We Built A Radio Station, Here’s What Happened Next
When my co-founder and I started SIBLING RADIO, we were scared as hell. Would people actually listen? Would our hosts come through and send their shows in? Would the tech even hold up? We had no idea.
I remember in the leadup to our first day of broadcast, I almost wanted to pull the plug and not even try. The paralysis of starting something and sticking with it was always the hardest part for me. What if we over-promised? What if the big ideas we had weren’t really that big at all.
Then we went live.
Mel kicked everything off with STAN RADIO, and that show set the tone for everything that followed, warm, bold, and brimming with personality. I couldn't have asked for a better start. The chat on the website was LIVE. Seeing all the messages come through with everyone supporting the other made our fears seem so stupid.
Of course the hosts were going to come through, of course people were going to listen, of course the tech wasn’t going to fail.
Since then, we've had show after show that's made me proud in ways I struggle to put into words. We participated in a global broadcast of Nightmares on Wax's latest project, ECHO 45 Sound System, alongside 25 other radio stations around the world. It was also a bit of a full-circle moment for me personally, because Nightmares on Wax has shaped the way I DJ, make music, and think about curation for as long as I can remember.
But the thing that moves me most isn't any single show that we’ve had. It's been watching people evolve and grow through radio, our radio.
We've had residents who had never been near a microphone before, who are now absolutely flying. We've got people experimenting, leaning into their passions, finding their voice on air in a way they never expected. That's what SIBLING is really about, giving people a platform that wouldn't otherwise exist for them. Voices that mainstream radio doesn't make room for. Stories, sounds, and cultures that deserve to be heard.
We've got four incredible volunteers keeping things running, a growing community of residents, and a real sense that something genuine is being built here — together.
We're just getting started and you can too.
Whether you want to host your own show, do a one-off, volunteer behind the scenes, write about something you love for our blog or donate to the cause - there’s a place for you here. SIBLING is whatever the people in it make it. Come and make something.
Do the ting.
Last but not least, big up to everyone who makes SIBLING, SIBLING.
You know who you are.
Reporting for SIBLING RADIO,
Jabriel AlSuhaimi
