SOUTH ROYALTON — For people in and around South Royalton, the airwaves of 96.5 FM carry a unique blend of punk rock, classical, jazz and local conversation curated by the dedicated volunteers of Royalton Community Radio.

“Depending on the topography — and it’s pretty hilly in Royalton and Tunbridge — we’re reaching anywhere from 3 to 12 miles,” said Todd Tyson, co-founder and station manager at Royalton Community Radio.

The radio station has been broadcasting since 2014, relying on about 40 volunteers who help with everything from producing shows to supporting community engagement. The radio station is looking for more volunteers to become involved with on-air programs, tech support and coordinating special events, including Pedal Power to the People, a fundraising bike event that the station hosts at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds.

Tyson, who lives in Tunbridge, said that the hyper-local focus of Royalton Community Radio attracts volunteers who are passionate about contributing to their towns and building connections.

“We’re integrating those communities,” he said.

In addition to supporting local programming, people who volunteer with the community radio station also feel connected to other community radio stations across the nation.

“There’s a collegiality that exists beyond our immediate station that doesn’t exist so much in commercial radio,” Tyson said.

People who volunteer with the station don’t need previous radio experience since any necessary training is provided. Because of the small, community nature of the programming, the station is able to approve shows that are more unique or creative than what is typically heard on larger stations. There are spaces available for new shows, and the station is accepting pitches.

Tyson said broadcast radio is a unique outlet.

“You can be sitting all alone in studio and you don’t know how many people are listening — it could be a lot, or it could be a little — and you are presenting in a way as if you’re talking to someone in the same room as you,” he said. “It’s very creative.”

In addition to on-air talent, the station is in need of people who can work in tech support and those who are just willing to be an extra set of hands around the station and at events.

“We need to reach out to people beyond our little family, and expand the family,” Tyson said.

For more information on the station or stream shows, visit http://www.royaltonradio.org. For more information on volunteering, contact Tyson at folkbloke@gmail.com or by phone at 802-431-3433.