Only problem is 0.4 spacing from Sydney is where the Central Coast / Newcastle and Illawarra / Wollongong stations are allocated.
If the sub metro communities were to move to 0.4 spacing from Sydney, the stations currently at 0.4 spacing would then have to move to 0.2 spacing from Sydney.
Basically a whole replan of the fm band would be required.
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I think the 3 biggest challenges in the process are 1. Community Broadcasters- do we protect their use of fm spectrum or move them to other platforms (DAB, AM) which may be very costly.
2. Choice v Fortuitous reception- in Australia we have been spoilt by stations reaching well over 100km away to service large geographic areas. If we look at NZ as an example, very close spacing and wide choice in each market however the penalty for this is that for anyone driving a significant distance they have to change frequency regularly and black spots due to signal strength being nulled to accomodate adjacent markets.
3. If further Fm spectrum was available, would it be used or is DAB the way of the future. Understand there are some pressing needs in Perth and Brisbane.
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Three of those suggestions are co-channels are arenât suitable.
92.9 has The Voice Toowoomba that can be heard in the BAY FM service area. Not sure why the suggestion to move Bay FM - because it would be 0.6 from 99.7?
93.7 Has Classic FM Gympie quite a good signal in the Redcliffe area.
100.1 had ABC Local Radio Wide Bay that also can easily be heard in the Caboolture area.
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As far as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are concerned, this is the only necessary phrase in this thread.
The only other option would be to kick sub metro community radio off FM as mentioned above, which would cause a stink greater than the mouse plague. It would be something that a non-commercial media hating Coalition government and a prostrating ACMA may consider, though.
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An idea to group all common stations together across the cities.
AM to FM conversions:
- All ABC/SBS stations to FM.
- All city-wide community stations to FM.
- All commercial stations to FM in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (not Sydney and Melbourne).
Interesting points:
- The existing 0.8Mhz spacing and current allocation in each of the five cities remains. This avoids having to immediately re-plan surrounding regional areas.
- Nova becomes Nova 100 across Australia!
- All SCA stations nationwide are now found between 104.1 and 105.5.
- If the grouping of the ABC stations can be replicated nationwide they can take a similar approach to the way BBC do IDs. eg. âYouâre listening to Triple J - 92FMâ or âRadio National 90 to 91FMâ.
- Community stations are grouped to the similar frequencies in all cities. ie. Ethnic radio is 99.3 to 99.9 , Christian radio is 103.3 to 103.9, Indigenous radio is 98.5 to 99.1.
| Frequency | Name | City |
|---|---|---|
| 87.5 | Reserved for LPON | Nationwide |
| 87.7 | Reserved for LPON | Nationwide |
| 87.9 | Reserved for LPON | Nationwide |
| 88.1 | Reserved for LPON | Nationwide |
| 88.3 | Reserved for LPON | Nationwide |
| 88.5 | Reserved for LPON | Nationwide |
| 88.7 | Reserved for LPON | Nationwide |
| 88.9 | 6RPH Radio For The Print Handicapped | Perth |
| 88.9 | 2RPH Radio For The Print Handicapped | Sydney |
| 89.1 | 3RPH Radio For The Print Handicapped | Melbourne |
| 89.3 | 4RPH Radio For The Print Handicapped | Brisbane |
| 89.5 | 5RPH Radio For The Print Handicapped | Adelaide |
| 89.5 | 1RPH Radio For The Print Handicapped | Canberra |
| 89.7 | ABC Local Radio | Perth |
| 89.7 | ABC Local Radio | Sydney |
| 89.9 | ABC Local Radio | Melbourne |
| 90.1 | ABC Local Radio | Brisbane |
| 90.3 | ABC Local Radio | Adelaide |
| 90.3 | ABC Local Radio | Canberra |
| 90.5 | ABC Radio National | Perth |
| 90.5 | ABC Radio National | Sydney |
| 90.7 | ABC Radio National | Melbourne |
| 90.9 | ABC Radio National | Brisbane |
| 91.1 | ABC Radio National | Adelaide |
| 91.1 | ABC Radio National | Canberra |
| 91.3 | ABC News Radio | Perth |
| 91.3 | ABC News Radio | Sydney |
| 91.5 | ABC News Radio | Melbourne |
| 91.7 | ABC News Radio | Brisbane |
| 91.9 | ABC News Radio | Adelaide |
| 91.9 | ABC News Radio | Canberra |
| 92.1 | Triple J | Perth |
| 92.1 | Triple J | Sydney |
| 92.3 | Triple J | Melbourne |
| 92.5 | Triple J | Brisbane |
| 92.7 | Triple J | Adelaide |
| 92.7 | Triple J | Canberra |
| 92.9 | ABC Classic FM | Perth |
| 92.9 | ABC Classic FM | Sydney |
| 93.1 | ABC Classic FM | Melbourne |
| 93.3 | ABC Classic FM | Brisbane |
| 93.5 | ABC Classic FM | Adelaide |
| 93.5 | ABC Classic FM | Canberra |
| 93.7 | SBS 1 | Perth |
| 93.7 | SBS 1 | Sydney |
| 93.9 | SBS 1 | Melbourne |
| 94.1 | SBS 1 | Brisbane |
| 94.3 | SBS 1 | Adelaide |
| 94.3 | SBS 1 | Canberra |
| 94.5 | SBS 2 | Perth |
| 94.5 | SBS 2 | Sydney |
| 94.7 | SBS 2 | Melbourne |
| 94.9 | SBS 2 | Brisbane |
| 95.1 | SBS 2 | Adelaide |
| 95.1 | SBS 2 | Canberra |
| 95.3 | Reserved for low powered community | Perth |
| 95.3 | Reserved for low powered community | Sydney |
| 95.5 | Reserved for low powered community | Melbourne |
| 95.7 | Reserved for low powered community | Brisbane |
| 95.9 | Reserved for low powered community | Adelaide |
| 95.9 | Reserved for low powered community | Canberra |
| 96.1 | Reserved for low powered community | Perth |
| 96.1 | Reserved for low powered community | Sydney |
| 96.3 | Reserved for low powered community | Melbourne |
| 96.5 | Reserved for low powered community | Brisbane |
| 96.7 | Reserved for low powered community | Adelaide |
| 96.7 | Reserved for low powered community | Canberra |
| 96.9 | Reserved for low powered community | Perth |
| 96.9 | Reserved for low powered community | Sydney |
| 97.1 | Reserved for low powered community | Melbourne |
| 97.3 | 4TAB | Brisbane |
| 97.5 | Reserved for low powered community | Adelaide |
| 97.5 | Reserved for low powered community | Canberra |
| 97.7 | 6TAB | Perth |
| 97.7 | 2MFM | Sydney |
| 97.9 | 3CR | Melbourne |
| 98.1 | 4BH | Brisbane |
| 98.3 | Adelaide | |
| 98.3 | Canberra | |
| 98.5 | Noongar Radio | Perth |
| 98.5 | Koori Radio | Sydney |
| 98.7 | 3KND | Melbourne |
| 98.9 | 4AAA 98.9 FM | Brisbane |
| 99.1 | Adelaide | |
| 99.1 | Canberra | |
| 99.3 | Perth FM | Perth |
| 99.3 | 2OOO | Sydney |
| 99.5 | 3ZZZ | Melbourne |
| 99.7 | 4EB FM | Brisbane |
| 99.9 | 5EBI | Adelaide |
| 99.9 | CMS Radio | Canberra |
| 100.1 | Nova 100 | Perth |
| 100.1 | Nova 100 | Sydney |
| 100.3 | Nova 100 | Melbourne |
| 100.5 | Nova 100 | Brisbane |
| 100.7 | Nova 100 | Adelaide |
| 100.7 | 2CA | Canberra |
| 100.9 | 96FM | Perth |
| 100.9 | KIIS 106 | Sydney |
| 101.1 | KIIS 101 | Melbourne |
| 101.3 | FM 97.3 | Brisbane |
| 101.5 | Mix 102.3 | Adelaide |
| 101.5 | 2CC | Canberra |
| 101.7 | 6IX | Perth |
| 101.7 | WSFM | Sydney |
| 101.9 | Gold FM | Melbourne |
| 102.1 | 4KQ | Brisbane |
| 102.3 | Cruise | Adelaide |
| 102.3 | Sky Sports 1008 | Canberra |
| 102.5 | Curtin Radio | Perth |
| 102.5 | 2FBI | Sydney |
| 102.7 | 3RRR | Melbourne |
| 102.9 | 4ZZZ | Brisbane |
| 103.1 | Fresh FM | Adelaide |
| 103.1 | Canberra | |
| 103.3 | Sonshine FM | Perth |
| 103.3 | Hope 1032 | Sydney |
| 103.5 | Light FM | Melbourne |
| 103.7 | Family FM | Brisbane |
| 103.9 | 1079 Life | Adelaide |
| 103.9 | 1 WAY FM | Canberra |
| 104.1 | Mix 94.5 | Perth |
| 104.1 | 2Day FM | Sydney |
| 104.3 | The Fox | Melbourne |
| 104.5 | B105 | Brisbane |
| 104.7 | SAFM | Adelaide |
| 104.7 | HIT 104 | Canberra |
| 104.9 | Triple M | Perth |
| 104.9 | Triple M | Sydney |
| 105.1 | Triple M | Melbourne |
| 105.3 | Triple M | Brisbane |
| 105.5 | Triple M | Adelaide |
| 105.5 | Canberra | |
| 105.7 | 6PR | Perth |
| 105.7 | Smooth | Sydney |
| 105.9 | Smooth | Melbourne |
| 106.1 | 4BC | Brisbane |
| 106.3 | FiveAA | Adelaide |
| 106.3 | MIX 106 | Canberra |
| 106.5 | Capital Community Radio | Perth |
| 106.5 | 2SER | Sydney |
| 106.7 | 3PBS | Melbourne |
| 106.9 | 1197 AM | Brisbane |
| 107.1 | Three D Radio | Adelaide |
| 107.1 | Canberra | |
| 107.3 | RTR FM | Perth |
| 107.3 | 2MBS | Sydney |
| 107.5 | 3MBS | Melbourne |
| 107.7 | 4MBS | Brisbane |
| 107.9 | Adelaide | |
| 107.9 | ArtSound FM | Canberra |
5 Likes
In no way does it do that. There are multiple Brisbane stations in the list on the same frequency as adjacent areas 89.3, 90.9, 91.7, 92.5, 94.1, 95.7 and 102.9 are all on Gold Coast frequencies - so none of those frequencies are available to use in Brisbane as well as 94.9 which is River FM. This of course is a fundamental problem in SEQ that Gold Coast allocations are all on âBrisbane frequenciesâ.
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It sounds good in principal with the grouping of network stations, but will encounter similar issues in Sydney with the sub metro commercial stations. Where would you fit in The Edge Penrith / Katoomba, and C91.3 Campbelltown?
Would they fit in the place of the LPONâs or Low powered community stations?
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Thereâs no need to copy the UK model of grouping stations together. The distance between major population centres in Britain is a lot smaller and people travel a lot more there than they do say between even Sydney and Melbourne/Brisbane.
Also what happens if you want to change the format of just one station in one city. Then the concept falls over. In the UK they have true national networks of commercial stations. Thatâs not the case here. Theyâre called ânetworksâ even thought theyâre not licensed as such. Most capital city stations have at least some local programming.
But interesting to see your thoughts.
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I agree it adds complexity to any fm band replan, and does not allow space for sub metro commercial stations such as C91.3, The Edge, Krock, River etc.
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Agree although I wouldnât mind seeing ABC stations like JJJ and RN (when on FM) in a range. Not for the commercial stations though. In fact the commercial stations arenât always close together in the UK either. Heart UK advertise as 96 - 107 FM, which is completely pointless.
Makes sense for BBC R2 though, 88 - 91FM across the UK.
Would have been nice if they could have put JJJ and RN in a range of 3 or 4
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Personally, Iâm not a fan of grouping network stations within a designated block of frequencies. It makes radio feel too regimented and will take a bit of fun out of DXing when you come across a mystery catch.
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I agree to a certain extent. My example was over the top including commercial and community stations. Plus the logistics of such a restack with surrounding areas overlapping and using the same allocation (eg Gold Coast and Brisbane, Geelong and Melbourne).
But I see huge benefit nationwide if one or two ABC networks were all in the same range. It would make travelling far easier. RDS with AF would be even better though!
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this is the main reason i like it. as someone who in the past has done alot of long distance driving (I used to do BNE - SYD on a friday night after work and than do the reverse on mondays for about 6 months) keeping the ABC together would incetivise me to listen more, rather than ripping though audio books (i think i listened to the complete harry potter series 4 or 5 times along with the martian and artimis)
I know there are not a ton of poeple doing this though
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Bewilders me that the ABC hasnât adopted this at least for Triple J and Classic FM.
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An even better result would be synchronised broadcasts from various ABC outlets so they could share the same frequency. So for example, all News Radio broadcasts in a state were on just a couple of frequencies, freeing up spectrum.
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Are there any stations in Australia that use FM single frequency networks? Iâve noticed that there are some in the USA and Canada.
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ABC News Radio - 94.5 from two sites Black Mountain Gympie and Dulong Nambour - both 20kw.
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Thatâs a good point.
Either a whole replan of the FM band in the regional areas adjacent to Sydney or moving the sub-metro community stations on to DAB+ to free up extra space on the FM band for 6 high-powered Sydney stations: 88.9, 89.7, 90.5, 99.3, 100.1 and 100.9.
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Correct. The ABA was in charge of the FM planning in the late 90s and early 2000s, which was chaired by David Flint. The outcome was a very small number of new commercial FM frequencies were allocated, with the rest going to city-wide community stations and local suburban community stations, preventing any more frequencies being made available for commercial licenses.
There was good and bad in this policy. Having a small number of profitable and successful commercial stations as well as a diverse range of community stations as opposed to a large number of unprofitable and poor quality commercial stations and a lower number of community stations.
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Good point. I was unaware of the Wide Bay stations - my apologies.
It looks like the suburban community stations cannot be moved to any other FM frequencies in that case.
The other option is for them to go on to DAB+ only, through small-scale multiplexes like they have recently done in the UK. So, if the ACMA allows it, potentially 4 small-scale multiplexes could be switched on in Brisbane for the 4 suburban community stations to broadcast on. Ditto Sydney and Melbourne.
Will ACMA license small-scale DAB+ multiplexes for suburban community stations in the metro cities, so that they can be taken off the FM band and put on to DAB+? Who knows.
1 Like