Staff, students,volunteers and supporters attended a public meeting at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) on April 20 to demand answers about the future of Sydney’s community radio station 2SER, which could shut down as early as July after a major funding withdrawal.
About 350 people attended online and in person to hear from 2SER managing director Cheryl Northey and the station’s board co-chairs Chris Dixon, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University, and James Bennett, Dean of the Faculty of Design and Society at UTS. The meeting followed recent reporting that the station could close within months as funds run out.
2SER has been broadcasting since 1979, and while it operates with only a handful of paid staff, all of its on-air programming is produced by volunteers, giving it a strongly grassroots character. The station also provides free and accessible technical and journalism training. Its best-known current affairs programs include Fourth Estate and The Wire,alongside high-quality music programming spanning country, jazz, ambient, electronic dance, alternative and experimental music.
The crisis stems from Macquarie University’s decision to withdraw its annual contribution of about $300,000 — making up about one-third of 2SER’s budget. That decision came amid wider staffing and course cuts at the campus.
Dixon drew sharp criticism from the meeting floor and appeared unconcerned about the prospect of closure. On the other hand, Bennett distinguished UTS’s position from Macquarie’s and indicated UTS would continue funding the station if a workable model could be secured.
The strongest interventions came from station volunteers, students and veteran supporters, many of whom spoke about the decades they had given to 2SER and the role it has played in sustaining independent broadcasting, music programming and journalism training. Several Macquarie journalism students said closure would deprive them of a rare outlet for practical broadcasting experience. Others argued that in an increasingly hollowed-out media landscape, independent broadcasters such as 2SER are more necessary than ever.
There was loud applause when Walkley Award-winning journalist Chris Nash criticised what he described as the board’s lack of vision. Former UTS journalism professor Wendy Bacon also spoke in defence of the station, stressing its long record in developing journalistic talent.
A major criticism raised from the floor was the board’s handling of the funding crisis. Although Macquarie flagged its withdrawal in late 2025, attendees heard that funding requests to Sydney University and the University of NSW were only sent in March, leaving them just weeks to consider a rescue package.
The suggestion was raised from the floor to use the current media focus to launch a public appeal for emergency funds to keep the station operating until the end of the year while approaching potential new funding partners. Bennett, however, poured cold water on the idea, citing legal complications.
The meeting ended with staff and volunteers vowing to escalate the campaign through the love2SER.com website and a Change.org petition, while forming a working group to fight for the station’s survival.
[Andrew Chuter/DJ Florian presented 2SER's former music programs Biorhythms and Dark Energy.]