Welcome to Shack Radio. Broadcasting out to the world from our studios in the small town of Morwell in Victoria, Australia. We are like many other radio stations around the world, we love the community we broadcast from, we love music and we are passionate about music and our community. Our aim is to bring you an alternative from other stations.
Shack Radio was founded in 2011 by two young lads who grew up together both from the town of Morwell in Victoria. Jamie works at the local Post Office and Jason works as a Mechanic. Before Shack Radio was born Jamie Pallot and Jason Loughrey were just hanging out with friends on the weekends, going to school and being usual teenagers. Jamie had a passion for radio and music and would make dummy radio shows from home as a young boy, Jamie found himself getting into radio because of his grandfather. Jamie got a spot on a Saturday Night on a community station in Morwell, with that he talked Jason into joining Jamie on the air. After a few nervous shows and some dead air, Jamie and Jason became a popular request show for 6 years from 6pm until 12am playing music getting into banters with the listeners and making new friends. Jamie and Jason came to more fame when Black Saturday Bushfires took place which also took out the commercial broadcast towers, and Jamie and Jason not knowing this found themselves being the only 2 broadcasting on the airwaves that Saturday Night soon 'The Party Mix' became a emergency update for all listeners across Moe Morwell Traralgon and Surrounds. Jamie alongside his friend Gary and Grandfather was responsible for allowing ABC 100.7 FM to relay their broadcast from Sale on 104.7 from the Haunted Hills. Jamie's grandfather Bill Rule who had a long history in the media like working at Channel 9 working with big names like Don Lane, Brian Naylor, Peter Hitchener & Tracy Grimshaw in his channel 9 days; he was also a well respected radio announcer for 3AK, 3GL 3TR 1242 and worked at the ABC 774 Melbourne. Apart from Bills work on radio in Melbourne, one of his finest career achievements was at 6PR Perth in the mid 1960s.
Sadly in 2010 Bill passed away after courageously fought illness over a period of 2 years, he passed away at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital.
jamie pallot & jason loughrey
(left to right) Jamie's Mum Lisa, Brother Luke, Bill Rule and Jamie.
Jamie and Jason became really close friends with a young man by the name of Ryan and his father Garry Gunn, after Jamie's Grandfather passed away Gary became a mentor to Jamie. For Many years Jamie and Jason continued their radio show. Eventually Ryan Gunn was diagnosed with Leukemia and sadly passed away on September 7th 2011, Garry passed away a week later.
Things became different things changed, Jamie and Jason left the radio station. Jamie and Jason took a break from radio, came back as a podcast online doing something different, Ryan and Garry always told them to do something different, so they did! Jamie and Jason started a podcast every Saturday Night which became surprisingly popular. Eventually the podcast became a regular online thing and everything started taking off. Jamie and Jason had built a server and managed to create a 24 hour stream, the name 'Shack' got its name from Jamie's bedroom out the backyard which was really just a Shack out the back (photo below) so Shack Radio was born and the name just stuck and now Shack Radio 10 years on is popular and our audience continues to grow.
The first 12 months of Shack Radio was quiet, then a broadcaster by the name of Diggy Kat contacted us and brought a world of international indie musicians along with him, Diggy Kat was our first broadcasted program and then Shack Radio started to grow. Diggy has been a big support of Shack Radio and is a beloved member of the Shack Radio family. After Diggy Kat came along he introduced us to Matty Rocks! and has been on the air following Diggs show on Sundays, Matty presents a Indie Music Show but also talks and gets down and personal with those who play the music. Then we met DJ Frager (frederick) who had a passion for indie music and was very well known in the music scenes, he loved Shack Radio felt like he was with family; sadly Frederik had passed away from a illness he had been battling for sometime. We still Air his indie Alternative and Indie Country shows from time to time.
(photo: The Shack or Bungalow out the backyard which Jamie lived in.
Photo; Ryan Gunn (left) Garry Gunn (right)
So Shack Radio was launched in honour of these people, and our Shack Radio Team are our friends who share our passion for our Community a Passion for Music Radio and working as a team. We have come a long way and Shack Radio will hopefully stay on the air for a long long time! if it was not for Gary Gunn, Ryan Gunn & Bill Rule, Shack Radio would not of happened.