In a small coastal community where local radio serves as the connective tissue of daily life, Douglas FM is opening its studio doors on July 18 to anyone who has ever wondered whether their story deserves to be told. The free one-day workshop, led by veteran media trainer Martin Corben and backed by a national training organisation, is less an introduction to broadcasting technology than an invitation to reconsider who gets to speak — and who gets to be heard. It is a quiet but meaningful act of democratic media-making, rooted in the belief that every community member carries something worth s
Douglas FM opens doors with free community media workshop
Every person in this community has a story worth telling
Mark
Why does a community radio station need to run a workshop like this? Aren't people already interested in radio?
Mimi
Interest and access are different things. Most people have never been inside a station, never met the people who make it work. A workshop removes the mystery and shows that it's not some exclusive club—it's a place for ordinary people with stories.
Mark
The description says it's less about technology and more about storytelling. Why make that choice?
Mimi
Because the barrier for most people isn't technical skill—it's confidence. If you can tell a story to a friend, you can tell it on air. The technology is learnable. The harder part is believing your story matters enough to share.
Mark
What's the difference between what Douglas FM does and what the ABC or a commercial station does?
Mimi
Scale and ownership. Community radio is run by locals, for locals. The ABC is national and publicly funded. Commercial stations answer to shareholders. Douglas FM answers to the community it serves. That changes what stories get told and how.
Mark
Who typically shows up to something like this?
Mimi
People who've always wondered what it's like, people who've thought about trying radio but never knew how to start, retirees with time and stories, young people interested in media. It's a broad mix—that's the point.
Mark
What happens after the workshop? Do people actually get on air?
Mimi
Some do. Some discover they want to work behind the scenes. Some just understand their local station better and become more engaged listeners. The workshop is the door. What happens next depends on the person.
Der Puls
- Community radio faces a quiet crisis of participation — without fresh voices and willing hands, the stations that hold neighbourhoods together risk going silent.
- Douglas FM is responding by swinging its studio doors open on July 18, offering a free full-day workshop that strips away the intimidation of broadcasting and replaces it with practical storytelling skills.
- Trainer Martin Corben — with over thirty years across radio, digital, and journalism — is making an explicit promise: whether you're a nervous first-timer or a natural performer, there is a role here for you.
- The workshop covers interviewing, photography, video, social media, and the full arc from story idea to broadcast, mapping every position that keeps a station alive — presenter, producer, podcaster, technician.
- Spaces are limited and closing fast, meaning the window for locals to claim their seat — and potentially their voice — in community media is narrow.
In a small coastal community where local radio serves as the connective tissue of daily life, Douglas FM is opening its studio doors on July 18 to anyone who has ever wondered whether their story deserves to be told. The free one-day workshop, led by veteran media trainer Martin Corben and backed by a national training organisation, is less an introduction to broadcasting technology than an invitation to reconsider who gets to speak — and who gets to be heard. It is a quiet but meaningful act of democratic media-making, rooted in the belief that every community member carries something worth sharing.
Douglas FM is opening its studio to the public this month, hosting a free one-day workshop on July 18 for anyone curious about how community radio actually works. Station manager Bryan Bergman describes community radio as the connective tissue of a place — the medium where locals learn about the school fete, debate the state of the roads, and stay genuinely connected to one another. It sits in a distinct space between commercial stations and the ABC, and it depends entirely on the people willing to show up and contribute.
The workshop won't dwell on technical equipment or studio engineering. Its heart is storytelling — finding a story worth telling and getting it into the world. Participants will practise interviewing, explore basic photography and video, learn to shape content for social media, and trace the journey from idea to broadcast. The day also maps the full range of roles that keep a station running: presenters, producers, podcast creators, social media managers, and the technical staff who keep the signal alive.
Leading the sessions is Martin Corben, a media trainer with more than three decades of experience across radio, digital platforms, and journalism education. His approach is direct and inclusive — every person carries a story that matters, and his work is helping them find the confidence to tell it. No prior experience is required, and every kind of contributor is genuinely welcome.
The initiative is supported by the Community Media Training Organisation, a national body dedicated to building skills across Australia's community radio sector — a signal that this effort is part of something larger than a single afternoon. Spaces are limited, registration closes before July 18, and bookings are made by emailing info@douglasfm.au. The day runs from 10am to 4pm.
Douglas FM is opening its studio doors later this month to anyone curious about how a community radio station actually works. On July 18, the station will host a free one-day workshop designed to demystify broadcasting and invite locals to discover where they might fit into the operation.
The invitation comes at a moment when community media—the small, listener-supported stations that sit between commercial radio and the ABC—plays an outsized role in how people stay connected to their neighborhoods. Douglas FM's station manager Bryan Bergman frames it plainly: community radio is where you learn about the school fete, find out what's happening locally, and argue about the state of the roads. It's the connective tissue of a place.
The workshop itself won't be a deep dive into broadcasting equipment or studio engineering. Instead, it centers on storytelling—the actual work of finding a story worth telling and getting it into the world. Participants will practice interviewing, learn basic photography and video, explore how to shape a narrative for social media, and understand the mechanics of getting a piece from idea to air. The day will also map out the different roles that keep a station running: on-air presenters, producers, podcast creators, social media managers, and the technical people who make sure the signal stays strong.
Martin Corben, a media trainer with more than three decades of experience across radio, digital platforms, and journalism training, will lead the sessions. His pitch is direct: every person in the community has a story that matters, and his job is to help them find the confidence to tell it. He's explicit about the welcome—whether someone arrives as a nervous first-timer or a natural performer, whether they want to host a show, report on local news, produce content behind the scenes, or handle the technical side, there's a place for them.
The workshop is supported by the Community Media Training Organisation, a national body focused on building media skills and expertise across Australia's community radio sector. The partnership signals that this isn't a one-off event but part of a broader effort to strengthen local media capacity.
Spaces are limited, which means interested participants need to move quickly. Booking closes before July 18, and registration happens through email to the station manager at info@douglasfm.au. The day runs from 10am to 4pm, a full working day designed to give people a genuine sense of what community media involves and where they might contribute.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Community media is the heartbeat of local life, it's where we hear about the school fete, discover local events and organisations and debate the state of our roads.— Bryan Bergman, Douglas FM station manager
Every single person in this community has a story worth telling and my job is to help you find the confidence to tell it.— Martin Corben, media trainer
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