So if you add the two ABC’s together they basically tie with Hit 89.1
Kingaroy also has a popular community station Crow FM so is there a decent sized “other” figure?
I think Rebel and Breeze from Chinchilla might have some overspill and perhaps even Zinc and 4GY from Gympie.
There is, with 34.6% listening to “Other Stations”, most of which would be going towards Crow FM.
I’ve done some work in Kingaroy and most places had either Hot FM (Hit ) or Crow FM on. Crow FM has a Commercial radio sound to it. The format is similar to the Triple M “Greatest Hits” format.
Would 4KQ make it to Kingaroy? According to the theoretical amscan site the Brisbane and Darling Downs stations could be received. 4KQ could be at a similar level to 4QB/QO.
Possibly during the day if you were away from power lines. Going back many years now 4AK used to get into Chinchilla and Kingaroy quite well in the daytime.
I feel for these small regional AM stations competing with one or more commercial stations on FM. And add to that a strong community station on FM I just don’t think some are viable.
ACMA will have to think seriously about their responsibility to “protect” the incumbent FM stations vs the need to give some of these AM stations life support and even allowing them to convert to FM in non-solus small markets like Kingaroy.
ACMA are too focused on protecting incumbents from competition IMHO. Compared to regulators overseas that is. In the US they are letting AM stations broadcast on FM in selected parts of their licence area to help them survive. Even so a number of rural AM stations in the US are shutting down. How long before it happens here?
In my opinion ACMA is also biased towards protectionism even in metro areas - hence only 4 commercial FM stations in major cities like Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Absurd in cities those sizes.
Lots of regional AM stations have low powered FM translators in parts of their licence areas, but I get your point - it’s hardly a lifeline.
Realistically splitting these stations in Queensland from their FM siblings should never have happened. The markets aren’t big enough to support 2 operations - that’s why they’re still all co-tenanted. If they still shared ownership they could be able to support each other with common staff and package advertising deals.
Another consideration in these areas is that the FM signals don’t have the reach that AM does and don’t fully cover the whole licence area. For example, in Broken Hill 2BH have requested to stay on AM and not go ahead with the previously planned conversion to FM. By being split up, the Queensland stations can’t afford that course of action.
It will be interesting to see how they rate in Roma and Emerald where there aren’t suitable community substitutes.
7XS Queenstown in Tasmania has operated the FM and AM (with FM translators) licences as one station since forever. ACMA has allowed this, so would they allow it anywhere else?
Would Grant waste money on a survey in Queenstown?
Apparently, the 7AUS licence in Queenstown is really broadcasting 7XS, whilst its AM licence hasn’t been on-air for at least 2 decades. So therefore, 7XS had practically converted to FM into the 7AUS licence, whilst maintaining its FM translators under the 7XS callsign in Strahan & Rosebery.
With the above in mind, I think it would be pointless for Grant to issue a survey, as 7XS would have 100% of the commercial radio market in the West Coast of Tasmania, seeing that there’s nothing else (apart from most ABC radio services) to be picked up in the region during the day.
Yes, I thought I heard somewhere that the 7XS 837 AM transmitter had fallen into a state of disrepair and became uneconomical to fix, so AUS FM got taken off air to allow 7XS to be shifted across to 92.1 FM (whilst still being broadcast on 105.1 FM in Strahan and 107.1 FM in Rosebery).
They were also given 103.5 & 105.5 to rebroadcast the 837 AM signal into Strahan and Rosebery respectively, but it looks as though these were never on air.
Yes, that’s correct. The 7XS AM mast was dismantled in the mid 2000s I believe as it was corroded beyond repair. I understand it had not been broadcasting for some time prior to this. I imagine it wasn’t viable to construct a new mast in a licence area with less than 10,000 people.
7XS is now broadcast on the 7AUS licence in Queenstown, but the 7XS licence in Strahan & Rosebery. I imagine this is of little concern to the ACMA since there is provision in the LAP for FM translators of the same power for 7AUS in Strahan & Rosebery also.
I expect that the lack of broadcast on the 7XS licence is of no concern until a complaint is made and someone else tries to claim that they want to operate the licence - which realistically isn’t going to happen in such a small market where the only station is proper up by its network sister stations in Hobart and Launceston.
Thank you Brian for commonsense.
The local ABC shares must be combined, especially when programs are identical after 10 or 11am. Bfast - ABC ahead, same for morning, evening and weekend shifts.
As the methodology is based on recall from one phone call, it requires in market, top of mind ext mkting. JJJ’s share is therefore under represented, same would be the case Jowitt’s duo and Zinc/4GY (GY used to get into Kingaroy well in the 90’s, not so now I’m sure since Bill has backed off on engineering TLC).
Spot on re Crow, b’fast total reported share is 66.6% (ironic number for Joh’s heartland), leaving 33.4% unreported by the public survey numbers.
Overall, 34.6% is unreported by the survey. Crow could easily have a fifth of the market.
Dobbo and Morris families will keep working on it and I’m sure improve their 4SB number.
Interesting. Now their radiation pattern has changed with the move off St Helena to the 4BH swamp at Wynnum West. Better or worse, wouldn’t know.
‘Going back’, before Bill underinvested in his engineering. Some of his FM’s boom out but his big old AM sticks have long given up any flamethrowing duties.
Wait until you see the second ‘round’ of this conversion process. What CRA have been thrashing out themselves will prove to be interesting, if any of it comes to fruition.
7XS AM engineering was unsustainable, FM was the best option, so the 7AUS licence was turned on. It’s a solus market of a very small population, ACMA would be aware of the market limitations.
The link to all of this is that former owner, Steve Adermann has family in the South Burnett. Evan Adermann was a federal MP and 'was a director and later the chairman of radio station 4SB, in which the Adermann family took a very keen interest.’
Given RBL and BRZ operate at only 175 watts from Chinchilla and as its 120 kms as the crow flies (not the 90.7 one) to Kingaroy, I’d be surprised if the Chinchilla stations could make much impact on the Kingaroy survey results?
I reckon the Sunshine Coast stations (HOT/SEA/MIX) probably have a better chance of being amongst the Kingaroy “other” result?
The ABC Wide Bay result surprises me a bit, as 855 4QO is at Eidsvold, about 150 kms north of Kingaroy in a straight line. Perhaps they are surveying listeners in other parts of the licence area, say up around Gayndah which I think also has a translator for Hit on 95.1 (or were supposed to be getting one).
I’d say the ABC Wide Bay listeners would be via the FM service on Mt Goonanamen near Biggenden. The FM signal gets out a long way from Bundaberg, Maryborough to Gympie. Would probably get into Kingaroy too. Could explain the split in ABC stations if ABC Southern Qld is on AM (not sure) and ABC Wide Bay on FM?
Thanks, more here to answer further questions.
@radioengineer might know more, driven the loop from Kilkivan round to Kilcoy, but considering Bald Knob signals don’t reach well into Gympie, what can you expect significantly further west?
Look at the licence area map in the survey PDF. Eidsvold is the NW-most town in the licence area.
Once you drive north of Murgon/Goomeri, you leave the South Burnett region where Kingaroy is based. You leave the South Burnett council area, travel through a little bit of the merged Gympie council (old Kilkivan Shire) and reach the North Burnett. That region from Eidsvold through to Biggenden are on or in the catchment area of the Burnett River which flows to Bundaberg. 4BU reception west towards there is often relied upon. Likewise 4QO carries the ABC Bundaberg studio program as does the FM on Mt Goonaneman. They’re distinctly two different regions in the same licence area - much like the area south of Toowoomba to the NSW border in the Toowoomba/Warwick RA1.
Historically, 4SB had common ownership with the local paper. Then APN sold these last two radio stations in 2001 to RG Capital (SCA) who promptly shut programs down from Kingaroy, decimated the FM station by piping everything in from Margaret St Toowoomba. Result is a successful FM breakfast show (thanks to mainstay Hamish) which stretches from Roma to Gatton, NSW border at St George and Stanthorpe north to the South Burnett, 3 licence areas, many regions with strong local identities and rivalry with the next region.
Hence SCA have only had a focus on the South Burnett area. The 89.1 service is under spec too in height and TX power. On the AM side, 4SB has always been run as a traditional AM station with John Laws in his UE days, local announcers and music remotely overnight, might have taken Overnight talk. Brad Smart did ok out of Kingaroy but it was the lack of local knowledge and care by 2GB during their time that decimated the station with large slabs of talk content with of little relevance. Hence the rise of Crow FM filling a much needed gap and on a better band.
If Sal and Rex and the rest of Resonate are bringing back the audience to 4SB, Crow will need to adapt to remain relevant and not follow the decline of TEN FM Tenterfield who have not adapted to the introduction of Jowitt’s formats.
Are the full time announcers on Crow FM paid? Would it be worthwhile for Resonate to look at luring one or two presenters across from Crow FM?
Great question! (some did come across from 4SB didn’t they when RG Capital took over?)
I recall the sale price of 4SB/Power FM was a total steal. However, each subsequent change of hands of 4SB would have been significantly less.
I don’t quite follow this bit… What does Resonate have in Tenterfield / Stanthorpe?
I thought all of commercial broadcasters there were SCA, Bill Caralis or Rebel/Breeze?