and why good coffee and good music make a pretty great pair.
Starting off with the big question… what’s your go-to coffee order?
Regular flat white, please.
For those meeting you for the first time, can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your role at RTRFM?
I'm currently the Development & Training Manager at RTRFM, an occasional on-air presenter, and I teach our Radio Presenter Training Courses. Over my 19 (!) years at the station, I've also been an office & event volunteer, a board member and a presenter on a bunch of our shows, including a long stint on our new music program Out To Lunch.
How would you describe RTRFM to someone who's never tuned in before?
You can tune in 24 hours a day and hear something completely unexpected and interesting, lovingly hand-picked by one of our 400 volunteer presenters because they think it's special and worth sharing. You'll likely hear music or stories from West Australia, and you'll almost definitely hear something you haven't heard before.
What first drew you to independent radio?
I was encouraged to start volunteering when I started studying radio at uni and instantly found a community. I've always enjoyed sharing music with friends and community radio seemed like a special way to do that on a larger scale. As a musician, community radio is also the only place that will play your music or support your career before you start, so RTRFM has been a consistent part of my career as a musician from the very start,as it is with so many other musicians in Perth.
Radiothon is such an important time of year for RTRFM. Can you tell us what it is, and why community support is so vital to keeping independent radio alive?
RTRFM is a Not For Profit organisation that relies on the financial support of our community to run, so Radioton is our annual subscriber and donation drive where we appeal to the community to support RTRFM however they can.The proceeds we make from Radiothon each year make up about a third of our yearly operating costs - We don't get significant regular funding, so consistent support from individuals and small businesses in our community is truly what keeps the station going. There's so many layers to RTRFM's community, and every person that listens, contributes, attends our events or engages in anyway is an important part of it.
Dimattina and RTRFM have been partnering together for a few years now. Why do you think coffee and independent radio make such a good match?
It's really important for us to have genuine partnerships with local, independent businesses & organisations in our community, to support each other and always be working towards building community. I think that even if the product is different, we share a similar care and respect for what we produce, and do it with the best interest of the listener, or drinker in mind. We're also a 24 hour radio station so it's essential that presenters that we have come in at all hours have access to a beautiful cup of coffee at all times.
Finally, what's one album or artist you think everyone should listen to at least once?
Kankawa Nagarra - Wirlmarni (https://mississippirecords.bandcamp.com/album/wirlmarni)
