8CCC grew out of grassroots enthusiasm
amongst the people of Alice Springs and
surrounds for their own community radio station.
After a series of public meetings in 1979-1980,
8CCC hit the airwaves with a “c” class licence in
1981, transmitting on 102.1FM from the grounds
of Anzac Hill High School. 8CCC was one of the
earliest established community radio stations in
the NT.
A little later, a group of local Aboriginal people
“expressed the need for a body to fight for
Aboriginal participation in the media”. They
formed the Central Australian Aboriginal Media
Association (CAAMA) and then applied for a
broadcast licence. 8CCC supported CAAMA
by providing access time of 4 hours per day on
weekdays to start broadcasting programs until
they secured their own licence.
8CCC later moved to Centralian College campus,
with Centralian College holding the broadcast
licence on behalf of the station, and worked in
partnership with the college for the next 19 years.
8CCC’s service extended to Tennant Creek
in 1990, and a small production studio was
established at the Tennant Creek Training Centre.
Tennant Creek volunteers began producing
programs and sending them down to Alice
Springs on tape and later on CD, to be broadcast
on air to Alice Springs and Tennant Creek
listeners. One of the programs that started in
Tennant Creek at that time, Get Out Those Old
Records presented by Rufl, still goes to air each
Sunday.
A major priority of 8CCC has been to build
partnerships, source grants, and raise funds
and cash-equivalent support to re-establish
the broadcast link with Tennant Creek and to
renovate and re-establish a functioning studio in
Tennant Creek. This was achieved by 2013, and
8CCC has established an ongoing partnership
with Barkly Regional Arts, NT Department of
Education – Tennant Creek Training Centre and
CAAMA for the management and operation of the 8CCC studio.