Next up in the Mixlr ‘featured broadcaster’ series is SFR, or Scooter Forums Radio. Initially formed in 2005 out of Scooter-Forums.com, SFR have grown from just a couple of hosts to their present line-up which boasts a roster of 12 DJs broadcasting a range of excellent shows encompassing Punk, Ska, Indie, Soul, Reggae and more.
Whilst the concept of ‘community radio’ usually refers to a geographical community, the growth of SFR is a great example of a more intransigent internet-based community expanding and sharing without geographical constraints. In fact, of the founding members only three, Chae, Soul67 and Barnsley Sime, the current owner of the radio, remain. Sime recalls how the station was initially very much linked to the forums, however “when the original owner, Spider, handed the whole shebang over to me in 2008 we started to veer away from the actual forums”. SFR is a model of a community branching out to form another community in its own right, and today there is little that is reminiscent of their roots in the Scooter Forums apart from the occasional scooter-themed jingle.
The present line-up began to take shape in 2010, and Barnsley Sime recalls how, shortly after moving over to Mixlr in July 2010, “I went on holiday and got a couple of folks to sit in for me, and they enjoyed it so much they asked for their own shows. The listeners started to build and THEY asked about hosting shows, and that takes us to where we are now.” Well, they certainly struck gold with their present group of DJs, and SFR can be relied upon to feature a diverse range of expertly selected, well-produced shows any night of the week. Highlights include ‘Sime’s Sunday Social’ which includes much listener participation and requests, ‘The Unsigned Side’ from music journo Sally, ‘Back to the Basement’ all the way from Holland, ‘Everything and the Kitchen Sink’, ‘Soul Melting Pot’ (also broadcast on Northern Soul NZ), and ‘The Drunk Punk’, to name but a few.
So here’s to SFR, a quality radio station run by and for a community of music lovers – learn more about individual shows and DJs on the SFR site, and listen back and set show reminders on their Mixlr profile.