NEWS
BRIDGETOWN-GREENBUSHES STAR SEPTEMBER 2023
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Your local news source reinvents itself - AGAIN! WELCOME TO YET ANOTHER VERSION OF THE BRIDGETOWN-GREENBUSHES STAR!
M
y word this publication has seen some changes in just a few short years, hasn’t it? It started life as a free online publication with the hope that local advertising would be sufficient to make it viable. While it was always popular, and its stories attracted a lot of readers, it was doomed to failure as a business venture, and so it morphed into The Bridgetown Star Mark Two. After flirting briefly with a cover price it became a free magazine-style publication produced on a photocopier and distributed around town. “I think this really is the Once again it was a hit with local readers, but was held back last throw of the dice by the cost of printing, which restricted its circulation, and for a local news source which in turn reduced its appeal to advertisers. that’s locally owned and It was time to strike out with the new, improved Bridgetownprofessionally produced Greenbushes Star Mark Three, a bright new tabloid size in Bridgetown and newspaper that was distributed free of charge throughout Greenbushes.” Bridgetown and Greenbushes. Right from the start it was obvious that the locals loved it, - MARK SCHNEIDER with 2,000 copies flying off the shelves around town. Best of all from a business point of view, the advertisers were really starting to take to it too. Things were looking rosy! And then right out of the blue it all came crashing down when IVE, the printer, closed shop, taking with it not just this paper after two editions, but other In all honesty I can’t pretend to be fired with rural papers around the state as well. enthusiasm for this latest iteration of your local It was a tragedy for small independent publications “newspaper”. and the communities that relied on them. My preference has always been for a publication The state’s only other newsprint publisher, The with a big circulation throughout Bridgetown and West Australian, showed no interest in printing a Greenbushes that’s free for everyone to enjoy. But competitor to its Manjimup-Bridgetown Times. right now, I just can’t make that work. So here we go again with the BridgetownThrough all its various iterations one thing’s Greenbushes Star Mark Four, an online-only remained consistent, and that’s the hunger for a local publication behind a paywall. news source.
PHOTO: JARAD BASTERFIELD
The readers, that’s you, have always strongly supported the Bridgetown Star, and later the Bridgetown-Greenbushes Star. So I hope you’ll continue to support your local online “newspaper” in its new format, because I think this really is the last throw of the dice for a local news source that’s locally owned and professionally produced in Bridgetown and Greenbushes.
COMMUNITY RADIO FINDS A HOME Our new local radio station hopes to be up and running by the end of the year.
Leigh Carroll at the home of Blackwood Valley Community Radio.
Blackwood River Community Radio is about to set up its studio, and all going well, it’s hoping to hit the airwaves and give a voice to the people of Bridgetown and Greenbushes as early as the end of this year. Its studio will be on the ground floor of the Royal Life Saving Society’s premises in Roe Street, and the radio group has cleared a path to the front door and is preparing to lay out an an entry for it. It’s also getting quotes for setting up two studios, production desks, a communications room, a music library and a meeting room. “It will be a fully functional station serving the needs of the station in terms of broadcasting,” said Treasurer Leigh Carroll. The group is also negotiating to access a tower to install its transmitter. It will broadcast on the FM band. “It’s quite expensive … it’s not a simple costing basis and we’ll be relying on grants and sponsorships,” he said. The group has prepared the necessary paperwork and is ready to apply for a frequency just as soon as the tower is established. Another shire is interested in becoming involved with a relay tower to reach into its community, though the details of that are confidential at the moment.
BRIDGETOWNSTAR.COM.AU
Getting to this stage has been a long road for a community group that had its genesis back in April 2021, when a group of enthusiasts held their first meeting at the Rabbit Hole to establish the group. One of the driving forces behind it, Helen Cameron, is a natural behind a microphone and had a wealth of experience to bring to the group. She soon discovered that she wasn’t alone, with many experienced community radio people coming out of the woodwork to get involved. Once it hits the airwaves Blackwood Valley Community Radio will join 450 not-for-profit community radio stations operating across Australia. ,
Vimoway Music
Private guitar and keyboard tuition in my Bridgetown home studio Available Monday - Thursday 10am-7.30pm B.A. Grad Dip Ed. Working with children check National Police Clearance $30/ half hour $50 one hour
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