Driving You Mad, Driving You Crazy

7 Jan 2019

SPECIAL EVENT: JOY’s Member No 1 John Oliver joins David & Sue for Friday Drive #ListenNOW

Comedy, Community, Friday Request Hour, Interview, Music

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SPECIAL EVENT: JOY’s Member No 1 John Oliver joins David & Sue for Friday Drive #ListenNOW

SPECIAL EVENT PODCAST: JOY’s Member No 1 John Oliver joins David & Sue for Friday Drive. At the noble age of 71, John is hanging up his headphones and he decided to present one last show and yes it was with David & Sue on Friday Drive. Of course, John, also took over David & Sue’s Friday Request Hour and so it became the John Oliver Member Number 1 Request Hour.

David and Sue were also honoured to have four of JOY’s most amazing Life Members drop by to farewell John from the airwaves – Anne Hamilton, Marg Gardner, Chris Furneaux and John Jennings.

In John’s words “JOY is a place for people to come together and find out where they’re coming from and what’s best for them”.

We’ll miss you on air John, but, no doubt we’ll see you around the station from time to time.

And John’s favourite songs in the John Oliver Member Number 1 Request Hour were:

Gloria Gaynor with I Am What I Am
Kim Carnes with Bette Davis Eyes
Dusty Springfield with In Private
Dolly Parton with Nine to Five
Janet Jackson with Nasty
Shirley Bassey and The Propeller Heads with History Repeating
Madonna with Holiday
Tina Turner with River Deep, Mountain High
Abba with The Way Old Friends Do

Here’s a timeline of John’s involvement with JOY SO FAR, because he will still be involved – we’re sure of that! And a huge THANK YOU from all at JOY.

John Oliver – Founder of JOY – JOY Member #1 – Bio & Timeline

1980 and before:

These were the bad old days when some sections of the regular press ran unsympathetic items about the gay community. Then during the AIDS crisis, there was much public fear, anxiety and homophobia. The gay community wasn’t well represented in the media. We were in pain.

1984:

John Oliver made his first forays into community radio in various existing local stations.

1993:

John and a band of fellow travellers were toying around with the idea of having a gay radio station in Melbourne – to be the voice of our community, control the message and be a connection for all those with AIDS in hospital, detached from family and community.
At a public gay summer event, he tested his idea on a wide selection of those present and received their enthusiastic support. On 8 Feb 1993 he submitted an application for a broadcasting licence, and after much negotiation with the licencing authority, JOY received a licence to broadcast on Wednesday 1 Dec 1993, and then on the following weekend of 4 – 5 December.
In the 10 month interval, John drew together a band of like-minded volunteers and set about creating a formal organisation, a legal identity, registering the Incorporated Body and devising a Constitution, creating an organisation structure, financial processes and accountability, links to future donors and sponsors, a technical team, an on-air production and programming team, a band of volunteers, office accommodation, aerial and studio.

Dec 1993:

In the 24 hours before JOY was due to go to air, the radio transmitter was still undelivered and it was found in a transit warehouse. It was retrieved and the broadcasting components were assembled and tested. In the early hours of 1 Dec, while still testing, John uttered the words into an ‘accidentally live’ microphone – “Can I have a cup of coffee and then we’ll get going”. So at about 6.30 am, the station formally began broadcasting, symbolically on World AIDS Day. Broadcasting continued until midnight and the station received many reports from near and far that we were being received.

3-4 Dec 1993:

Just three days later, JOY went to air with its first 48 hours regular weekend programming. Extra licences were sought and obtained and JOY was able to broadcast most weekends and during some special gay events.

1994 to present:

John was part of the emerging management of the station and broadcast regularly as well. In 2001 in a heavily-contested battle, JOY lodged a comprehensive application for a licence to broadcast full-time and on 19 Dec 2001 received news that we were successful. JOY went to air full-time on 94.9 fm on 12 Jan 2002 – just three weeks later.

Unfortunately, poor health forced John to step away a few years later, but from a distance, he maintains a connection to the now-flourishing radio station of over 2000 members and 300 active volunteers. At the noble age of 71, John is hanging up his headphones. Job well done – John’s inspiration and legacy live on in the words of our Mission Statement …

JOY – Out, Loud, Proud

MISSION STATEMENT: JOY (94.9) is an LGBTI volunteer-based community radio station, committed to providing a voice for the diverse LGBTI communities, enabling freedom of expression, the breaking down of isolation and the celebration of our culture, achievements and pride.