95bFM plans to sell part of its record collection in order to remain financially viable. Photo: 123rf
Across the airwaves, disgruntled hosts of 95bFM's Drive Show sounded a call to action on Monday evening: Buy a part of their record collection, because they're "running out of funds".
On August 19, the station's International Record Collection, compiled over 95bFM's 54 years on air, will be available for public purchase for the first time in the station's history.
It's a "pretty distasteful" decision amongst bFM's cult following and loyal team to put the collection on the chopping block, general manager Tom Tremewan admits, but if the station wants to remain on air, they have no choice.
"If you want us to keep the lights on, the doors open, and the music played 24/7, we need help from the public," Tremewan said.
"The record fair is very much a final resort - once you start selling the paint off the wall and the nails and door frames, I think it's time for people to realise that we are in a serious predicament and that we need additional support."
Plans to sell off a part of the International Record Collection have been in talks for a number of months, after one of the station's key shareholders requested a sustainability plan for 95bFM to continue to secure funding.
"Their former general manager was aware we had a very valuable asset in our vinyl library, and recommended part of the sustainability plan should include an assessment of the value of the library with a view that some of that could be marketed," Tremewan said.
"That was a stipulation that we had little wriggle room around, and it's a pretty unpopular decision - nobody wants to do it, but it's an important step in bFM's financial stability and longevity."
Before it became a cornerstone of Aotearoa's music history, 95bFM began as a stunt - in 1969, a group of Auckland University students took a boat out to the Hauraki Gulf to broadcast a radio station as a capping stunt.
It stuck. 95bFM became New Zealand's first student radio network, and soon the station and it's iconic 'b', which originally stood for 'bosom', would go on to become synonymous with Aotearoa's music scene.
As well as bringing local artists to the centre stage, the station has helped to launch the careers of many prominent Kiwi broadcasters: Jeremy Wells, Mikey Havoc, Rebecca Wright, Marcus Lush, and more have all stepped through bFM's doors.
95bFM still depends on volunteer work - there are 170 unpaid people offering their support to the station at any given time, Tremewan said, including the station's news team, which almost entirely consists of students offering their service for free.
"The volunteers are amazing because they do it for the love of it, but our staff are overworked and underpaid," he said.
"People believe in something bigger than themselves with bFM ... this record fair isn't something we're doing lightly, because the vinyl collection is the taonga of bFM. It holds a lot of memories for our community."
The collection itself was evaluated by a team within 95bFM, colloquially known as the 95bFM Vinyl Appreciation Society, comprised of a mix of station alumni and members of bFM's jazz show.
Tremewan said some of the vinyls up for grabs would be "maybe a couple bucks", while others are worth up to $900.
"This is a very divisive thing, both publicly and internally. It's not our intention to sell the entire collection - the New Zealand records aren't being touched," Tremewan said.
"I've encouraged all current station DJs and programme makers to come into the station over the next month to earmark the records they want saved, so we can keep what's culturally and historically significant."
* This story was originally published by Stuff