Regional Radio (non-SCA)

Possibly engineered a bit differently to suit the 2 frequencies, the new one might have (different) loading coils on it to electrically suit the wavelengths better?

It’s cheaper to build it shorter too, I’ve seen a photo (Al posted it in the Radio Green Room on Facebook) , & it looks like it’s made out of thick concrete reinforcing rod (Rio)?
Maybe by making it taller, it’d need different steel for strength & would make it much more expensive?

I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen a guyed mast that looks like it’s made from Rio!

The total project of the 2 new masts only cost $320k according to Al, which is really peanuts for an AM site.

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Making it shorter in a cyclone prone area is probably a good idea too.

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That could well be behind the reason it’s looks to be made of reinforcing steel rather than a solid rigid rod or tube, it’s probably engineered to twist & flex in a cyclone without kinking & folding over?

Rio is flexible (to a point,) whereas a solid rigid steel rod will hold fast, then fold over & collapse at it’s point of weakness.

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Does anyone know more about the story of 4KZ’s mast collapsing in during Cyclone Larry in 2005?

Radio Info reported that the army were helping get the towers back up, but having seen a collapsed AM tower before, I’m not sure how salvagable it would have been. Is this new mast replacing the repaired mast? Surely they’re not replacing a brand new mast after 12 years?

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Mix Sunshine Coast 2018 line up:

What do you notice?

I notice that the four hour bfast/drive shows have been reduced to three hours.

For a market with such a long commute as the Sunshine Coast, this follows the same madness on the Central Coast which moved all their start times later to 6am.

Audience is very much on the road at 5am, quite often earlier.

Same treatment continues in the drive slot with the local Todd and Sami show ending at 6pm. Beginning in 2014, always listed as 3 - 7pm.

Nothing on the shows page, but the main Mix FM landing page is listing Kennedy/Molloy in the 6-8pm slot

Exactly. 6 - 8pm network.

Continuing the discussion from Regional Radio (non-SCA):

I think it’s because they use to repeat the Todd and Sami show “best bits” in the 6-7pm hour anyways, this will most likely be dropped…

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Confusing. The graphic says 6-9am but all the text still reads 5-9am. I presume it’s shortened now to the former?

FWIW if your breakfast show doesn’t start at 5am in SEQ you might as well not bother. You’re better off finishing it earlier than starting late (Spencer Howson used to wrap up at 7:45am on 612). Especially true on the Sunny Coast where as you say a good number of people are in the car before 6 - they shouldn’t be waking up and even heading off to automated overnight programming

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Mix FM and Sea FM on the Sunshine Coast have gone back to using their local phone numbers (545 11 xxx where xxx is the radio frequency). Does SCA not want them using the premium 13 27 10/13 12 16 number??

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Thank god. A good day for local radio.

Now could they get an afternoon journo and dump the Gold Coast programming on the weekends.

Website was incorrect re earlier discussion, bfast still begins 5am.

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And if Mix FM could ditch all the new music they play and throw in some unflogged/forgotten tracks (like the did this morning) that would get me back listening full time :smiley:

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I noticed today listening to 3GG online that they have new news intros, weather intros and station ID’s. Still with Ron E Sparks but different music. 6IX dont appears to have it yet.

6MM in Mandurah was knocked off-air for much of yesterday due to a mouse taking a wrong turn at its transmitter site. This only affected the 1116AM service, as the station continued to broadcast via its online stream.

The station is due to convert to FM sometime within the next year or two.

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4KZ Innisfail broadcast into the Gulf of Carpentaria on commercial off band licences. (and now a 200 - 800km radius via SW)

This morning, their stream sounded live.

Listened to the weather report, no announcements of the TC advice bulletins.

Only reads the ‘forecast for the rest of Sunday’ as read here:
http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/forecasts/gulf-country.shtml

The weather report sounds more comprehensive than what’s heard on the network owned Cairns stations, but seems strange the cyclone advice is missing.

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MOVE FM seems to be off air totally at the moment… I am getting dead air on both 99.5 and 107.9.

2LT 101.1 is running okay though.

Do they employ a full time engineer?

Atherton licence area amendment, Mossman/Port Douglas

This has proceeded to date without any mention of the three industry publications nor discussion groups such as this:

https://www.acma.gov.au/Industry/Broadcast/Spectrum-for-broadcasting/Licence-area-plans/closed-draft-licence-area-plans-spectrum-for-broadcasters-acma

Consultation paper:
https://www.acma.gov.au/-/media/Broadcast-Carriage-Policy/Issue-for-comment/IFC-05-2018/Consultation-Paper---Licence-Area-Plan---Atherton-and-Cairns-docx.DOCX?la=en

Sole submission received:
https://www.acma.gov.au/-/media/Broadcast-Carriage-Policy/Issue-for-comment/IFC-05-2018/NQ-Coastal-Broadcasters-submissions-docx.docx?la=en

In a nutshell, Cairns and Atherton licence areas overlap around Mossman.

4AM (Coastal Broadcasters, headquartered at 4KZ, led by Al Kirton) have applied for an FM infill as the long running AM 1422 service does not have good night time coverage to Mossman from its Port Douglas site.

ACMA agree with this AM coverage deficiency.

Where the regulator and licensee disagree is over the site for the FM translator.

ACMA’s paper publishes concerns that adding another transmitter site within the town would interfere with existing signals.

ACMA propose a Crown Castle site (obviously costly).

Coastal Broadcasters have cited unviable cap ex and op ex at the Crown Castle site, an example of a community station operating trouble free within their licence area on the Tableland from an in town site and are happy for less power. They’re clearly interested in just town coverage.

No other submissions received, other licensees have seen ACMA’s proposal, knew it was unviable and not bothered to make a submission.

The other part to the proposal is that the AM 1422 site is that one of the masts have failed so it runs OD instead of DA. It’s had successive owners and investment would be at a minimum.

No comment from ACMA about efficient use of spectrum in introducing an additional translator, no alternative for FM infills to replace the AM 1422 translator altogether. A departure from their usual lines in more congested markets.

This is an interesting situation as the licence area has been established along historical lines, prior to the Port Douglas and general tourism explosion.

Mossman and Port locals would’ve wanted a station they could viably advertise on without paying Cairns rates. 4AM had the foresight to establish a translator there yet over the years, when licence areas were finalised, Cairns scooped it up as well, entitling Cairns signals on translators there.

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I’ve noticed on their website that B-Rock in Bathurst is now taking plenty of content from SCA’s Triple M Network, including:

  • Kennedy Molloy - 4-6pm weekdays
  • The Chasers - 12-2pm Saturdays
  • The Sporting Probe with Roy & HG - 10am Sundays

As previously mentioned in another thread, the station also airs Nightshift with Luke Bona at 12-6am.
The station also airs Fitzy & Wippa (from Nova) at 3-4pm weekdays.

It seems that B-Rock is going the same way as its sister station 2BS on becoming less local than it used to be.

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