Tauranga's Village Radio is off the air - and listeners have been in tears.

Station manager Steve Lambie says a valve blew in the station's transmitter and they're unsure when they'll recommence transmission.

Village Radio technician and announcer George Stewart and chairman Steve Lambie. Photo by Tracy Hardy.

'The valve went red hot from an electrical fault, there was smoke and it feels expensive,” admits Steve.

Three Village Radio technicians are working on the problem and if the worse comes to the worse, it could cost up to $30,000 for a new transmitter.

'That's money we don't have,” he adds, 'so we might have to go cap in hand to get the station going again.”

Steve says Village Radio has been inundated with calls from listeners, and he reveals that 'some of the more loyal ones have been in tears when they learned of the problem”.

The transmitter blew 10.30am on Monday, and despite hopes that they would be back on air by the following day, it now looks like it could be Friday at the earliest

Village Radio is totally voluntary and is already strapped for cash.

It struggles to find the $1,200 to $1,300 a month required to meet overheads, including rent they pay to the Tauranga City Council, licensing fees and operational costs.

Steve says the blown transmitter is a huge setback and he doesn't know how they will cope.

But he's optimistic and he promises they will be back on air as soon as they can.