Sydney’s iconic student radio station, where journalists have cut their teeth for almost half a century, faces an uncertain future after one of its key backers flagged an intent to withdraw funding.

Macquarie University said the “very difficult” decision to “divest” from 2SER – Sydney Educational Radio – reflected the “significant ongoing investment” required to keep the station alive. “In the current financial environment, these demands cannot be justified relative to the benefits delivered.”

The station has been a fixture of Sydney’s media scene since its launch in 1979, providing a training ground for cadres of high-profile journalists and political figures while dishing up a diet of underground music and subversive documentaries.

In its early years, it operated from the 26th floor of the brutalist tower building of the New South Wales Institute of Technology, the forerunner of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where communications students spent the wee hours fulfilling the assessment requirements of broadcast journalism subjects. The studio moved downstairs after students relinquished the tower building but remains a launching pad for mainstream media careers.

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That is now under threat, after Macquarie called time on its contribution last September. The station’s latest financial accounts show that the university provided A$325,000 (£172,000) of 2SER’s A$969,000 grant funding in 2024. The station also earns about A$300,000 a year from sponsorships, donations, bequests, merchandise, service fees, recordings and other sundry income.

Macquarie said it had given 15 months’ notice to allow the station time to find “new partners”. The university will continue to offer “rich experiential learning” through purpose-built, on-campus studios but its media and communications strategy is “increasingly focused on partnerships that provide national reach and digital-first engagement. While 2SER remains an important community broadcaster, its role does not align closely with these evolving priorities.”

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The station’s other main funder, UTS, provided just under A$400,000 in 2024. It said it was committed to maintaining its current level of support “for this beloved radio station” and helping find alternative long-term partners. But without a new funder, the station may have to operate under a “different model”.

James Bennett, dean of UTS’ Faculty of Design and Society, warned that a new model might not be “viable” or “compliant with licence and legislation requirements”. And although Macquarie had committed funding until the end of the year, broadcasts might have to cease well before then because of the potential cost of winding up the station.

“The final date is still being calculated based on consultation with staff and a range of proposals that seek to enable the station to have as long a runway as possible,” Bennett said.

The Sydney Morning Herald that 2SER could be wound up as early as July, and supporters were “perplexed” that the station’s management had allowed the situation to become so “dire” before searching for new backers.

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Former ABC broadcaster and 2SER staffer Robbie Buck advocated “pared back” operations until more support could be found. “The major objective here is to keep the station on air,” Buck told the ABC. “If you have funded it for the last 47 years, commit to funding it for the next few years.”

UNSW Sydney said it had “received an approach regarding potential involvement with 2SER” but had made no decision. The University of Sydney has ruled out contributing.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com