After 18 months of preparation, The Victoria Broadcasting Club (VBC) goes to air today, with the help of a grant from the VUWSA Trust.

The Trust, an organisation set up by VUWSA to fund capital expenditure, has given The VBC a start-up grant of just over $27,000 to invest in new studio equipment.

While The VBC was previously broadcasting a pilot test, some of the equipment being used was on loan from the music school.

The grant will enable The VBC to purchase mixers, microphones and turntables for its studio, along with equipment for a recording studio for adverts and bands.

$6000 of that money is set aside for speakers to be installed around campus.

The VBC’s Business and Production Director Doug Tereu says he is “very happy” with the grant, which has come a year and half after the Trust was fi rst approached for funding.

While the grant will not quite be able to fund all the equipment necessary, Tereu says it will “help out in the long run” by putting The VBC on a more stable fi nancial basis.

It is forecast that with the start-up grant, The VBC could generate approximately $100,000 in advertising revenue in its fi rst year, increasing to around $300,000 by the fifth year of operation.

VUWSA President Geoff Hayward says the grant is a good result for students, as it will provide an outlet for creativity and discourse lost since the University radio station, Radio Active, was sold in the 1990s.

The VBC was set up in 2005 to investigate the viability of a student radio station at Vic, gathering around 300 student volunteers in the process. A significant coup took place last year, when Vice-Challencor Pat Walsh granted the club $5000 to buy basic equipment to set up a station.

You can check out The VBC on 88.7FM.