UPDATE!!
In the wake of Sir Richard’s super-exciting phonecall to the station, we would like to use this space to thank him again for his support and kind words about us, and to thank all of you who were so creative and wonderful with your Ask Richard entries.
There’s still work to do, however, and you can help. Subscribe to FBi and you’ll not only be doing your part to save a station loved by so many, you could win yourself some great prizes including return flights to London and the UK V Festival in August, or two return flights to LAX care of Sir Rich! EXCITEMENT.
Follow this link to pledge your support and go into the draw.
And remember, we love your guts.
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Hey Richard
G’day from FBi Radio in Sydney.
We’ve come up with an idea that we think you’re going to like. It’s a bit cheeky, a little ballsy but, most of all, fun. Oh, and it involves you.
In case you haven’t heard of FBi Radio, we operate the largest community radio license in Australia and, over the last five and half years, we’ve become a beacon for new Australian music. You know a lot about breaking bands and it’s in our blood too - acts like The Vines, Wolfmother and The Presets were all played first on FBi.
We don’t broadcast in obscurity (this isn’t New Zealand) with 342,000 people -10% of all Sydneysiders over the age of 15 - tuning in each month.
Just like you, we started from nothing - we had to fight to win our license and, once we won, had to scramble for money to get our station on air. Just like you, we struggled to pay down our debt in the early days, but we have always found a way to get through. The thing is, we’ve been hit really hard by the recession (our Prime Minister lets us use that word now). As advertising has dried up, our sponsorship revenue has halved and as the economy has slowed, our membership income (our station’s so good, people pay to listen) has fallen. Given that 93% of our costs are fixed, we’re now losing money. Rather than just aim to plug the holes and keep us afloat, we want to secure our long term viability as an independent broadcaster. To do so, we’re looking to raise $1,000,000. We know that’s a lot of money, but as your Aunty Joyce once said, “What’s money for, if not to make things happen?”.
Why are we telling you all this? Well, we thought given you know a thing or two about music, radio and enjoy the odd stunt, we could appeal to your philanthropic side. Actually, we’re not going to ask you directly - we’re going to leave that to our listeners. They are a creative bunch, and we thought maybe if we offered $50,000 to the most inspired approach to ask you for the money, that’d be kinda fun. It’s bold, but it’s only by being bold that you get anywhere, right?
It’s going to be huge, so be sure to check back here and see the adoration for yourself.
FBi Radio
