2MCE turns 50

2MCE-FM, located in Charles Sturt University, Bathurst is celebrating five decades of community broadcasting, with a live broadcast and a time capsule of programming, on the date the station officially launched fifty years ago, May 8.

The first non-metropolitan community radio station on the FM band, in November 1975 Mitchell College of Advanced Education in Bathurst, a predecessor of Charles Sturt, received a special licence from the Federal Government for educational broadcasting to serve the communities of Bathurst and Orange. 12 ground-breaking educational licences were granted in total.

First test broadcasts were conducted in March 1976 and 2MCE officially launched May 8.

Mitchell College Principal Sam Phillips said at the opening:

“We believe firmly in the principles of public access broadcasting and in our ability to establish and run
a low cost, low power community station”

“Now we really have the opportunity to show that an educational institution such as ours, away from the main population centres, but with the support of the local community, can provide an alternative to the ABC and the commercial stations to those whose needs are more specialised.”

The station continues be a much loved and valued part of the University, with more than 60 volunteers producing content for specialist interest groups in the local regional community including local news and information, specialist music programming, ethnic and multicultural broadcasting, and readings for people with a print disability.

Over the five decades the station has launched the media careers of Angelos Frangopoulos, Chris Bath, Jon Casimir, Hamish Macdonald and countless more.

Station manager Rebecca Wotzko said:

“In 2026, 2MCE continues to produce a diverse range of local programming that follows the principles of community broadcasting such as content for groups under-represented in other media.

“We are celebrating 50 years of volunteering and service to the community. Our passionate volunteers currently range in age from 18 to 98 and dedicate countless hours each week to produce radio for the regional communities of Bathurst and Orange.”

Volunteer Bruce Cameron has been presenting folk music programming on 2MCE ever since 1976.

He said:

“Volunteering at 2MCE is a great opportunity to share your specialist interests with a local audience and to encourage local musicians and other community members to perform and participate.”

The station is celebrating its launch milestone with a live broadcast from Machattie Park in Bathurst on Friday May 8 along with 24 hours of time-capsule programming that draws on both current programming and content from the archives. You can listen wherever you are to the festivities here.

Pictured are just some of 2MCE’s wonderful volunteers. Images supplied.