About Lofty 88.9

Lofty 88.9

Lofty 88.9 (callsign 5LCM — "Lofty Community Media") is a community radio station based in Mount Barker, South Australia, broadcasting an alternative community format on 88.9 MHz FM to the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. Owned by Lofty Community Media Incorporated and staffed entirely by volunteers, it began as an online-only station in 2017, won a temporary licence in November 2018, and was granted the long-term Mount Barker community licence by ACMA in September 2020 — commencing full-time broadcasting on 1 October 2020 at 500 watts. The station's website is https://lofty.org.au/.

Overview

Lofty 88.9 is the Hills' alternative voice: the community station Mount Barker chose, built by volunteers "for the love of communication, the love of music and the love of our fellow Hills dwellers." Formed in June 2017 as a progressive alternative to the area's existing media, it beat rival Hills Radio in a competitive ACMA process — the regulator citing Lofty's "strong focus on encouraging community participation." With no payroll and a board of Adelaide Hills locals, it is community radio in its purest form: the volunteers, the love, the 88.9.

History

The first air date — 25 November 2018, the TCBL start — is the birthday: the 88.9's first, the shared frequency, the three-days-a-week. The competitive win — the September 2020, the sole long-term licence — is the triumph: the under-two-years station, the established rival, the ACMA's choice. The decades ahead — the 2020s, the Hills' growth — are the future: the community's station, the Lofty's, enduring.
The Hills Radio story — founded 2014 by Chris Carpenter, the 22 August 2014 start, the 20 km radius — is the rival's arc: the 2018 harassment claims, the September 2020 closure, the volunteers' devastation. The ACMA's assurance — the past conduct 'did not impact' the decision — is the process: the criteria, the Act, the merits. The Lofty win — the 'strong focus on encouraging community participation' — is the reason: the participation, the operations, the programming.
The June 2017 formation — Lofty Community Media Incorporated, the small enthusiastic team — was the start: the 'progressive alternative,' the Hills' media gap, the common vision. The online-only years — 2017 to 2018, the internet station — were the proving: the volunteers, the love of communication, the community's support. The November 2018 TCBL — the temporary licence, the 88.9 shared — was the dial debut: Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, the Lofty days.

Lofty Community Media Incorporated was formed in June 2017 by a small enthusiastic team, initially online-only. In November 2018, ACMA granted a temporary community broadcasting licence — and from that month, Lofty 88.9 shared 88.9 MHz with Hills Radio (Lofty on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays). In October 2019, ACMA invited applications for the long-term Mount Barker licence; in September 2020, it awarded the sole licence to Lofty, ending Hills Radio (founded 2014). Lofty 88.9 commenced full-time broadcasting on 1 October 2020. General manager Lindsay Campbell said he was "shocked" at the win: "We've been going for less than two years… we're financially stable… our thing is the social benefit value, that's what community radio is about."

The frequency share — November 2018 to September 2020, Lofty and Hills Radio, the 88.9 split — was the awkward duet: the two stations, the one frequency, the rostered days. The October 2019 invitation — ACMA's call, the competitive process, the multiple applicants — was the contest: the Broadcasting Services Act criteria, the submissions, the careful consideration. The September 2020 decision — Lofty's win, Hills Radio's end — was the verdict: the community participation, the 'strong focus,' the sole licence.
The volunteer curation — the created, the curated, the love — is the programming: the music, the talk, the Hills' voices. The community participation — the ACMA-cited 'strong focus' — is the licence's reason: the operations, the programming, the people. The progressive alternative — the 2017 founding idea — is the identity: the alternative, the community, the Lofty.

Programming

Lofty 88.9 broadcasts community/alternative programming: volunteer-curated music and talk for the Adelaide Hills, with a 24/7 live stream across platforms — "at home on your stereo through a smart device, at work on your computer, in your car through TuneIn… almost anywhere, anytime." The station's "Lofty Goal" is "to build a valuable cultural and community asset for the Adelaide Hills."

The 24/7 live stream — the website, the TuneIn, the smart devices — is the everywhere: the stereo at home, the computer at work, the car, 'almost anywhere, anytime.' The annual report — the 2021–2022, the mission and vision — is the record: the Lofty Goal, the cultural asset, the community's station. The board of locals — the Adelaide Hills, the dedicated — is the governance: the growing, the maintaining, the Lofty.
The Hills listeners — the Mount Barker, the surrounds — are the audience: the commuters, the families, the alternative seekers. The streamers — the 24/7, the anywhere — are the beyond: the ex-Hills, the curious, the Lofty everywhere.

Coverage & Audience

Lofty 88.9 broadcasts on 88.9 MHz FM (5LCM, 500 watts) across the Adelaide Hills — Mount Barker and surrounds — plus a 24/7 online stream. Its audience is the Hills community: the commuters, the families, the music lovers who backed the licence bid — the locals the station calls its fellow Hills dwellers.

The 1 October 2020 launch — the full-time start, the permanent 88.9 — was the arrival: the temporary's end, the licence's beginning, the Hills' station. The Lindsay Campbell quote — the 'shocked' GM, the 'less than two years,' the 'social benefit value' — is the ethos: not the money, the community, the radio. The no-payroll model — the volunteers, the love, the everything-created-and-curated — is the purity: the community radio, the unpaid, the passionate.
The Lofty Community Media Inc — the not-for-profit, the 2017 founders — is the owner: the licence holder, the community's association, the Lofty. The volunteer band — the growing, the passionate — is the workforce: the presenters, the producers, the board, all unpaid. The financial stability — the 'financially stable,' the sponsors-to-come — is the footing: the certainty, the growth, the future.

Ownership

Lofty 88.9 is owned by Lofty Community Media Incorporated, the not-for-profit community licensee, managed and operated entirely by volunteers with no payroll. Its board is made up entirely of Adelaide Hills locals.

The Mount Barker base — the Hills town, the 88.9's home — is the geography: the Adelaide Hills, the Mount Lofty Ranges, the namesake. The 5LCM callsign — 'Lofty Community Media' — is the identity in letters: the 5 for South Australia, the LCM for the Lofty. The 500 watts — the ERP, the ACMA — is the power: the Hills coverage, the 88.9, the community signal.
The alternative format — the community/alternative, the progressive — is the sound: the music, the talk, the Hills' alternative. The cultural asset goal — the 'valuable cultural and community asset for the Adelaide Hills' — is the mission: the Lofty Goal, the vision, the achievement. The love — the communication, the music, the fellow Hills dwellers — is the fuel: the volunteers, the passion, the 88.9.
The social benefit — the Campbell quote, the 'not about the money' — is the creed: the community radio, the social value, the Lofty way. The sponsors-to-come — the certainty, the licence — are the future funding: the local businesses, the supporters, the 88.9's tomorrow.

Digital Presence

The station's website is https://lofty.org.au/, with the 24/7 live stream — the 88.9 signal, everywhere. From the June 2017 online start to the November 2018 TCBL to the 1 October 2020 full-time launch: Lofty 88.9 — the Hills' alternative, the volunteers' station — Mount Barker's community radio, the Lofty goal achieved.