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…
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.
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.
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.
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!)
@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?
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?
