Community station up for four awards

PHOENIX FM volunteers are proving they can hang with bigger community radio stations by being nominated for four major awards.

The station was entered in nine different categories for the 2022 Community Broadcasting Association of Australia’s Community Radio Awards and was announced as a finalist in the outstanding small station category, as well as excellence in Indigenous broadcasting for program Koori Shoutout.

Station president Samual Harrison is a finalist in the station leadership category, and last year’s inaugural radiothon is nominated for best fundraising campaign.

Secretary, Anne Conway, said volunteers are “absolutely thrilled” with the news.

“Phoenix FM has done exceptionally well to achieve finalist status nominations in the awards,” she said.

“[We’re] a small station in comparison with many of the other stations and run entirely by volunteers from our community who work tirelessly to ensure that true access community radio is delivered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

The four nominations improve on the station’s three last year, which were for excellence in Indigenous engagement, best radio music program for Miss M’s Crimson Palace and excellence in music presentation for Dawn Delaney’s World Music Safari – Sounds from Other Lands.

CBAA’s Community Radio Awards consist of 30 categories for stations, programs, and individuals.

Phoenix FM is up against stations like Castlemaine’s MainFM and Perth’s Noongar Radio.

The awards will be presented in CBAA’s first face-to-face conference since 2019, in Cairns on 29 October.