Fears that beloved Sydney community radio station 2SER would be exiting the airwaves have been allayed thanks to the announcement of a new reduced capacity model.
In April, it was reported that the station may have only limited airtime left, with claims the broadcaster could close by July due to the cessation of vital funding.
At the time, it was reported that staff at the station – which broadcasts from the premises of University of Technology Sydney (UTS) – were informed that its owners had been unable to replace the funding which had been previously provided by co-owner Macquarie University.
Macquarie University announced the termination of its funding last year, with a spokesperson claiming the decision “aligns with the University’s responsibility to balance its core missions of education and research with long-term financial sustainability.”
A statement provided by UTS pointed out that the University remains committed to providing support to the station, but only at its current level. According to the ABC, that level was $320,400 at the end of 2024, with Macquarie University providing $325,395.
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However, 2SER has avoided the chopping block, with the ABC reporting that UTS will remain the sole core funder of the station, which will operate under a reduced capacity model.
Speaking to 702 ABC Sydney, Professor James Bennett – a 2SER Board Member and Dean of the Faculty of Design and Society at UTS – stated he was “pleased to say the station has definitely got a future.”
"It's taken a lot of work from the volunteer community staff here at UTS and the station manager, but also with a transition director we brought in, Tony Duke, to kind of find a model that allows us to move out of a period of uncertainty and onto more forward-facing ground,” he continued.
"We can start working with the community again on fundraising and also a future vision for the station together."
The publication notes that a series of meetings with a “working group of staff and alumni representatives” resulted in the creation of the new model, which Professor Bennett describes as hopefully being “leaner, [and] more efficient.”
Operating under the transitional directorialship of Duke, the station’s staff will be reduced by 25% from eight to six, though the ABC reports that there is hope the operating capacity will be expanded to what it was before Macquarie University withdrew their funding.
