Since 1977 community radio station RTRFM (that's 92.1 on your dial) has been Perth's 'sound alternative', proudly broadcasting with a focus on local music, arts and culture.
This year the station turns 40 and will celebrate in style with 'The Big 40' concert spectacular featuring a cornucopia of Western Australian artists performing across four stages at Perth Concert Hall in November.
Currently at the helm of RTRFM as General Manager is Eskimo Joe guitarist Stu MacLeod, who has traded his axe and the stage for an office desk.
You stepped into the role of General Manager at RTRFM in December, 2015. What experience as a radio professional do you bring to the job?
[Stu] Radio has been a large part of my life for the past 20 years. Playing in a band in the '90s/ 2000s, the radio was always the primary delivery system for your music. As such, the promo run was a staple with every new single or album release.
I always enjoyed the experience of being in a radio station and the interview process. I came to have a clear understanding of what constituted a good or bad interview and always had a desire to be on the other end of the mic. I have had 18 months of on-air experience as a presenter on a commercial station, but the experience was very different to life at RTRFM.
This place is so special in so many ways. The level of passion, dedication, knowledge and the desire to explore and discover are so inspirational. I have brought a wealth of knowledge of the industry to the job, but the job has provided me with a lot more than I imagined when I first started in 2015.
"Our presenters bring with them a lifetime of searching for the best music they can find. There is no algorithm for local knowledge." - Stu MacLeod
What is your own history with the station prior to becoming GM?
RTRFM was the first station to ever play Eskimo Joe. I heard it while driving my shitty old Datsun and totally hit the roof with excitement. Hearing that song on the radio completely validated my desire to make music for a living; it made me think it was actually possible.
From there, we would frequent the station to do interviews and play live on air; we’d play events like In The Pines and subscribe as a band every year during Radiothon. It’s so important to support community radio; without it, the local music scene would be a much more desolate, disconnected place.
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Have you instigated any major changes to how the station operates?
RTRFM has such a rich history and people are incredibly proud and protective of it; as such, any major changes have to be made with a healthy mix of foresight, hindsight and from an incredibly well-informed position. As such, I have been hesitant to make any large-scale changes to the way we run until I have a few years under my belt.
There’s some longer-term strategic planning going on currently, which could lead to some big changes. But again, any decision that affects our members and our listeners must be thoroughly thought through and be in the best interest of the station.
All on-air changes are made by the Programming Committee, which is made up of volunteer members and staff from RTRFM and signed off by the Board, which I am a member of. There have been changes to programming that have ruffled feathers, even from the station’s humble beginnings.
It’s the Programming Committee and Board’s charge to think strategically and make changes based on where we are now, where we’ve been in the past and where we think we’ll be in the future.
"What RTRFM, and community radio in general, provide is a direct connection to our community; support for our community and above all, we explore and investigate." - Stu MacLeod
Most other changes to the way RTRFM works are generally behind the scenes; the way the office and our events are run, strategies to make Radiothon successful etc. The most major change I have instigated is a blanket zero-tolerance position on Nickelback. I’m proud of that one. [Ed's note: well played Stu]
Was it difficult going from rock guitarist to an office job? How did you handle the transition?
To be honest, it’s been a pretty enjoyable experience. I’m a total nerd, so the spreadsheets and structure is pretty well suited. I love problem solving and tackling new challenges; this job throws things at you from every direction possible, so I definitely have my fill of both.
Why is RTRFM such an important radio station in Perth?
Without RTRFM, quite frankly, we’d be f@#$ed. There’s no other outlet for local arts, music and culture that has been as dedicated and consistent in its support over the last 40 years.
RTRFM is the most vital source of information and inspiration for our communities, with a focus on supporting local music and arts and discussing events and issues that affect our population in an open, honest and inclusive way. It’s a friend, a mentor, a family and a source, a safe place for anyone and everyone.
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What sets it apart from commercial stations?
We provide a voice for people, artists and communities that cannot be heard on commercial radio, plus we’re not for sale. None of our content is influenced by corporations and none of our music is playlisted [sic]. Our presenters can play whatever they like, without a focus group of randomly selected people voting on whether the latest P!nk song is shit or not. Spoiler alert. It’s shit.
Being a not-for-profit community station, how does RTRFM survive and prosper?
This place runs on heart. Everyone here working behind the scenes stretches every dollar into ten and works twice as long and twice as hard as they are paid for. Those dollars we do get through the door generally come from four sources: sponsors, events, grants and our listeners. Our listeners provide around a third of our annual income. Without their continued support, we wouldn’t be here.
How has the station kept up with the digital revolution?
One of our members, Simon Keary, is a total IT guru. He has designed and maintained our website for a fair, few years now. We’re always trying to figure out new ways to involve our online audience, through multimedia content, live streaming, video streaming and fully produced video packages.
It’s also important to utilise one of our biggest strengths online; playlists. Our presenters have such a depth of musical knowledge and those playlists have real value to our listeners. RTRFM uses an online playlist system developed by AMRAP. It’s an amazing tool for stations to be able to keep a record of all the music played on the station, and a way for this info to be freely and easily made available to the public.
Simon Keary has integrated this playlist system into our website, including the ability to stream individual songs and segments with the click of a button.
We’re also currently developing an RTRFM app that will allow people to be able to carry us wherever they go. It will be pretty basic to start with, but we have grand plans for expansion over the next few years. It’s an exciting challenge keeping up with technology.
We’re working on some pretty cool ideas for our upcoming 40th birthday party, which will see some modern tech involved.
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What role did the station play in promoting Eskimo Joe when you first started?
It’s the same story as pretty much every band in Perth. You get your first spins on RTRFM. It’s always the origin, then someone like Triple J will notice and pick it up and the rest is up to you.
But it’s more than just your song on the radio. RTRFM promote bands through their events, with hundreds of local bands featured at our events each year. Couple that with on-air interviews and live in-studio performances and you have a one-stop promotion machine.
How will RTRFM be celebrating its 40th anniversary?
We’ve had a few events already that have celebrated this huge milestone including Neon Picnic, a free family event at Hyde Park on the actual birthdate, 1 April.
BUT, the big one is literally that… The Big 40 is an event at Perth Concert Hall on Sunday 19 November. We’ll be taking over the whole complex; four stages over seven hours, with unique performances on each stage. Abbe May with WAYJO, Red Jezebel performing Revelations, Odette Mercy and a Tongan Choir, Downsyde with a string section and a whole stack more.
PLUS we have no less than four supergroups made of of local musicians, performing RTRFM’s favourite local tracks from 2017, PLUS the ultimate supergroup, made up of Perth’s most loved musicians (members of Methyl Ethyl, Eskimo Joe, Jebediah, Sleepy Jackson and a whole host more) performing RTRFM’s Musical History, a journey through the last 40 years, soundtracked with iconic WA songs.
There’s some big names on this list; we’ll be telling y’all a few more each week to build the excitement.
Will Eskimo Joe be making a surprise appearance at the party?
We’ll drag Kav [Temperley, Eskimo Joe guitarist-singer] on stage at some point, for sure. He’ll be part of RTRFM – A Musical History. It’ll be pretty spesh.
Kav Temperley as an intern at RTRFM back in the day - image suppliedWhat are your plans for the future of the station?
The future is about continuing to support our communities and create the best radio we can. A real focus is also on physically engaging more with the public; so getting out into our community and making people more aware of who we are and what we do.
Really, my goal is just to refine what is already here. It’s an amazing institution, it’s been here for 40 years for a reason. We just need to make sure our quality improves, we’re engaging with new listeners every day and that we’re keeping up with technology in this digital age.
At this point, what are you most proud of with the station?
I’m proud of the people here. We do some amazing things with very little resources. So many people donate their time to this place; even the paid staff work way more hours than they’re paid for. This place runs on passion and that makes me proud to be a part of it.
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In your professional opinion, is radio in general at risk of being succeeded by burgeoning distribution technology such as streaming?
I would say that commercial radio is at risk, for sure. I’m sure they’re already experiencing the influence of streaming services.
What RTRFM, and community radio in general, provide is a different offering. We provide a direct connection to our community; support for our community and above all, we explore and investigate. Our presenters bring with them a lifetime of searching for the best music they can find. There is no algorithm for local knowledge.
Plus, streaming sites determine what you will like based on what you already like. RTRFM serves you music you didn’t know you would like until you hear it. That’s something you cannot get from Spotify.
Lastly, what do you love most about your job?
Once again, it’s the people here. This is a family, driven by a love of Perth, a love of music and the arts and a desire to do whatever we can to preserve and promote everything that matters to us. It’s a rare and beautiful thing, especially in today’s world, where authenticity is becoming harder and harder to find.
