97.1 Sweet FM is operated entirely by a devoted band of volunteers, (with no paid staff) and is a very important part of the Burdekin district's social and cultural life, broadcasting easy listening music, news, a varied mix of programmes and offering forums for discussing local and regional issues. The station caters for a wide listening audience, its strength being its diversity of programmes.
Suitably qualified volunteers carry out the entire technical operations of the station, which provides a training ground for other volunteers.
As a service to the community the station broadcasts messages for other non-profit organisations and groups free of charge, for example, we air Funeral Notices as they come to hand, from Funeral Directors just like in years gone by.
The Station recognises it's obligation to deliver community services at any and all times especially during periods of emergency and natural disasters. During the floods of January and February 2008 and again in 2009 with the addition of Cyclone Hamish, the volunteers doing three hourly shifts provided constant updates on river heights at the Burdekin and Haughton Rivers with information provided by the Burdekin Shire Council and Bureau of Meteorology. With the invaluable assistance of the local police, we were able to give up to the minute detailed road reports on roads north and south of the Burdekin and west to Charters Towers as well as local flood reports. Queensland Rail supplied regular updates on the movement of rail traffic.
