An OAR FM programme of the same name launches tomorrow, hosted by Dunedin man Richard Knights.
Mr Knights started the What’s News Dunedin? online group in 2020.
Disillusioned with the levels of "anger and vitriol" on other online forums, he decided to establish an alternative group that held kindness, respect and being factual as requirements of membership.
Within just one week, the group had one thousand members.
Earlier this month, that number had risen to more than 12,000.
"People see the group as a safe place to hold their opinions and have conversations," he said.
"I’ve seen opinions change on the page, and that’s something you don’t often see on social media."
The radio show and podcast would complement the online group, featuring discussion on issues that had sparked the most interest over the preceding week.
Mr Knights would also be interviewing "superstars" from the Dunedin community, people he had come to know of through the online platform.
What’s News Dunedin? airs every Friday at noon on OAR 105.4FM and 1575AM.
Podcasts are also available from oar.org.nz, Spotify, Google podcasts and Apple podcasts.
A full schedule of OAR FM programmes can be found at www.oar.org.nz
By Jeff Harford
Community Liaison, OAR FM
