How volunteers are keeping Canberra's community radio stations on air during coronavirus

Inside Gabe Caddy's home is a studio set up made of a box covered with cardboard and foam.

In Betsy Dixon's home, there is another box, this time shrouded in pillowcases.

Meanwhile, Peter Monaghan has fashioned a cubby house from his bedroom closet, using pillows and blankets to line the walls.

The presenters and volunteers at Canberra's 35-year-old arts and music community radio, ArtSound FM, have done what they can to make sure their shows still go to air in these unprecedented times.

Particularly since their June fundraiser, which helps to fund the station's operating costs, goes to air this Friday.

"It's business as usual, but through different methodologies and we're hoping that we can raise some more funds and continue to provide good programming to the community," ArtSound FM board president Wal Jurkiewicz says.

"Home isolation has meant that a lot of people are home while they can't work.

"Of course there are also those who are less fortunate who are home alone and that can be a real issue for them.

"Medical experts are already talking about the potential rise in our mental health issues and what we're hoping is that we can be the people, the listeners' friend."

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For two weeks from Friday, ArtSound's fundraiser will interview a wide variety of leaders of ACT arts organisations, as well as individual artists, to assess how they are faring during the pandemic.

ArtSound will also offer concerts by ACT musicians by going to their homes or by working with artists and arts groups who can record at home or in performance spaces while maintaining social distancing.

"For various reasons we've had to cut back the number of live presenters and have had prepared programs," Jurkiewicz says.

"Some people love it and have called in to say so.

"For the main part, I think people are very supportive and I think quite admire the fact that we've been able to keep going in these circumstances."

Across Australia, there are more than 450 community-owned stations with 6 million listeners tuning in each week.

Stations are run by dedicated volunteers, with a small number of paid staff, who are acutely aware that their service provides a small way to keep people connected, even while isolated.

Canberra's radio for the print handicapped, 1RPH, broadcasts morning and evening readings of the daily papers and, at other times, there are live or pre-recorded readings of magazines and books.

During live newspaper readings, there would normally be three people - a producer and two readers in a studio. But, with the recent move to presenting from home, that is no longer the case.

For a lot of the readers on 1RPH, this is the first time they have recorded radio programs from home.

One is of those is Sandra Clifford, who's been volunteering at the station for about four years and was originally forced to stay at home due to a chronic illness.

"In the beginning, found it very difficult to purposefully fill my time," she says.

However, she says the self-isolation has provided "lots of learning opportunities", including using Zoom and learning how to record remotely.

"During the recording sessions my home office is transformed with pillows for soundproofing and my phone is used as a recording device."