BELLINGEN Shire Council is providing Community Radio 2TripleB with a grant to strengthen the station’s community communication capabilities.

As part of the Shire’s grant funding through the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund (BLERF), 2TripleB will upgrade its broadcasting capability and invest in human resources to better connect with the wider community, particularly in emergency situations.

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Bellinger Community Communications Cooperative (2TripleB) is in a unique position to take on a key role within the Bellingen Shire Emergency Operations Centre.

It is the only local media hub able to communicate information, news and safety alerts across the Shire in real time, especially during floods, bushfires and pandemics.

To undertake its role effectively, grant money has been allocated to the Studio Refresh Project which will upgrade facilities at the Wheatley Street studio location of 2TripleB.

The project aims to upgrade two studios from analog consoles to a digital network-based system.

The upgrade will provide remote broadcasting capabilities, production and recording services, and allow podcast creation as well as live to air music events.

Together with investment in human resources, the station will provide greater opportunities for the community to train in core aspects of the media industry.

The community’s ability to stay connected and safe, whether in normal times or under extreme circumstances, is key to its cohesion, resilience and economic activity.

This is an important step in future-proofing and strengthening the overall resilience of this rural community.

Members of the 2TripleB Board, Andrew Walls and Bryony Fearn, joined with Bellingen Shire Council representatives to sign the Project Agreement on 4 January 2022.

The council’s BLERF grant coordinator, Clare Danby, said, “It was exciting to hear organisational project plans and to identify some clear mutual opportunities and synergies.”

The project is expected to take about twelve months to complete.

This is a Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund (BLERF) project through the joint Commonwealth/State disaster recovery funding arrangements.