A recently acquired collection of 95bFM Radio’s Book of BiFiM and Monitor magazines tell stories of a music scene and city in flux. Amiria Taumata and Nina Finigan reflect on its significance…

One way to measure the heartbeat of a city is through its music history. Music plays an integral role in social, cultural and political life, helping to define the sound, style, fashion, politics and attitude of a city and its people. For decades student radio has been at the centre of this dynamic. Established by university students’ associations across Aotearoa New Zealand between 1969 and 1985, stations like Radio One in Dunedin and Radio Active in Wellington emerged to deliver the sounds of alternative and homegrown music to the ears of New Zealanders in a way that had never been done before. Student radio in Aotearoa, however, all began in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. Radio Bosom, later renamed Radio B and now 95bFM (hereafter referred to as bFM), was established in 1969 making it the oldest non-commercial station in the country.

What started as a capping-week stunt, with University of Auckland students broadcasting pre-recorded programs from a borrowed boat in the Waitematā Harbour, has gone on to endure everything from budget cuts and the transformation of media and music platforms, to become one of the country’s most recognisable radio stations. The “Book of BiFiM” (hereafter referred to as BiFiM), is found within this storied history. First released in early 1985, the magazine ran for almost a decade, soon outgrowing its original name, local artist-made covers and inky beginnings, evolving into the glossy “Monitor” magazine before it finally ceased publication in the early 1990s (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. 

Campus Radio BFM. “Book of BiFiM”. Issue 1 (1985). Cover, artist unknown. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

From the very first issue, BiFiM (or “Campus Radio” as the first issue was called) put to print the “idealistic philosophies” that had underpinned bFM’s mission for years, foremost that the station should play “a wide range of music that isn’t thrashed to death by high-rotate radio” (Cartwright 2021). A simple sounding mission but one that helped to lay a foundation from which local musicians could project their sound and artistry. BiFiM was an extension of this ethos. At a time when young people were challenging mainstream narratives and pushing back against traditional media, the magazine contributed to fostering a spirit of independence that resonated across music, publishing and politics. The station wasn’t just playing music; it was participating in a larger conversation about identity and change, with BiFiM reflecting the pulse of this movement.

“Enter at your own risk” So read the opening words of the inaugural issue of the free monthly magazine (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. 

Campus Radio BFM. “Book of BiFiM”. Issue 1 (1985). Page 1, text by Debbi Gibbs. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

The launch of BiFiM coincided with another milestone for the station; its first FM transmission on 91.8 MHz. Illustrating just how new this technology was to many of their listeners the inaugural issue featured a page-long piece titled “The finer points of FM tuning” and a diagram showing how to fashion an at-home antenna (Fig. 3). bFM was professionalising and the magazine was a part of this journey, with its pages offering everything from gig guides, album reviews, letters to the editor, longer journalistic pieces, and a listening guide to bFM’s many and varied shows (Fig. 4).

Figure 3. 

Campus Radio BFM. “Book of BiFiM”. Issue 1 (1985). Page 14, text by Debbi Gibbs, Dave and Nick. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

Figure 4. 

Campus Radio BFM. “Book of BiFiM”. Issue 1 (1985). Page 6. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

With growth happening on the airwaves and in print, bFM’s pirate-radio roots were receding. Of its creation, Debbi Gibbs, the then station manager and founder of the magazine, said, “BiFiM…[was] my attempt to market the station and engage our audience” (Cartwright, 2021). The first issue is rough and ready — reflective of the DIY spirit in which it was created. Of those early days, Gibbs reflects, “Initially I was writing, editing, typing all the contributions and laying the thing out on my bedroom floor” (Cartwright 2021). Indeed, this publication sits within a rich legacy of independent publishing in this country alongside other student publications like University of Auckland’s “Craccum” and Otago University’s “Critic”. Jennifer Cheuk, Tāmaki-based independent publisher and creator of “Rat World” magazine, reflects on the importance of print culture as a social medium, in that “communities seemed to grow around... independent publishing; this form is built on people and connection. Zine and indie print history is subversive, anarchist, political…” (Cheuk 2024).

This thread of “people and connection” was woven throughout BiFiM — its pages providing a meeting ground for artists, writers and musicians alike. It is impossible to discuss BiFiM without acknowledging the cover art and artists that this publication was host to: Chris Matthews of the “Headless Chickens”, “Smooth Crew”, photographer Deborah Smith and John Collie of “Straitjacket Fits” are among a cast of luminaries that made each cover a work of art in its own right (Figs 5–8). The photographic work of documentarian Gil Hanly is peppered throughout the publication’s pages and the early careers of pioneering figures in Aotearoa’s film industry, such as Merata Mita (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāi Te Rangi), are also highlighted (Fig. 9).

Figure 5. 

Campus Radio BFM. “Book of BiFiM”. Issue 13 (1986). Cover art by Chris Matthews. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

Figure 6. 

Campus Radio BFM. “Book of BiFiM”. Issue 6 (1985). Cover art by Smooth Crew. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

Figure 7. 

Campus Radio BFM. “BiFiM”. (October 1988). Cover art by Deborah Smith. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

Figure 8. 

Campus Radio BFM. “Book of BiFiM”. Issue 4 (1985). Cover art by John Collie. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

Figure 9. 

Campus Radio BFM. “Book of BiFiM”. Issue 11 (1986). Page 2, text by Megan. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

And then of course there were the journalists whose work documented a changing Tāmaki Makaurau. Found within BiFiM’s pages are articles about everything from Auckland’s long gone coffee lounges to the gentrification of the inner city. One 1988 article titled “MONEY IN PEOPLE OUT” chronicled the destruction and redevelopment of Abbey Street, a small street near the Ponsonby Road and Newton Gully intersection (Fig. 10). The story is a familiar one: old houses, home to a community of both long and short-term tenants, purchased by property developers; tenants evicted with no help provided to find new accommodation; tenants resist, eviction and development happen anyway. Articles like this and others help build a picture of Auckland, reconstructing layers of recent history that are all too easily swept away under a constantly changing urban landscape.

Figure 10. 

Campus Radio BFM. “Book of BiFiM”. Issue 10 (1988). Page 3, text by Robert, photography by Gil Hanly. Purchased from Phillip Wong Toi. Collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, ML3533.8 BIF. All rights reserved.

The acquisition of the BiFiM and “Monitor” magazines offers an invaluable resource for understanding Tāmaki Makaurau’s unique social, cultural, and musical evolution through the eyes of the younger generation during the 80s and 90s. These publications convey the vitality and subversive spirit of student radio, providing a glimpse into the heart of an era that challenged norms and celebrated artistic expression. By exploring the stories within these pages, we not only preserve Auckland’s musical and broadcasting heritage but also the voices that chronicled its transformation.