MAC Radio goes live to the community

A youth-led radio station is days away from re-launching in Wānaka.

A project being spearheaded by pupils and teachers at Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College, MAC Radio will go live to the community on Friday, July 5.

But it is not completely new to the airwaves.

The school radio station was set up by former MAC teacher Warren Judkins and it is being revived after a period of inactivity following his departure.

Year 11 student Toby Mills has been leading the revival, supported by a crew of senior music students who are helping to create content.

School arts co-head Mat Doyle says the station will provide a platform for pupils to showcase their music, engage in creative broadcasting, and develop media production skills.

“MAC Radio is a great way for our students to learn about audio engineering, public speaking, content creation, and media management, while also fostering a sense of community.

Mr Doyle says students are involved in every aspect of production, from planning and recording to editing and broadcasting, and there is room for more.

"We encourage any students who are interested in different roles – such as hosts, DJs, reporters, technicians, and producers – to get involved.”

MAC Radio host and organiser Toby Mills says he loves being able to talk to people and hear their stories and music.

“It’s really fun to be able to choose the music people hear and to be the person asking the questions. While the radio content is mainly related to music, we are aiming to get more well-known names to talk to us and share their stories.

“MAC Radio is 24/7 fun and relatable radio. It has no ads and it's a great way for bands at our school to get their music heard and to help the wider community learn more about all that MAC has to offer.”

Year 12 student Harrison Eastwood says he is enjoying finding out how radio works.

“It's really interesting to understand the software and hardware that goes into producing radio content. I also enjoy creating jingles and little skits to entertain our listeners, and I love meeting new people and finding out more about their lives and how they like to lead them."

He says he is keen to play a range of genres of music to appeal to different listeners across the region.

Student-produced music will be broadcast, including live music events and recordings of public performances, as well as interviews with students, staff and community members, MAC news updates, sports results, daily notices and other educational content.

Listeners can tune in to MAC Radio via radio.mtaspiring.school.nz or traditional radio on frequency 88 FM (subject to change).

MAC invites people to contribute ideas, recordings, or feedback to help MAC Radio grow and improve. For submissions and inquiries, please contact the college at [email protected].

Main image (Supplied): From left, Mount Aspiring College year 11 pupil Toby Mills and year 12 pupil Harrison Eastwood in the studio for MAC Radio.