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General manager David Wood said there were four days remaining in the fundraising appeal. Image \/ Pulse<\/p>\nA Hobart radio station that has been spreading messages of hope across southern Tasmania for 46 years is racing to raise $160,000 before the end of the financial year to stay on the air.<\/p>\n
Ultra106five is a not-for-profit, listener-supported station that costs about $500,000 a year to run.<\/p>\n
It first went to air as 7HFC, short for Hope Foundation Communicators, in 1980 from a makeshift studio inside a New Town home.<\/p>\n
Today, the station broadcasts as Ultra106five to thousands of families across the state\u2019s south each day.<\/p>\n
General manager David Wood said there were four days remaining in the fundraising appeal. Image \/ Pulse<\/p>\n
General manager David Wood, who has spent 42 years in radio, said the station was approaching the halfway mark of its \u2018On Air On Purpose\u2019 appeal with four days remaining.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally speaking, we\u2019re going to double what we\u2019ve got going into the last four days, so we\u2019re pretty confident,\u201d Wood told Pulse.<\/p>\n
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Ultra106five reaches thousands of southern Tasmanians in their cars and homes each day. Image \/ Luke Tscharke & Pulse (File)<\/p>\n
He said the station filled a critical role at a time when many people were struggling to find optimism in a world filled with negativity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing I find particularly at the moment is there\u2019s a lot of a lack of hope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they tune into us, they can find that message of hope and positivity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wood said the station does not have the same revenue as commercial broadcasters and operates on a shoestring budget, generating roughly half its income from listeners and half from sponsors.<\/p>\n
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Ultra106five reaches thousands of southern Tasmanians in their cars and homes each day. Image \/ Pulse<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery dollar that comes in from listeners allows us to continue to provide that message of hope for Hobart,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said one listener recently described the station as \u201cthe ultimate seatbelt\u201d \u2013 something you might not know you need until an emergency hits.<\/p>\n
Announcer Euan Burns, who also works as a counsellor, said the station reaches people at their most vulnerable moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t realise how desperate people are for a message of hope and you don\u2019t realise how difficult people\u2019s lives are,\u201d Burns said.<\/p>\n
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Announcer Euan Burns said the station reaches people at their most vulnerable moments. Image \/ Pulse<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s so cool about the station, it meets people in such an honest place so often in their car by themselves where they get to reflect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Appeal leader Jo Chapman said the fundraising target relies on contributions of all sizes.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than being owned by one person [or] one big donation, it\u2019s, \u2018hey, I can see myself in that station because that\u2019s my $50\u2019 or \u2018I can see myself inspiring others because I gave that thousand,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the inspiration we can give to one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Announcer Euan Burns and appeal leader Jo Chapman have been speaking to listeners on air together this week. Image \/ Pulse<\/p>\n