Doesn't the government fund community stations?

The reality is that we receive almost no government funding at all to operate Light FM! Here’s why. As you may know, there are three types of radio stations in Australia: public, commercial and community. Public radio stations, like the ABC, are funded by tax payers. Commercial radio stations are stations that have purchased a commercial radio licence – and in Melbourne these licences can cost up to $55 million! They are predominantly funded by advertising sales.

Then there are community radio stations...which is the category that Light FM falls into.. Community radio stations like us are granted licences by the government free of charge so long as that community can demonstrate the need and ongoing support for station operations from the community. So this is why we need donations to continue broadcasting!