Student radio station tower destroyed in Port Hills blaze

The destruction of RDU's transmission tower on Marley's Hill during last week's blaze on the Port Hills hasn't stopped the alternative radio station from echoing across Christchurch.

The fire in the Port Hills - which broke out on Wednesday - has since been contained, after it ripped through 650 hectares.

Like everyone in Christchurch, RDU programme manager Liam Donnelly saw the smoke on Wednesday, but he told RNZ Nights' Emile Donovan he didn't realise the full extent of the damage until Thursday. 

And while they had been informed of the damage, it still hit home when the morning crew came into the studio on Thursday and heard nothing but static on the office speakers.

"If we didn't know, we knew then."

The station's broadcasts - which have been on the air since 1976 - can still be streamed on its website or through the RDU app, and they were still going out on the airwaves through a back-up transmitter at the university.

"We are the cockroach of radio stations, that's the term I've been using the past couple of days.

"Of course it's not as high quality - it's not lovely smooth listening, you wouldn't want to listen to it for too long."

The RDU crew have not been allowed to see the damage to the equipment for themselves yet, and the station was now waiting for its insurance to get sorted before making plans for its next step. 

But Donnelly said the one silver lining from the loss of the gear was the "absolute generosity" of people wanting to help.

"We've been offered copious amounts of different pieces of equipment.

"It's been amazing, quite frankly."

• This story was first published by RNZ