RADIO ONE 91FM
1984: After a few years of pressuring the Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) to
support a permanent radio station on campus, Radio One goes live on Waitangi Day as
Ōtepoti’s first FM station. The time was ripe. The music was flowing. The early days were rough
and ready, but ‘DIY’ is still a word we chuck around a lot within the office walls - systems may be
upgraded, but the ethos hasn’t changed: Engage, represent, and uplift our local music
Scene. We are in your car’s crusty sound system, your performative wired headphones, and your crystal clear speaker 24/7, every day of the year. In an era of countless streaming services, here’s something with a little more heart to it.
“Radio One played local acts deemed too unpolished for commercial stations, and these found
a willing audience. Local bands also realised the worth of the station, as it was both a rare
chance to have their work broadcast and a major form of advertising for their sounds. By happy
coincidence, 1984 was in many ways the peak year of the initial wave of Dunedin’s Flying Nun
bands.” - James Dignan, Audioculture.
HOW RADIO ONE WORKS FOR YOU:
Whilst we have a core of employed humans, R1 is nothing without our volunteers. We wouldn’t have a hot programme full of shows that traverse soundscapes. We wouldn’t have the great yarns or the constant vitality. We always say, ‘Radio One is what you make it’ - because, really, it’s our community that makes the station what it is. Student or not, there’s space for new volleys to spin some weird shit and contribute to the station’s sonic personality or gain experience in social media & music promotion. Next time someone’s in their car, turns the dial to 91.0FM, and says: “What the fuck is this?” just think – that could be you behind that desk.
R1 uplifts a diverse range of genres, opinions, tastes, and voices. Not
only does the station offer an alternative to sterile commercial bullshit versions of all of the
aforementioned, it’s also a vehicle for experience. Our volunteers pick up skills in broadcasting,
journalism, and music promotion, all learnt in a doors-open, hands-on environment. This is the
place where you make mistakes; put on the wrong track, forget to turn the mic on, or if you’re a
musician, it’s where you give your first terribly awkward interview. In short, it’s where you come
to get better. And if you’re an artist, getting those interviews, airplay, and Live To Airs all go
towards checking more boxes for NZ On Air funding.
WE ARE A TOOL - USE US!
TOP 11 COUNTDOWN & SRN:
We make up 1/5th of the ‘Student Radio Network’, who are all supported by NZ On Air, and all sport our own Top 10 charts. Unless you decided to be edgy in ‘84 and make yours a Top 11 (yeah, cheers guys). The Radio One Countdown is 100% Aotearoa tracks, and voted for by YOU! It’s a very tangible way to support the local scene, as our chart gets combined with the other SRN stations to make one ultimate weekly chart - this means that when an Ōtepoti artist make it onto the SRN Top 10, they get airplay and social media promo at every single station. So bloody well vote in it and spread our shit like gospel!
HOW RADIO ONE CAN HELP:
A radio interview can be a laugh, but it can also be a tool in getting your project across to new
ears. All of our interviews get podcasted on our website, meaning artists have the ability to download and link to these in various forms and press releases.
Getting your tracks some airplay couldn’t be easier - you can do the big-deal-press-kit
approach, or you can simply email a .wav / mp3 file with your artist name and city, to MUSIC@R1.CO.NZ. We don’t care either way, all we’re concerned with is that the freshest Aotearoa alternative music is coming our way so it can hit our airwaves! In 2024, we broadcast 85.34% Aotearoa music. That’s hot.
Since the dawn of time, 91FM has been broadcasting live performances. But since 2009,
they’ve also (sometimes) been uploaded to YouTube. Going back and watching through them,
you can see the sounds and studio evolve. It’s a time capsule of musical history, available at all times. Or until the data centres they’re all stored in burn down. In the same vein, our speciality shows get podcasted at Mixcloud.com - time for a new study backdrop, or maybe find your new favourite radio DJ?
RUMINATING ON THE LANDSCAPE:
Look, we don’t need to get into how little streaming services give. Going to gigs is often the
most tangible way you can support an artist. Whether it’s a $15 ticket or a koha donation, every
little bit that goes straight back to the musician is a win - same goes for buying merch items and
physical releases. It’s all a part of that ecosystem, baby.
Dominant genres and ‘sounds’ come in waves, especially when it comes to Dunedin, where the
4-year-cycle for student bands means a consistent flow of fresh artists and differing sonic
influences, which then meshes with the underlying alternative currents of the more static, rooted
side of the city. Bubbling up from underneath, a new wave of young punk and grunge-soaked
acts are soon gonna make their mark on the scene, shout out Sogg, Eris, Talking Furniture, Seek Help! - to name a few. Fresh blood equals fresh energy, and with it, the beautiful winds of our local music landscape keep blowing and keep rippling out across the rest of Aotearoa.