A prime example of how the ACMA has been captured by big business, in this case the big telcos. But this also applies to big radio.
(Telco regulator under fire over deal with Optus that slashed fine - ABC News)
The ACMA has 100% been captured by the industry itās supposed to regulate.
A 2KO chart from 6 November 1987 (as printed in the Newcastle Herald)
One point of difference is that itās only a Top 10, but also lists the Top 5 from 5, 10, 15 and 20 years ago.
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I retired (early) at the end of last year. This week I started a drive to Cairns. Iām visiting friends and family on the journey. First stop is Terrigal. On this trip I have no interest in listening to the MMM / Hit radio stations on the drive. Iāll also give a wide birth to any Stars. They sound so āsame oldā, āsame oldā. As I travel thousands of kilometres I want to feel like I am away from home.
This forum often discusses alternative regional radio and that why I am tuned to Coast FM on the Central Coast. The music is not totally aligned with my Gen X tastes as there is too much 60s and 70s music that I donāt relate to. Mind you, some of the 70s hits made me smile - cue David Soulās Silver Lady.
However, the station has its own sound. Its own style. Iām on holidays and I want my car to be filled with local radio.
Any other recommendations will be greatly appreciated. Iāll tune to New as I go through Newcastle and CHY in Coffs.
If I do find myself in an SCA monopoly area, I have 300 songs on Apple Music ready to go (the best songs from 1980 to 2025 - IMHO). Iād rather be listening to some good local radio though.
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Iām with you on this. 
Max 107.3 - Taree
2RE 88.9 - Taree (6-9am & 12-6pm weekdays, 6am-12pm Saturdays)
2WAY FM 103.9 - Port Macquarie
Tank FM 103.1 - Kempsey
2NVR 105.9 - Nambucca Heads
2BBB 93.3/107.3 - Bellingen
FM 104.7 - Grafton
2TLC 93.5 - Yamba/Grafton
ZZZ FM 100.9 - Northern Rivers (Lismore, Ballina, Byron, Tweed)
Richmond Valley Radio 88.9 - Maclean to Ballina
Paradise FM 101.9 - Ballina
Rebel 99.4 - Gold Coast
Breeze 100.6 - Gold Coast
94.1FM - Gold Coast
Radio Metro 105.7 - Gold Coast
Rebel 90.5 - Southern Brisbane
Breeze 92.1 - Southern Brisbane
Radio Logan 101.1 - Southern Brisbane
Bay FM 100.3 - Bayside Brisbane
Bridge FM 99.7 - Northern Brisbane
91.9 Sea FM - Sunshine Coast
92.7 Mix FM - Sunshine Coast
Breeze 102.5 - Wide Bay (Maryborough, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg)
Rebel 106.7 - Wide Bay
Coral Coast Radio 94.7 - Bundaberg
4YOU 98.5 - Rockhampton
Keppel FM 91.3 - Yeppoon
4CRM 107.5 - Mackay
Island FM 88.0 - Airlie Beach
Gem FM 95.1 - Bowen
Sweet FM 97.1 - Ayr
Power 100.7 - Townsville
4TTT 103.9 - Townsville
4KZ 531 - Townsville to Cairns (also on 94.7 in Cardwell, 90.3 in Tully, 88.5 in Mission Beach, and 102.5 in Babinda)
Kool FM 98.3 - Innisfail
4AM 558 - Atherton (can be heard into Cairns almost like a local station)
Lots of stations to try out on your long trip. 
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Great list!
And to add to that - from south to north
Gosford - Easy FM 93.3
Newcastle - 2NUR FM 103.7 (preferable to NEW FM to my ears)
Nelson Bay - Port Stephens FM 100.9
Forster - Great Lakes FM 101.5
Port Macquarie - 2PM FM 93.5 and 531am Kempsey (if listening between 12-3 weekdays, they play some great music)
Coffs Harbour - 2CHY FM 104.1
Coffs Harbour / Woolgoolga - 2HC 639 & 100.5 (only between 12-3 as well).
Sunshine Coast - Sunshine FM 104.9
Gympie/Noosa - Zinc FM 96.1
Rockhampton - 4US 100.7 (plays Indigenous music but I heard some really good songs on it when I passed through last July)
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Thank you Radiohead and TV-Expert.
I shall progressively put these into the preset as I move.
You have just make this journey so much better.
Seriously - Thanks!
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Youāre welcome! And welcome to retirement, youāll love it (Iām glad I finished work when I did, I feel so much better for it).
And that sounds like a great road trip, fingers crossed that the wet weather in FNQ is done and dusted. I know theyāve had some issues with road damage on the Bruce, hopefully that doesnāt cause too much of an issue.
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Youāll be amazed at the range of Rebel and Breeze in Wide Bay. Youāll be able to get both from just north of Gympie to well past Childers on 106.7 and 102.5 respectively.
Once you lose them you should be able to get 4CC on 927AM then 1584AM in Rockhampton. Not a bad listen when itās live and local.
4CRM in Mackay is a pretty good community station.
Once you get north of Mackay and lose the FMs, I find 4MK lasts a good distance on 1026 in the car. At least to Proserpine.
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I was just down at the shops here in Newcastle (Charlestown) and, as I was walking through the car park, a car rolled slowly past me, I could see the radio frequency on the display was 95.3. So perhaps a Smooth FM listener in Newcastle!
It was a late model Nissan X-trail, the frequency was easy to see as below, but the RDS was too small to see if any (display was similar to this pic I found on the internet).
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2HC and 531 are ālocalā breakfast now. 2HC is also ālocalā between 12-3. 531 take the network feed in the afternoon. Well, they were today.
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Based on their website 2HC is taking breakfast from 2GF.
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I had a listen to it the other day and it did have local content relevant to the Coffs Coast complete with time calls, which suggests that itās either live or voice tracked shortly before going to air. But yes, it is from Grafton these days.
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Agree, I had reception up towards Miriam Vale when I did the trip last July.
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I noticed that too on my road trips up that way
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This morning Iāve been up early and entering TV-Expert and Radioheadās suggestions into my preset for the NSW leg of my journey. Iām excited to hear radio as it should be - individualised to each town / market.
I wish some of these stations were included in the ratings for these regional areas. My anecdotal evidence from places like the Gold Coast suggest some of these frequencies are winners. Whenever I am on the Gold Coast so many Ubers and taxis are turned to 105.7 Metro Radio. Yesterday I walked into a takeaway BBQ chicken store and a service station that were tuned to Coast FM on the Central Coast. I reckon the homogenisation of regional radio into the Hit / MMM formats may have boosted many of the community stations. Hearing the same music log, station IDs, competitions and shows as you travel hundreds or thousands of kilometres is soul destroying for anyone who loves the craft and creativity of radio.
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I agree 100%,as Iām someone too whoās old enough to remember the good old days of radio in the 70s and 80s
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I just checked my notes from last July, and I had 4MK from just north of Rockhampton until Ayr on the car radio (a Toyota Camry, Toyotas are known for having radios with good reception too).
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The unified digital audio ID will enable additional capabilities alongside CRA membersā existing programmatic offerings and is designed to deliver cross network campaign optimisation through improved management of reach and frequency and enhanced targeting capabilities enabling marketers to achieve greater scale and enhanced efficiency in their digital audio strategy.
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4MK 1026 has always gotten out very well, could quite often hear it in the arvo almost at local levels when I lived in Biloela
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