{"id":121898,"date":"2026-05-01T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/?p=121898"},"modified":"2026-04-29T22:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:00:37","slug":"radio-station-turns-up-volume-for-40th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/news\/radio-station-turns-up-volume-for-40th-birthday\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio station turns up volume for 40th birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"

AFTER beginning during a time of Crocodile Dundee and INXS, a community radio station is celebrating four decades on the air.<\/p>\n

Today (Friday 1 May), past and present announcers are back behind the mic at Voice FM at Barkly Square to mark the station’s 40th birthday.<\/p>\n

In 1986, the station received a full licence, addressing the need for community-run broadcasting in the Ballarat region.<\/p>\n

Voice FM vice-chair Belinda Wardle said that as a disability support worker, she had seen the work the station had done breaking down barriers for entry into broadcasting.<\/p>\n

“While I originally walked in to help someone else find their voice, I quickly realised that our station was an outlet to ensure everyone in Ballarat is heard,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We are focused on making it easier for Ballarat’s diverse voices, including local community groups and upcoming artists, to get the recognition they deserve.”<\/p>\n

Station manager Ben Daniel said Voice FM had given thousands of people a means to express themselves.<\/p>\n

“From presenters, to staff, to volunteers, to work experience participants, members, guests and interviewees and beyond, it has been a crucial outlet for an independent, alternative voice to our community in the Ballarat area,” he said.<\/p>\n

Today one voice on the air will be original station manager David Dahlenburg.<\/p>\n

He along with other feature presenters will reflect on the past and the station’s future.<\/p>\n

Other events as part of the station’s birthday will happen later this year. They will include radio programs about the station’s history and future, special in-studio guests, an online series and outside broadcasts.<\/p>\n

More information about the station is available on 99.9FM and at voicefm.org.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AFTER beginning during a time of Crocodile Dundee and INXS, a community radio station is celebrating four decades on the air. Today (Friday 1 May), past and present announcers are back behind the mic at Voice FM at Barkly Square to mark the station’s 40th birthday. In 1986, the station received a full licence, addressing […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":121901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-121898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRadio station turns up volume for 40th birthday - Ballarat Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Voice FM Ballarat 40th birthday celebrations kick off today, marking four decades of independent community broadcasting and diverse local voices.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/ballarat\/news\/radio-station-turns-up-volume-for-40th-birthday\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Radio station turns up volume for 40th birthday - 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