3BBR News

Beginning 6 July 2026, there are major changes to our schedule, with new programs from the Baw Baw Sustainability Network, and about arts and music in Gippsland.  Download a PDF copy of the new schedule to keep or print. 

Some key changes:

• West Gippland Week presents two distinct editions: Thursdays 3:00pm-6:00pm and Saturdays 8:00am – 10:00am.  Local issues, politics, news, arts and health. Paul Strickland keeps you in touch.
• Monday afternoons have a sustainability and science focus, as we introduce The Ripple Effect produced by the Baw Baw Sustainability Network, followed by Earth Matters and Lost in Science from sister-station 3CR.
• Our local live music showcase Gippsland Live will now be heard first on Friday afternoon at 2:00pm, repeated Sunday afternoon at 5:00pm.  With the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall already bringing you many exclusive 3BBR live recordings, Sunday afternoons become a feast of genuine music making face-to-face with appreciative audiences.
• Gippsland Arts every Wednesday at 5:30pm is a new half-hour feature drawing on many sources to bring you music, news and conversations from creative people across Gippsland.
• Marni’s Sounds of the Underground has moved to 6:00-8:00pm Wednesday nights, bringing you two hours of little heard music.  Featuring interviews and live performances, bringing the underground music scene to Gippsland.
• Jessielea’s Push The Envelope expands back to 2 hours from 8:00pm Friday, so Friday night will now focus on indie, Australian and hardcore music for a younger audience.
• For lovers of jazz and fusion Richard Rejmer’s Smooth & Cool, Rare & Spicy now has a replay on Saturday afternoon 2:00pm – 4:00pm.
• Tom’s delightfully quirky Serendipity moves to 12 noon Wednesday.
• Time for Terri moves to 12 noon Thursday, still bringing you great pop tunes from the 70s and 80s.
• Saturday morning includes an hour on books and writing from 7:00am with Final Draft and the award-winning Narratives Library where writers read and discuss their own work.
• If you’re an early riser on weekdays, you’ll soon discover a range of locally-made and Community Radio Network programs after the 6:00am News, with folk, easy-listening, jazz, blues/roots, and music from the screen.

 

---

Our full schedule is at https://3bbrfm.org.au/guide
Download a PDF copy of the latest schedule to keep or print.

As always, if you have feedback about our programming, please get in touch.  Visit our contact page for the many ways you can do that. 

On Sunday 14 June at 2pm, the 3BBR FM Concert Hall proudly presents a recent concert from Wesley of Warragul with Melbourne’s finest highly acclaimed Baroque ensemble Genesis Baroque, with two universally loved works for string sextets in a rare period instrument performance, enabling the deeply expressive, human colour palette of gut strings.

Featuring Mozart’s Grande Sestetto Concertante ; the 1808 string sextet arrangement of his famed Sinfonia Concertante , alongside the first string sextet by Brahms, Op.18, No.1.

3BBR-FM is thrilled to share this concert with you in the 3BBR FM Concert Hall on Sunday 14 June from 2pm, recorded exclusively for 3BBR by volunteer recording engineer Garry Havrillay.

Missed the broadcast? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service before 9 August 2025.

3BBR FM… proudly supporting local fine music.

On June 10th and 12th Gippsland Live brings you a stunning recent local concert featuring Marshall McGuire (harp), James Sherlock (guitar), Mark Fitzgibbon (piano) and Niels Bijl (saxophones). It’s the brain-child of celebrated pianist Tony Gould, bringing together extraordinary artists from seemingly different realms — jazz and classical.

The concert journeys through works by Erik Satie, Alphonse Hasselmans, Gabriel Fauré, Duke Ellington, Stacy Garrop, J.S. Bach, Franz Schubert, Cole Porter and Astor Piazzolla, first revealing the composers’ original voices, then re-imagined through fresh interpretations.

This intimate performance was recorded at Yarragon Studio  on Sun 22 March 2026, with another performance hopefully including Tony Gould himself to come on Sat 14 June 2026 at Fish Creek Memorial Hall.

Tune in for 3BBR’s exclusive recording on Gippsland Live at 8:00pm on Wed 10th June or Fri 12th from 2:00pm on 103.1 FM or the live stream, or listen on-demand for up to 8 weeks after broadcast via 3bbrfm.org.au.

Listen back to the 3BBR Concert Hall from Sun 7th June from 2:00pm for a recent recital by the remarkably versatile and exciting young pianist Joshua Hooke.

Originally from regional Victoria, Josh completed his PhD in Music Performance at Melbourne University and has studied in Vienna with the late Paul Badura-Skoda and in London with Imogen Cooper.  Josh has many awards to his name from Australian and International institutions. He’s a regular performer both at home and in Europe.  3BBR recorded Josh in the gorgeous acoustics of Wesley of Warragul on 26 April 2026.

• MOZART – Fantasie in C minor K. 475
• CHOPIN
  • Ballade in G minor Op. 23
  • Etudes Op. 10 (selection)
• MUSSORGSKY – Pictures at an Exhibition
• Encore – RACHMANINOV – Etude

Missed the broadcast? Listen back before 1 Aug 2026 via our radio-on-demand service.

3BBR-FM… proudly supporting local fine music with exclusive concert recordings in West Gippsland.

On April 8th and 10th, Gippsland Live brings you a recent local concert featuring two women whose musical lives are widely celebrated; pianist Andrea Keller from Melbourne and saxophonist Sandy Evans from Sydney.

They’re both creative multi-award-winning composers, collaborators, improvisers, mentors and educators with their work extending beyond the contemporary jazz pigeon-hole.

Andrea Keller runs the educational program “Gender Defying Jazz” and is Head of Jazz & Improvisation at the University of Melbourne’s Conservatorium of Music, and Sandy Evans has travelled the world, leading her trio and sextet with decades of musical credits with groups like Clarion Fracture Zone, Mara!, the catholics, GEST8 and Ten Part Invention.

Recently they joined forces for an intimate performance at Yarragon Studio  on Sun 22 March 2026.

Tune in for 3BBR’s exclusive recording on Gippsland Live at 8:00pm on Wed 8th April or Fri 10th from 2:00pm on 103.1 FM or the live stream, or listen on-demand for up to 8 weeks after broadcast via 3bbrfm.org.au.

When you run on volunteer love and shoestring funds, upgrades can be a frustrating wait.  You either seek donations or a grant to finally get the job done.

Our old Falcon broadcast mixer was as old as the station itself.  The buttons were sticking, the faders were scratchy and the sound was dropping out occasionally and getting a bit woolly.  We considered exciting new digital technology for a replacement, and baulked at a possible bill of well over $8500.

After a few enquiries, our sister community station PBS 106.7FM in Melbourne came to our rescue.  After they moved into new premises at Collingwood Yards with all-new digital broadcast mixers in their studios, a shiny never-used “spare” became completely redundant.  Long-time community radio stalwart and tech guru Bill Runting found and modified a suitable power supply, and the bundle was recently donated to 3BBR.

We’re all very grateful that we have a replacement that cost us relatively little, and all our listeners and studio presenters can now benefit from better fidelity and fewer gremlins.

— Garry, Feb 2026

During January and February 2026, the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall is proud to present highlights of the local 2025 Fine Music seasons at Yarragon Studio and Wesley of Warragul, plus some favourites from 2024, all recorded exclusively by 3BBR.

Highlights include:

• Trio Arapiles // Genesis Baroque with soprano Sarah Macliver (Broadcast 11 Jan 2026)
• The NZ Trio // The Gippsland Chamber Singers (18 Jan)
• Zoe Knighton, cello with Amir Farid, piano // Duo de Fesh (25 Jan)
• Trios with Paavali Jumppanen, Rachel Bullen and Matthew Kneale // Joshua Hooke, piano (1 Feb)
• The Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and Stefan Cassomenos // Plus the 40th Anniversary Concert from 2024 at WGAC by the West Gippsland Chorale performing the ‘St Cecilia Day’ Cantata by George Loughlin (8 Feb)
• Also from 2024, “Homage to Schubert” trio concert, featuring Brian Chapman and Friends (15 Feb)

Missed the broadcasts? Listen back via our radio-on-demand service.

3BBR FM is proud to support local Fine Music Concerts and new Australian compositions.

Listen back to our live broadcast on Saturday 7th Feb when the Trafalgar Truck Restorers Club and the Baw Baw Old Engine and Auto Club hosted their annual display of heritage trucks, cars, tractors, earth movers, motorbikes and steam engines over the weekend of 7th & 8th Feb.

3BBR broadcast live on site at 48 Pedder Street Darnum from 10:00am Saturday.  José Meyer was there playing country for My Kinda Music, and John Fromhold played great tunes from 12 until 2:00pm.

You can find out more about the show by visiting Darnum Heritage Display.

Listen back to our broadcast