About 5KIX 90.7 FM Kix FM

5KIX 90.7 FM Kix FM

Overview

Kix FM, call sign 5KIX, is the community radio station of Kangaroo Island, South Australia, broadcasting on 90.7 FM. Kangaroo Island — known locally simply as KI — is a large island off the Fleurieu Peninsula coast with a resident population of only a few thousand people, much of its land given over to national parks and wildlife reserves. For an island community of that size, 5KIxFM is an essential local service: it is run entirely by volunteers, broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and mixes locally presented shows, community news and announcements with music, including music submitted by local artists. The station is operated by Kangaroo Island Community Broadcasters Inc., a registered charity, from the island's main town of Kingscote. Its own statement of purpose describes it as "an essential community broadcasting service run entirely by volunteers", providing community messages for clubs, organisations and services across the island — for some isolated residents, as the station itself puts it, radio can be a window to the world.

History

Unlike many larger community stations, 5KIxFM does not prominently publish a formal founding date, and no separate official station history appears in the sources checked. What can be verified is that the service is long established. When a visiting community radio broadcaster from Alaska called into the Kingscote studio in February 2018, he reported that the station had by then been on the air for about 20 years — placing its beginnings in the late 1990s — and that it was already deeply embedded in island life, with a small team of volunteers presenting dozens of hours of local programming each week. The station's more recent history is recorded in its own news posts: it has described receiving a grant, supplemented by GoFundMe donations, to upgrade studio equipment that had been in service for some 30 years, and it maintains an outside broadcast van that community organisations can use free of charge at major events. The island's community broadcasting service has also been noticed at the national level: giving evidence to the House of Representatives inquiry into community broadcasting, the Australian Communications and Media Authority cited the Kangaroo Island service as an example of a very small community licence, serving a population of only a few thousand people, for which the usual regulatory rules often end up being applied differently than for big city stations.

Programming and Content

5KIxFM's programming is built around three strands the station highlights on its website: local chat, community content and local music, presented as a "great music mix" alongside the shows presented by island locals. The station publicises its SMS number prominently — its homepage urges listeners to "remember this number" — as the everyday channel for getting in touch with the studio. Its presenters interview islanders — "people you know and people you don't" — and its shows carry stories and news about local events, places and community life, with community groups able to broadcast announcements free of charge. Local artists are actively encouraged to submit their music for airplay, and the station's shows are presented by Kangaroo Island locals. In the detailed account of the station recorded in 2018, about 15 volunteers together presented roughly 55 hours of programming a week, mostly volunteer-produced music and talk shows, supplemented by programs shared from other Australian community stations through the Active Radio program-sharing cooperative. Sponsorship announcements from island businesses and a small grant from the South Australian Government were among its supports at that time. The station keeps a dedicated SMS number — 0468 19 39 90 — for listener contact, runs competitions for its audience, and takes its outside broadcast van to community events so that non-profit organisations can have live local radio at their major occasions.

Audience and Reach

The station's audience is, by design, Kangaroo Island itself. The island's permanent population is only a few thousand people spread across a large area — the island is nearly 100 miles long — with Kingscote its largest town at around 2,000 residents, supplemented by a significant flow of tourists. ACMA's evidence to the parliamentary inquiry treated the Kangaroo Island service as a case study in small-scale community broadcasting, noting the population it served was in the low thousands. For a community that size, a volunteer station that is on air 24/7, carrying free announcements for clubs and services, local news and emergency-relevant community information is a significant piece of local infrastructure, and the station's stated objectives emphasise serving "all islanders", including isolated people for whom radio is a window to the world. No audience measurements are published for the station, and none are claimed; beyond the island, its online stream extends its reach to former residents, visitors and anyone with an interest in the island, anywhere they can get the internet.

Digital Presence

5KIxFM's website is at 5kixfm.org. The site carries the station's blog with its latest news — recent posts cover the studio equipment upgrade grant, the outside broadcast van offer and listener competitions — along with its objectives, governance policies and ways to get involved as a volunteer, member, sponsor or "Friend of 5KIxFM". The site promotes streaming listening via a scannable code, so the station can be heard on a phone or smart device anywhere with an internet connection, alongside the 90.7 FM broadcast on the island itself. The publication of formal governance documents on the site — including internal conflict, disciplinary and sexual harassment policies issued in the name of Kangaroo Island Community Broadcasters Inc. — gives the station's digital presence a distinctly public, accountability-focused character for a small volunteer organisation.

Ownership and Organisation

The station is owned and operated by Kangaroo Island Community Broadcasters Inc., an incorporated community association that is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC). It is a member of both the South Australian Community Broadcasters Association (SACBA) and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA). There are no paid staff: a volunteer committee — which the station says draws on a wide variety of professionals and experts, from finance and administration to technical specialists — oversees the organisation, and members and volunteers present programs, maintain the station and run its events. The station's published objectives stress training people in radio presentation and technical operations, encouraging special interest groups to gain a voice on air, and making participation accessible: its policies commit to including people with disability, with practical support such as panel operation for contributors who cannot operate the desk themselves, and state that no one will be excluded on the basis of culture, disability or belief. In the 2018 account of the station, the board chair was Gethin Creagh and the program coordinator was Mike Cosgrove; office-bearers change over time, and current committee details are a matter for the station. Funding comes from membership fees, business sponsorship, donations — including its Friends scheme and crowdfunding for capital items — and grants.

Contact and Availability

Kix FM broadcasts on 90.7 FM across Kangaroo Island from Kingscote and streams online through 5kixfm.org, on air 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Listeners can text the station on its dedicated SMS number, 0468 19 39 90. Community groups can arrange free on-air announcements and can book the station's outside broadcast van, free for non-profit organisations, through the station. Islanders interested in presenting or helping behind the scenes can volunteer, join as members, or support the station as sponsors or Friends; details of each option are published on the station's website.