RDU 98.5FM is Christchurch's independent alternative institution. Founded on 23 February 1976 as Radio U under the University of Canterbury Students' Association, it became Christchurch's first FM station in 1986 and has broadcast on 98.5 since 2003. A founding member of the Student Radio Network, RDU champions local and alternative music with specialist shows across the spectrum. Its resilience is legendary: after the February 2011 earthquake destroyed its campus studio, RDU broadcast from a converted horse truck — the RDUnit — before settling into its Boxed Quarter home in 2015.
