Connections, Community, Coconuts: Exploring the History of Regional Community Radio

Regional community radio enriches and diversifies local media landscapes in Australia. It is also a space where communities isolated from mainstream processes of media production can actively participate and, subsequently, ‘see’ themselves reflected in their own media. While the importance of regional community radio generally is well-established, less explored is the history of regional stations. Most historical research on Australian community radio focusses on urban stations while regional and rural stations, which form the majority of the sector, are distinctly underrepresented. Exploring the history of regional community radio stations reveals the relationship between stations and how regional communities choose to represent themselves and construct their own mediatised identity. This article details the findings of a case study focussed on North Queensland station Triple T. One of the oldest regional community radio stations in Queensland, the history of Triple T offers rich insight into the mediatised identity of regional communities.