One of Tasmania’s oldest radio stations is celebrating nine decades of broadcasting, with 7BU marking 90 years on air this month.
The station first went live on October 19, 1935, becoming the north-west coast’s first radio broadcaster.
To mark the milestone, Burnie Arts is hosting a free exhibition showcasing the station’s rich history, open until January 17 2026.
“There’s such an ownership of this station in Burnie and in our surrounding market because we don’t have a lot of competition,” Chloe Foster, general manager of 7BU and Sea FM, said.
“It’s just such an important resource for the community … I can’t see us going anywhere. Hopefully we’ll be around for another 90 years.”
The exhibition will feature rare recordings, vintage broadcasting equipment and behind-the-scenes photos capturing the station’s journey through the decades.
Visitors can experience interactive displays with headphones to hear old commercials and competitions from different eras.
Foster said 7BU has long been part of the community fabric, with roots reaching back to World War II fundraising efforts.
“We’ve had real involvement going right back to wartime, when 7BU was on-air raising funds for the community and people injured,” she told Pulse.
Friday night’s launch will see former announcers flying in from across Australia, including renowned voice-over artist Ian ‘Lofty’ Fulton.
“He’s the voice of MasterChef and a … published author. He’s literally flying in for one night just to come to our 90th birthday celebration,” Foster said.
Over its 90 years, the station has seen plenty of change – from its founding Finlay family ownership, to Grant Broadcasters and now the Australian Radio Network (ARN).
In 2019, 7BU switched from 558AM to 100.9FM – a move Foster described as crucial for the station’s future.
“It was really important to give those traditional 7BU listeners a better quality of audio,” she said.
Today, the station continues to play the classic hits of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, while keeping its playlist fresh for a new generation of listeners.
The free exhibition runs for a month at Burnie Arts on Wilmot Street, with the official launch at 6pm tonight.
