Picture: Rita Fortune
Show: Unlucky Dip: Live Rats, Wednesdays 6-7pm
I joined the MainFM community during Radiothon in 2020, becoming a co-host on a show that my friends had been running for a few years. Joining the community during that time gave me a sense of connection to other people that had very much been lost during the long months of staying inside due to lockdown. It’s such a great group of people to be part of and gives a real sense of connection and warmth.
When I joined MainFM I was halfway through highschool (thankfully that’s all over now!), so I had been mainly preoccupied with that, but outside of school I enjoyed messing around with various circus things, and volunteering on the local FReeZa team organising youth-oriented music events around the town.
Currently I present ‘Unlucky Dip: Live Rats’ along with my friend Chloe. We offer “polite dinnertime conversation” from 6-7pm on a Wednesday, with an eclectic offering of many different types of music, conversation topics, and dream interpretations. The show itself has been going since 2018, but we’ve had a mix of a few different presenters, and occupied three different time-slots at various points along the way, and have recently changed our name, finally putting ‘Corduroy Cabana’ to rest. I love coming in to the studio each week, having chance encounters and great conversations with people presenting before or after our slot, and I love being able to share something with anyone listening to the station, and getting their thoughts on it too.
Through presenting a show at MainFM I have learned that the community of Castlemaine and surrounds is an infinitely generous, supporting and giving one. It’s always wonderful receiving texts from listeners, whether regular or casual, and hearing briefly about what they’ve been getting up to, or what music they’re enjoying this week. Something I’ve learned about myself is that I’m much better at coming up with insightful interpretations of people’s dreams than I thought I would be (at Unlucky Dip: Live Rats we offer the unique service of shedding light on what the convoluted dreams you’ve had may mean about your life and the world as a whole!)
I really admire how Josh Meadows delivers It’s a Jangle Out There. I find it a very relaxing and comforting show to listen to, as Josh has managed to nail the combination of introducing each tune with just enough fanfare, never overdoing it but never underselling it, and always with some interesting trivia about the track or the artist. The music is always immensely enjoyable and jangly, just a 10/10 show all round!
Community radio to me means a wonderful web of connection around the local area, across the airwaves and in outside broadcasts. MainFM really is a keystone in the community, presenters and listeners alike spreading far and wide with their knowledge and warmth.
This moment seems inconsequential but is a funny little one that has always stuck with me. During radiothon in 2021 (I believe), someone subscribed their pet budgie to the show, and I just thought that was pretty awesome (I think we also had four cats subscribed, so that’s at least five pets in total, pretty neat in my opinion!).
We’re not the best at promoting the show, but Chloe and I generally each post a promo photo on our Instagram stories a few minutes before we go on air, including where people can tune in, our show time, and the number for the text line. We do this just to remind people that the show is on. I think it generally brings in a few listeners, but probably isn’t the most effective way to promote the show.
Have a lovely week and keep smiling!