Fun Fast Facts:
Updated: 2 Jun 2014 (Radiothon Special)
- There are only 4 gay radio stations in the world.
- JOY 94.9 is Australia’s first LGBT radio station.
LGBTIQ-friendly organisation: JOY 94.9
- The station provides over 450 free Community Service Announcements on behalf of organisations that serve and support our community. The station is fuelled by the dedication of over 200 volunteers and only a handful of paid core staff. JOY 94.9 is proudly self-funded through on air sponsorship and most importantly membership.
- JOY 94.9 is an independent voice for the diverse lesbian and gay communities listened to by 329,000 people in Melbourne and more online. Access podcasts, blogs and listen online to award winning music & talk, news & current affairs, arts & cultural programs.
- JOY’s timeline:
- 1993 – JOY begins broadcasting on World AIDS Day (December 1) on 90.7FM.
- 1995 – JOY’s first album “The Strip – Pride and JOY” is released.
- 1998 – JOY shares the 90.7FM frequency with Muslim radio and Kool ‘n’ Deadly Aboriginal radio so listeners could wake up one morning with disco divas and the next be called to Islamic prayer!.
- 2001 – JOY is granted its full time licence by the Australian Broadcasting Authority in December, making it the only licensed community broadcaster that specifically caters to the needs of the LGBT community.
- 2002 – JOY begins full time broadcasting on new frequency 94.9FM.
- 2008 – JOY co-broadcasts from inside the barricades at the 30th Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras in conjunction with Sydney station 2SER. In September, Studio 1 at City Village begins broadcasting.
Broadcast: 2 Jun 2015
Re:Member
W3JOY interviewed: JOY members
Listen to the podcast to hear about:
- how members became involved in radio
- members personal stories of the importance and significance of JOY in their lives
- embarrassing on-air moments
- how JOY has evolved
Listen to the podcast
Broadcast: 2 Jun 2014
Radiothon Special
W3JOY interviewed: Chris Holliday, Breakfast Presenter on Gaydio UK
“Being a breakfast show host…it’s not like another job which has got an early start when you can perhaps call into an office and wake up gradually over an hour. You’ve got to be on full because people want to be made to feel joyous”
“Gaydio started in 2006. It was an idea that two friends came up with over a drink in a bar. It started in Manchester…and they said ‘wouldn’t it be great if we could put on a gay radio station for Manchester Pride’. So they put it on just for two weeks…and it went quite well. And we did a few more small broadcasts.”
“We broadcast on FM in Manchester, on digital radio across London and the south coast, and this summer we’re going to be in Wales on digital radio and in Scotland across Glasgow on digital radio as well. We even get listeners in Australia! It’s crazy. It started off as an idea between two friends and it has grown into something that I don’t think any of us thought it would.”
“I think it (community radio) is really important. I started off in a little station outside Bristol doing a little afternoon show and that’s where I kind of learnt my trade. I loved it. It gave me the opportunity to get involved in radio. I think it’s really important for the community that it serves, be it a certain neighbourhood or be it like yourselves, the gay community. It gives a unique voice that isn’t necessarily reflected in the mainstream media.”