A lot is happening at ArtSound! Read on for news about:

  • ArtSound 2024 Radiothon
  • Radiothon concerts
  • ArtSound’s new transmitter installed
  • ArtSound selects new console vendor
  • Eric McDonald retires from presenting
  • Ambassadors visit ArtSound
  • ArtSound’s podcasting meetup
  • Call for radio drama scripts
  • ArtSound’s Big Year of Fundraising
  • GoFundMe campaign passes $10,500 of $15,000 goal
  • How You Can Help

 

ArtSound 2024 Radiothon

ArtSound’s annual Radiothon (on-air fundraiser) took place October 13-20. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

The Radiothon began with an October 13 afternoon concert at the Polish White Eagle Club in Turner in collaboration with Live @ The Polo and organiser Clandestino, and wrapped up on Sunday October 20 concert in the ArtSound gardens at the Manuka Arts Centre.

A special thanks to all the musicians who took part in those two events. At the Polish club, those were Andy + Matt (from Los Chavos), Adanna + Sergio (Funkytrop), Ned + Nadia (Chicharrita Club), and Capital Samba , a dynamic eight-piece bossa and samba ensemble.

Scenes from the Polish Club; photos: Clandestino

At the garden concert, we heard Clover’s Clever Clinkers and the In Full Swing big band.

The fundraiser’s eight days featured daily and grand prize drawings.

If you missed out on donating during the event, by all means get in touch if you’d like to help out, via our website (artsound.fm) or by phoning the station on 6295 7444.

Or, use this QR code to go directly to the ArtSound donation page:

We’ll be delighted to hear from you, and you’ll be helping to take ArtSound into its fifth decade of operations. Each year, we broadcast hundreds of interviews and concerts with local artists in many fields, along with specialty programming that supports and fosters arts activities in the ACT region.

 

Concerts at the Polish Club and at ArtSound

The 2024 ArtSound Radiothon on-air fundraiser, which ran from October 13 to 20, began with an afternoon concert on Sunday October 13 at the Polish White Eagle Club in Turner, in collaboration with Live @ The Polo and organiser Clandestino, led by ArtSound World Vibe presenter Rafael Florez. The event went out live on ArtSound and also via video feed to the ArtSound Facebook page.

More scenes from the Polish Club; photos: Clandestino

Video presentation was a new undertaking for ArtSound, so we were fortunate to have five volunteers on the crew, including four graduates of the latest ArtSound Broadcast Training course (see below): experienced video producer Steve Little directed the crew, which included Joanne Craigie, stage manager; Nick Hope and Andrew Scarano, camera operators; and Paul Marsh, master of ceremonies.

Thanks, too, to the Polish Club’s veteran in-house audio engineer, Dave Howe, and his crew.

On Saturday October 19, we held an Open Day at the ArtSound Studios at the Manuka Arts Centre.

And the Radiothon closed on Sunday October 20 with a Garden Concert in the grounds of the Manuka Arts Centre, with Clover’s Clever Clinkers and (below) the In Full Swing big band.

 

 

ArtSound’s new transmitter installed

After several weeks of work by Chris Deacon (Vice President and Technology Manager) and Rodger Bean at the ArtSound studios and up the Black Mountain tower, ArtSound’s new transmitter is now up and running, guaranteeing reliability of ArtSound broadcasts for years to come.

The installation is the culmination of seven years of efforts to secure a grant to fund the replacement of a transmitter damaged by a lightning strike in 2017. That paid off this year with a Development and Operations Grant from the Community Broadcasting Foundation that is paying not only for the new transmitter, but also for three years of expensive transmitter rental and electricity costs on Black Mountain and Mount Taylor — those run to about $53,000 per annum, close to  half ArtSound’s total operating expenses.

The higher power transmitter will bring ArtSound’s transmissions a little closer to the licensed 20KW maximum; more importantly, it will provide higher quality transmission.

Chris Deacon and ArtSound management particularly thank Rodger Bean for his contribution to the installation project, and for many other projects over several years. Says Chris: “As a valued member of our technical team, Rodger has long been a godsend for ArtSound, providing technical assistance that even most ArtSound volunteers aren’t aware of.”

Rodger Bean up in the Black Mountain Tower

The transmitter installation involved many technical procedures that would mystify most mortals. Chris would be happy to regale you with all the details. In the meantime, he is fine tuning the transmitter’s audio settings to provide an optimal sound for the kinds of programs ArtSound broadcasts. He also has configured the “RDS” (radio data system) facility in the new transmitter so that your car radio will now scroll “ArtSound FM” and “Canberra’s Music and Arts Radio” messages.

In addition, Chris has installed a high-quality DAB+ receiver to provide instant backup in the event of failure of our two main broadcast links: UHF and internet. (DAB+ is the emerging digital radio broadcast platform that uses specially designed DAB radio receivers.)

ArtSound thanks the Community Broadcasting Foundation for its generous Development & Operations Grant in support of our transmission upgrade.

Jon Glanville, standing, and Rodger Bean at ArtSound working on repair of microwave link equipment used to transport broadcast signal to Black Mountain Tower

 

ArtSound selects new console vendor

Here’s more great news for ArtSound listeners as well as the thousands of ACT-region artists we publicise and promote. Thanks to fundraising throughout this year, ArtSound is now able to announce that it has selected a vendor for key components of a digital transformation of its studios. It will use equipment made by DHD.audio, a German company recognized internationally for its cutting-edge solutions in the audio broadcast industry; it offers products that are particularly well-suited to the demands of a modern community radio station due to their relative ease of use.

ArtSound’s digital transformation project is particularly significant for our organisation in that its crucial initial phase has been largely funded by you, our members and supporters. This long-awaited upgrade, when completed, will bring the station’s control room and studios to state of the art with the first Australian deployment of an innovative new product.

The initial purchase of equipment has been made: one digital broadcast studio console and equipment to prepare our control room to support it and eventually two more such consoles. The initial equipment will take several months to configure and integrate with the studio modifications. That will begin to take place before the end of this year. Chris Deacon and his technical team will install the console in one of our studios, where it will first serve as a training console until presenters are ready to use it for on-air broadcasts.

In the ArtSound digital transformation project, we are pursuing a key strategic goal: to incrementally enhance broadcasting and production capabilities by replacing our 20-year-old hand-built analog consoles.

When completed, the upgrade will position ArtSound at the forefront of modern broadcasting technology. For that, thank Chris Deacon’s careful two-year evaluation of products at an appropriate price point. Our upgrades will be based on DHD’s versatile SX2 broadcast consoles and IP cores supplied by DHD.audio through its Australian distributor Qvest.

If you would like to contribute to this crucial project, please do so via the project’s GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-console-artsound. Or, contact us and talk about how you might help: admin@artsound.fm

 

The expanding tech team

ArtSound welcomes a new volunteer to the Technical Team, Jonathan Pinna. Jonathan recently took part in the ArtSound presenter training course and has offered to assist on a regular basis with a range of IT matters. He will assist Chris Deacon with, for example, network documentation and cybersecurity issues, as well as the complex deployment of the latest Office365 package and new PCs.

He joins Chris, Marvin Jiang, Jon Glanville, and Rodger Bean on an impressive starting five.

Eric McDonald retires from presenting

Longtime ArtSound presenter Eric McDonald is retiring from broadcasting. Eric has been with ArtSound for 25 years, and most recently has presented Senior Memories and Soundsclassical programs.

He also served at various times on the Board and committees.

Eric (left, photo: Julie Finch-Scally) will present his last program, an instalment of Soundsclassical, on Sunday November 3, from 2-4pm.

We wish Eric many more years of joyful listening!

 

Ambassadors visit ArtSound

Thanks to a grant from the ACT Government’s Community Services Directorate, ArtSound is creating a new on-air weekly program featuring the music and cultures of Australia’s neighbours near and far. Julie Finch-Scally, Wylie Pang and Nikki Suttor are creating the program, and are inviting several ambassadors and high commissioners to the studios for familiarization visits. Soon they will begin to work with an ArtSound producer to pre-record one-hour programs for broadcast in 2025.

In late October, we received a visit by His Excellency Douglas Yu-tien Hsu, the representative in the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia, Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the absence of formal diplomatic relations. Earlier in the month, Costa Rica’s recently appointed ambassador to Australia, Her Excellency Ms Carolina Molina Barrantes (left, photo: Julie Finch-Scally), visited. In September, the Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines, Her Excellency Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, came to the studios.

Expected in November are Mr Mario Corredor, Officer in charge of Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of Colombia, and New Zealand High Commissioner Andrew Needs and Public Diplomacy Advisor Bryce Taotua.

Costa Rica’s recently appointed ambassador to Australia, Her Excellency Ms Carolina Molina Barrantes, in the ArtSound studios

 

ArtSound Broadcast Training Course

The second Introduction to Radio Broadcasting course of 2024 was conducted over four Saturday afternoons 25 September to 12 October. The course covered introduction to radio broadcasting, the history of ArtSound FM, studio operations, program planning, on-air presentation, and getting the most out of one’s voice.

Evaluation feedback was very positive and indicated that those who attended were very satisfied with the training.

Nine participants completed the course and the majority are now working with ArtSound program mentors, hopefully to progress to on-air roles.

 

ArtSound’s podcasting meetup

For several months, a small band of podcast enthusiasts has been meeting regularly at the ArtSound studios to discuss and plan podcasts and podcast skills.

Would you like to take part? It’s generally held on every second Monday night from 5:30-6:30pm in ArtSound’s dedicated podcast studio.

To inquire about joining in, write to membership@artsound.fm.

 

Radio plays wanted

Do you have a script that would be suitable for radio, or even an idea for a radio play but you’re not sure where to start? ArtSound Radio Theatre may be able to help. Drop us a line at admin@artsound.fm.

 

The Battle of The Bands

ArtSound’s Tim McNamara (left) recently acted as a judge for a heat of the APS Battle of the Bands competition at Smith’s Alternative in Civic.

Organised by the “Dept of Rock,” the competition’s stated aim is to “flip the script on the notion of boring public servants” in the nation’s governmental stronghold. In four heats during October, Dept of Rock, in partnership with Smith’s Alternative, has showcased the musical talents of ACT and Federal Government public sector workers while raising money for local charities.

The battle continues this month, with semi-finals at Smith’s on November 19 and 26, from 7-10:30pm each night. Then, the final is scheduled for December 8, from 6-9pm.

 

2024 is ArtSound’s Big Year of Fundraising — and Membership!

ArtSound’s Fundraising Committee is building on recent successes to revive ArtSound’s financial fortunes after some tough years.

Our 2024 campaign is proceeding on various fronts. During the year, we’ve held an ongoing membership drive, an end-of-financial-year donations drive, and a full-fledged Radiothon during October.

Earlier this year, we held a successful Music Trivia Quiz Night fundraiser, and have offered some public courses in broadcasting and podcasting skills.

There’s more to come. In particular, we’d like to boost our membership, as that provides a solid financial base for the year’s operations. Current membership levels are: individual $70, family $100, concession (card-holding seniors and students) $40. From January 1, membership rates will increase modestly to: individual $75, family $110, concession (card-holding seniors and students) $50.

ArtSound is aiming to boost the benefits that members enjoy. Yes, already we provide members, and non-members, with 24/7 radio every day of the year. But we’d also like to increase the number and range of businesses that will offer discounts to our members. We’ll list these on our website’s membership page.

Can you help us to identify or recruit such business supporters? If you know of any that might be interested, please write to Bart Meehan (bart.meehan@gmail.com) with details (including any contact details, if you have them).

 

GoFundMe

In one major thrust of our campaign, we’re using an online crowdfunding platform to raise money for essential technology upgrades. (See a report of latest steps, above.) That’s on GoFundMe. The campaign has passed $10,500 towards a goal of $15,000. And we’ve received some welcome donations outside the GoFundMe campaign. Thanks to everyone who has contributed.

You can use this website or QR code to contribute to this crucial project: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-console-artsound.

Or, contact us and talk about how you might help: admin@artsound.fm

Help us to upgrade our broadcasting gear. That will ensure we bring you the best specialist music and arts programming in the region (and streaming to the world).

It is expensive to provide quality radio. We can do it only because at ArtSound we have no employment costs: we are all volunteers. We have managed to raise enough funds every year for the past 40, but we now must replace vital broadcasting equipment, and that will take money we need to raise from several sources, including you, our listeners.

In 2005 station volunteers cobbled together our current studio broadcasting consoles, and those have served us well — as one of our on-air campaign promos puts it, they were “lovingly handcrafted in the Middle Ages.” But we’ll soon have to re-equip our studios at an estimated cost of well over $100K. (As mentioned above, we now have obtained funds to purchase a much-needed new transmitter.)

Our analogue broadcast consoles are old – way beyond expected lifespan! We have embarked (see above) on an ambitious project to upgrade them to spiffy new digital ones.

We’ll seek grants for part of these costs, but we need to find the bulk of the money. So, we’re asking you to invest in the future of your good listening by contributing what you can to help — to make an impression on the arts in and around Canberra.

How can you help? Simply go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-console-artsound and follow the prompts. Or contact us and talk about how you might help: admin@artsound.fm

Thank you.

 

Bottles and cans

Every dollar counts when you’re striving to raise more than a hundred thousand of them, each year. Such an effort requires that we fire on all fundraising cylinders.

Organisations can cash in refundable bottles and cans at depots around the city. We’ve been doing that, and at the same time providing listeners with a way to dispose of their used cans and bottles.

Please feel free to drop them off at the ArtSound studios at the Manuka Arts Centre – ideally Monday-Friday 10am-2pm, but at other times, at the front door, too.

 

Other ways you can help

Do you have skills that you’d be willing to lend to the ArtSound cause? Please let us know. Below are some areas where you might be able to help – but perhaps you have skills that we don’t know how to profit from, until you tell us!

Needs include:

Welcoming Committee: people who volunteer four hours from 10am to 2pm one weekday a month, fortnight, or week. Welcoming Committee members greet visitors to the studios, monitor email, and sometimes open and close the studios, all while helping to create a warm studio atmosphere.

Writers who can help with such tasks as writing scripts for on-air announcements, press releases, and the like, including this newsletter.

Management and financial wizards would be of great assistance for our fundraising events. Can you help us to keep track of all our fundraising and commitments?

Advertising reps: Perhaps you’re a retired ad rep or salesperson who could help ArtSound to find businesses that would like to take sponsorships (advertisements) with the station. On-air announcements are potentially a major source of income to ArtSound, but to date we’ve lacked dedicated advertising staff, so have not been able to optimise this income source, even though we know plenty of likely advertisers are out there. We are legally permitted to run up to five minutes of advertising in any hour of programming. Even one minute each hour, from 7am to 10pm, would bring us enough income to meet the station’s total annual unavoidable expenses. In fact, that would permit us almost to triple our income each year, and our investment in Canberra’s arts scene.

Presenting: We’re proud of the diversity in our programming. On a typical day, we broadcast 12 hours or more of locally produced live or recorded programs. There are also opportunities to produce pre-recorded specialty programs. Perhaps you have an area of music or arts knowledge suited to ArtSound’s broadcasts, and would like help to get your knowledge to air.

Program Production: If you have experience in recording program content including interviews and/or in producing finished audio or program blocks, we’d love to hear from you. Or, perhaps you have programming ideas and would like to learn how to use audio-editing software.

Concert Recording: ArtSound records concerts for later broadcast local, national, and international performers at venues in and around Canberra. Most concerts take place in the evenings or on weekends.

Music library: we can always use help in cataloguing and shelving CDs in the ArtSound music library. You don’t need to have library experience to do that, just an ability to carefully enter and track details. It’s quite fun, in a way only people of that inclination seem to understand.

This is just a list of the more obvious needs at the station. But perhaps your talents or qualifications lie elsewhere, and would also greatly assist us. Perhaps you have a “working with children certificate” (we offer occasional Radio Rookies courses for school kids) or a trailer we can use from time to time.

If you associate with artists of any kind, you could promote the station to them. Tell them about the benefits of membership, the opportunities to visit for on-air interviews or live performances, or our very affordable advertising rates (essentially, about one dollar a second), and our studio rentals for music or voice recording.

Any way you can spread the word is useful to ArtSound.

So if you can help, please send your contact details and a description of how you think you can help to help@artsound.fm. Or phone 6295 7444 weekdays between 10am and 2pm.

 

ArtSound FM’s mission is to cultivate a vibrant arts community in the ACT region. Your memberships and donations sustain our year-long programming including our artist-centred features and interviews and our many broadcasts of live recordings of concerts in and around Canberra.

Thank you for being part of ArtSound!

Please go online to artsound.fm to take out membership or donate. Or, send your contact details and a description of how you think you can help to help@artsound.fm.

Or phone (02) 6295 7444 — if you don’t reach someone right away, please leave a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

ArtSound is an all-volunteer community radio station.

 

Please forward this newsletter to any possibly interested friends and family members. And if you have any suggestions about items to include in this bulletin, please send them to newsletter@artsound.fm at least three days before the end of the month.