2RRR was the brainchild of a group of local residents in 1976. These local groups discussed the need for and costs to set up such a station for a number of years. It was not until 1982 when the Federal Government invited applications for nine "C Class Public Broadcasting Licences" in the Sydney metropolitan area. A steering committee was immediately established and set about the task of preparing a license application. Following a public hearing on 3 September 1982 the then Australian Broadcasting Tribunal granted a licence to 2RRR. For the next eighteen months four committees worked to get the station on-air.