Something really good is happening in Orange right now, but it will take time before most of our community realise it. It concerns Orange’s Community Radio Station FM 107.5.

For many a long year this local radio station has been going along quietly, doing what it was set up to do, serve the community while being run by an enthusiastic team of volunteers, many being actual presenters on the station.

Sadly, operating in the way it has for so long has meant that the station’s audience has always been very small and in many respects, a lot of locals have little knowledge of it or aren’t even aware of it. For me personally, I’ve hardly ever given it a thought and never listened to it.

On a much brighter note, I’m now delighted to say that I listen to 107.5FM quite a lot and I find it rather refreshing, given my fussiness when it comes to listening to radio or watching tv.

The reason for my change of heart is because the people who run the station decided a little while back that they had in their hands a resource with far more potential than they’d taken advantage of, and now wanted to raise the bar, so to speak. They appointed an experienced station manager to bring the station up to a standard where its listener base would increase significantly, and the station would become a far more valuable resource in and for the communities it serves.

That’s all been happening over the last few months and a week or so back, the station officially relaunched itself with new branding, a new logo, a new format and a new direction. The ultimate aim is to become a much loved and listened to voice within the communities that 107.5FM is heard in.

When I heard this was happening, I got excited. Being a media person myself, I know only too well the opportunity that having a community radio license gives a community, I also know that many communities with such licenses don’t use them to their full advantage. The fact is, they are full radio licenses, albeit with some restrictions that govern the amount of advertising/sponsorship they can broadcast but nothing that prevents them from becoming a serious radio force if they have a mind to do so. It appears that 107.5FM is now on that track and for that reason Orange City Life is going to help them and back them as much as we can. Together, we have the chance to become the most favoured print and radio options for readers and listeners in the area. We have a great starting point with both being genuine locals and both having a genuine heart for growing and prospering our community.

I’m looking very much forward to the association and to see what we can do together to make our audiences appreciate what we do, encourage people to love and support each other and our community more, and to feel good about more things generally.

The process has started and I trust you’ll soon be far more aware of 107.5FM and what we’re both trying to do very soon. In the meantime, tune in to FM 107.5 and have a listen, it sounds good now but is getting even better on a variety of fronts as each week goes by.