Ahead of 4ZZZ’s annual membership drive, co-station manager Michelle Brown reveals some of the exciting prizes up for grabs, and promises the station will be there for you if the end of the world was to eventuate.

“I think the scooter's pretty awesome,” Michelle says when asked to name her favourite prizes. “And one that would be really great to win is the Golden Plains Wicked camper holiday – that's two weeks with the Wicked camper, to drive down to Golden Plains and back!”

But it's not just about winning.

“In the early days when we started, [community radio] was how you tuned in to get cutting-edge information, alternative news, cutting-edge music, and new and local support for music and arts and culture. It's really important that we're still part of that, even with the online, digital age.”

Last year, 4ZZZ beat its $65,000 target by about a grand. This year, the station's target is $75,000.

For over 36 years, 4ZZZ has operated on community subscriptions due to its relevance, independence, credibility and respect for its listeners. While 4ZZZ receives some funding from  Community Broadcast Foundation grants, Michelle says it's really the help of subscribers during the Radiothon that keeps the station alive.

“The Radiothon theme this year is 'Survival',” Michelle says. “We're talking the apocalypse and zombies and viruses, and things that could happen to cause the end of the world. We're also talking about the survival of radio and that people always use radios in end-of-the-world movies and TV shows. And we're promoting that, you know, 4ZZZ would still be there for you if the end of the world was to come.”

And what are some of the Radiothon activities to look out for?

“We've got a good couple of things planned. We've got cut-out masks for people to take selfie photos and tag our social networks with themselves joining the Z Army and fighting the apocalypse. Yeah, so we're pretty excited about it.”

4ZZZ’s Radiothon takes place August 24 until September 2. Support your local community. 4zzzfm.org.au