Joy 94.9 and 89.9 Light FM won the licences IIRC. Light FM is a weird one, anytime I listen it’s popular current music with paid announcers, it’s ran very much like a commercial station except for some announcements for its counselling phone service. I find it weird how religious stations can operate in ways like this without any concerns by ACMA.
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Light FM focused on Melbourne’s Christian Community, Formerly known as Triple 7 Communications Took Some 20 Years to get a Licence while Joy concentrated on Gay and Lesbian Issues in Inner City Melbourne.
It was a similar situation in Sydney.
The likes of Wild FM and Free FM were sharing 96.9 (now Nova’s frequency) in a bid to win support for one of the 3 Sydney wide licences that were handed out a few years later.
There was also a LGBTI station called 2GAY FM, though I don’t know what sort of an on air history they had - I don’t remember hearing them on air though. But I do remember 2DAY FM not being too impressed with the call sign though. Interestingly 2DAY has used 2GAY when there was a Mardi Gras on.
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From what I understand, Wild FM was effectively operating on a commercial basis with some grubby little shit running it like his own personal fiefdom, raking in loads of cash by selling Wild FM branded compliation albums, with the actual station seeing nothing in return. See more about the saga here: http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s142300.htm
When FBI Radio was awarded the new community radio licence @ 94.5MHz (because Wild wasn’t fulfilling its obligations as a community station), the former manager of Wild FM attempted to stack the new management board with his cronies by organising supporters of Wild FM to sign up for (then-open to the public) memberships of FBI Radio, presumably so they could install him as the new general manager of FBI Radio and continue the grubby little commercial operation.
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Yes we had Wild, Pulse and Switch on 97.3FM here in Brisbane before that licence was auctioned off. Pulse was a dance station that sounded like it was coming down a telephone line.
Switch got the AM licence eventually. They were the most professional sounding and I always looked forward to Switch 97.3.
Weird that they got an AM licence though
Probably to minimise any threat to the commercial FMs which may also explain why Hitz FM missed out completely. The “Other FM” ratings took a great leap when Hitz was testing so it obviously had public support.
The situation in Melbourne had something like 19 or 20 groups vying for 4 licences (3 Melbourne-wide and 1 for inner Melbourne). Not helped because some internal changes at Hitz FM saw some splinter groups emerge. I think that’s what led to Kix, City FM and even a short-lived aspirant called K89.9.
Although City FM was aimed at a an older age group but IIRC it managed to succeed in getting a narrowcast AM licence as 3XX.
There were some unusual frequencies and locations used for tests in Brisbane. One was “Brisbane Public Radio” that transmitted from the top of some building in The Valley, another was from Wickham Terrace and what was to be 4MBS tested from Bardon IIRC on 93.7.
Melbourne had tests on 89.9, 90.7 and 91.5. I think 94.9 might have also held some tests before JOY got that full time.
1503 also carried some tests on AM after 3AK shifted up the dial. The frequency ended up going to 3KND.
Family Radio (now 96.5) was commonly on 92.1. 107.3 was also used by some aspirants.
on the subject of 96.5 i wonder how they are not under more scrutiny from the ABA.
i enquired about getting involved and potentially getting a show (i have extensive knowlege of late 90’s christian music. i was thinking a programme on the weekend that is a retro chart show with info on the songs and artists - especially a “where are they know” type thing)
when i enquired with 96.5 i was told i needed to be a member (fair enough) and i needed to do the in house radio school (also fair enough) at $1200 for the course… for a role i expected to get no money for!
Yep - SYN did a number of tests on 94.9 before securing the Youth license
91.5 has Kix, City, Melbourne Gospel Radio and for one time, Sub FM from Latrobe University, It was originally When DMG won the Commercial Licence for that Frequency was gonna be Booked for Nova, However Interference caused by ABC on Channel 3 in Northern Tasmania forced DMG to move Nova to the Now Occupied 100.3 that was once 3YYR in Geelong before moving to it’s Current 94.7 Frequency in July 2001.
3YYR now is 3PLS aka 94.7 The Pulse, which ABC tried to get the frequency a few years ago and shaft The Pulse to 91.9 with a much smaller broadcast region. They lost and apparently never bothered to continue with another one.
There were quite a few test broadcasts in the hinterland of the Gold Coast including Mt Tamborine area etc. However, there are still no community broadcasters on the FM band for the area.
The ACMA said for Geelong the ABC can only use 711 or 91.9
They haven’t appeared to want an AM frequency in Geelong, and I wonder what the point of it would be as 774 covers the region perfectly.
The chance to do some local Geelong programming i would guess, though i would have thought the cost in setting up would be prohibitive just for the sake of one local shift?
Agreed, and the area is covered fairly well by The Pulse and Bay FM’s news service.
Since the 711 Became Available in Geelong since ABC Northern Tasmania switched to FM and the Frequency is Dead.