To our amazing members, subscribers, and presenters: We wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday, and a healthy, happy, and hope-filled new year! While 2021 continued to be challenging, we are pleased to share this good news from our year in review.
RSVP for WOWfm’s Christmas Lunch We are very pleased to be holding our annual Christmas lunch at noon on Saturday, 11 December at The Alberton Hotel. Join us for raffle prizes, meet presenters, Board members and other listeners – and bring your seniors card to take advantage of senior discounts. Please RSVP by Wednesday, 8 December to treasurer@wowfm.org or call the station at 8449 3007.
Welcome New Board Members
Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place on 26 September at The British Hotel (a WOWfm sponsor), during which, we held elections for the open Board positions. Our newly elected Board members are:
Deputy Chairperson: Steve Mill
Treasurer: Wayne Scott
Programming Director: Barry Gower
Technical Director: Brett Hanson They are joined by current Board members:
Secretary: Tricia Mikolai
Fundraising Director: Peter Darby
Training Director: Monica Nemeth While four vacant Board positions remained, several members submitted expressions of interest to fill them after the AGM. The Board voted on them in its October meeting, and we are pleased to welcome:
2021 Bilby Awards
The South Australia Community Broadcasters Association (SACBA) held its annual Bilby Awards over the weekend, and WOWfm took home three awards!
Congratulations Dave’s Video Graveyard, presented by Dave McLennan, for winning two awards: Best Program and Can’t Get Out of the Car!
In addition to these two Bilbies, WOWfm was also honoured as the Runner Up in Best Outside Broadcast for Jim Manning’s ANZAC Day broadcast, assisted by Susan Lily. Wayne Scott accepted the award on behalf of the station.
We sincerely thank our presenters, who keep WOWfm up and running, as well as our members, subscribers, and sponsors, who give us a reason to keep doing the work we do!
What are the Bilby Awards? The Bilby Awards celebrate the contribution community radio makes to our community and
to encourage high achievement within the sector. The awards are open to members, judged by community radio people and are assessed on creativity and excellence in broadcasting.
Our New Presenters
We’ve held three presenter training sessions this year, and we continue to get expressions of interest for more! Here are the newest presenters on the team:
Adam Myers: "Wake Up Mondays" Mondays 6.00am-7.00am
Peter Darby: "Out of the Box" Mondays 4.00pm to 6.00pm.
Mark Davis: "Tuesday Breakfast" Tuesdays 7.00am to 10.00am.
Wayne Jack: "The Music Maze" Thursdays 6.00pm to 8.00pm and "Classic Cafe" (alternate Mondays) 1.00pm to 4.00pm.
Jason Pirakis: sharing "Dance 100" with Andrew Andrews Fridays 6.00pm to 8.00pm.
Troy Burge: "Anything Goes" Fridays 11.00pm to 1.00am. Upcoming License Renewal WOWfm’s community broadcasting license is up for renewal in 2022, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) requires our application to be lodged 26 weeks prior to expiry, which is 31 October 2022. Upon being granted the renewal, our license will be in force another five years until 2027.
New Antenna Installation This past July, you may have noticed that the station’s antenna stopped working due to severe storm damage. We were very pleased to receive a grant for a replacement from Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF) as well as monies donated form some of our generous members! The temporary replacement antenna was installed a few days later and our station was back on the airwaves. We received the new antenna, and it will be installed depending on the availability of a rigger in the coming weeks. We’re especially excited because it will increase signal penetration for a better coverage across our broadcast area. Welcome New Members Jan Williams, Peter Beare, Rhonda Williams, Christopher Doe, Mike Marriott, Cheryl Jacquier, Errol Ford, Graham Brown, Leanne, Caitlyn, James, Stacey, Simon, Julie & Guy Feuerherdt, Chris Marciniak, Nick Wheatman, Pat Chesney, Fred Klein, Kym Diercks, Rob Leo, Jennifer Lesue, Ulla Hoffman and Tony Bryant. Thank you for your support!
In Memory of Jim Manning
While we mourned the loss of WOWfm Chairperson Jim Manning this past June, we have displayed a plaque in his honour at the station. Jim was also awarded the Local Legend Award in May, a Volunteer Award hosted by Mark Butler which recognises the great work that volunteers do in our community.
The plaque reads: In Memory of James Robert Manning (Jimbo) 1951 – 2021. In honour and gratitude of his leadership, friendship and service. Respected by all that knew him, love and remembered by all. WOWfm member since 2012. Deputy Chair 2013, Chair 2014 – 2021.
From the Chair
Hello to all WOWfm members! As 2021 rapidly draws to a close, it is my honour to be back at Way Out West Broadcasters Inc. (the licence holder for 100.5 WOWfm) as Chairperson of the Board of Governance. For those that don't know me, I have been in and around community radio for many years, and I was the Chairperson at WOWfm prior to the tenure of the late Jim Manning. The role of the Board of Governance is an important one in a not-for-profit organisation like WOWfm for meeting community needs, and it is particularly critical as the Board prepares its submission for the renewal of the broadcast licence on behalf of you, our members. I wish all members a safe and happy holiday season, and I look forward to bringing you regular updates of what the Board is doing on your behalf and legislative changes on the horizon that could impact community broadcasting. I also welcome your constructive feedback on the performance of the Board as well as any improvements WOWfm can make as a community organisation. Never forget that we, the Board, are accountable to you the members, so you do have a voice! Rob Leo (Chairperson)
Thank You Sponsors We’re grateful to all our sponsors for their support throughout 2021, and we wish them the best over Christmas and into 2022!
Thank You!
Once again, thank you for your support throughout the year. We’re so pleased to be able to put on quality entertainment and information for you through 100.5 WOWfm. We appreciate that you tune in, stream online, patronise our sponsors and participate in our events. Have a safe and Merry Christmas!
Sincerely, WOWfm Board of Governance