Random Radio

Poor Chappo finding it a torment to get links to TX sites. Been done for decades. If it’s too difficult, try an easier job:

Brad, I note that you have been somewhat quiet on the comparative costs of maintaining AM and FM transmitter sites. This might be a worthy subject for further discussion.
You would know all too well the cost of keeping a pair of 120m guyed towers correctly tuned, straight, painted, with regular cleaning of guy wires, repairs to the earth mat radials, continuous slashing of 10 acres of paddock, and having to cope with occasional lightning damage. Added to this is the torment of having to get content from studios to transmitter sites in remote regional areas. Coverage to pockets of regional listeners on AM comes at an ever-increasing cost…

Comment made to Radio Today.

There’s definitely some AM stations, particularly in Queensland who have multiple repeaters significant distances apart that create challenges with STL links, particularly to make them redundant. Be it through 850mhz links, ISDN, IP, satellite etc, these all have trade offs in terms of maintence required, cost and reliability. Especially when compared to the FM stations in the same area who are able to feed their repeaters off air.

Hatdj should be able to confirm this, but I believe 2VM Moree is fed to its repeaters in towns such as Walgett on a sub carrier of NOW FM.

That sounds like a very cost effective way of doing it.

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Yes, that is correct, has been happening for years and remember, this an AM program retransmitted on FM.

The receive antenna is over 200km for some of the translators, so it is possible, easily & cheaply.

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Very interesting, and useful.

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Radio Garden map targeted on 2EC: Listen to 2EC from Bega live on Radio Garden – Radio Garden

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2VM is sent to the Goondiwindi & Collarenebri translators via Codec IP with the NOW-FM Subcarrier as a Back-up if the IP link fails (The fail alarm automatically switches after 10 seconds or so). Mungindi, Walgett & Lightning Ridge are fed Off-Air from Collarenebri. NOW FM is re-broadcast off 98.3 at all sites except Lightning Ridge witch Re-Broadcasts Collarenebri.

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Not quite sure where to put this - so Random is the answer. Thought people might be interested in a comparison of the “Melbourne Radio Twitter” rankings for the year. Basically comparing the different Twitter handles for each station identifying followers, likes and their growth over the year. I have also included some of the more established Melbourne wide public broadcasters and for national stations assumed 25% come from Victoria. Some initial observations:

  • Triple J has a lot of followers, but not much interesting content (so not many likes)
  • Followers of public stations seem much more dedicated and like their station content a lot more
  • People don’t “unfollow” easily - as it has taken a year for FifiDaveandFev to overtake MattandJo!
  • In the battle of the CHRs, Nova100 has effectively flatlined with KIIS building the most of a low base. Fox should be happy with the high F/L ratio. It presumably means they are making interesting content
  • I wonder if they could be a radio competition for the two people who liked Magic1278 tweets to get a prize
  • For 3AW and SEN, the main station handle seems to generate the traffic rather than the Footy handle
  • For the footy and talk station handles, it is more informational and therefore less likes occur
  • Some stations/networks aren’t keen on brekky show handles. For instance MeshelandTommy has now closed but there seems to be no new equivalent for Chrissie Sam and Browny.

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How do you pronounce the band called Bros?

I know that the slang word “bro” is /bɹoʊz/ or /bɹʌz/ in plural.

Then there are groups like Moss Bros. or a band called Bros that people do use /bɹɒs/.

I have always pronounced as the latter (‘bross’), just heard an announcer say the former (bros as in mows)

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Bros as in Moss.

The announcer clearly wasn’t there in 1988 (he’s clearly still waiting to be famous).

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Could be worse. They could be mispronouncing the name of the radio station.

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I remember when I was a young kid, pronouncing the “Bros” in “Grace Bros” (the now-defunct department store) as bruzzzz.

Good list. One thing - SYN’s organisational handle is @synmedia, but for the 3SYN/SYN 90.7 FM station there’s a separate @SYN907 handle

Thanks for the info - and I’ve now noticed how many extra handles SYN have. Apart from a breakfast show handle, I find it a bit mystifying for a community station to run so many handles…a big fan of KISS (and I don’t mean the band or the radio station!)

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I agree… there’s a lot to be said for the KISS principle in almost every aspect of business, be it Radio, TV or whatever.

@hatdj apologies if this sounds stupid as a non-local, but 98.3 comes off Mt Dowe and normally covers Narrabri right? Reason I ask is that I was passing through that neck of the woods this morning but got nothing on 98.3 until about 30km or so out of Moree (heading north). 97.5 and the ABCs were all there, as was 91.3, but NOW was lacking for a while. Just wondering if that’s typical or something was up?

Something must have been up, as Mt Dowe is east of Narrabri, so you were travelling further away from the transmitter!

Perhaps they were using a low power back up Tx based in Moree town or something?

Could be. It was Mr Snow of River 94.9

A couple of tongue-in-check but legitimate questions:

Radio stations refer to the decades of music - 70s, 80s, 90s etc. Given that the last decade is referred to as the noughties what will this decade be known as the onesies?

And in the future instead of eighties weekends will there be noughty weekends?

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How about the Teenies?

Noughties has been used by some radio stations.

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Yes, Teenies or Tensies I reckon.