Community and narrowcasting radio stations in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

The present system of radio broadcasting in Australia consists of four categories, national, commercial, community, and high-power open narrowcasting (HPON) stations. The national broadcasters are ABC and SBS, nationwide independent nonprofit broadcasting networks, resembling the BBC in the UK, and might be labeled as "public broadcasting" in some contexts. However, "public broadcasting" in the Australian context does not include ABC and SBS. As the Australia imported the concept of "public broadcasting" from the USA, those stations are small, independent, nonprofit broadcasters that provide public access opportunities. Later, under the Broadcasting Act of 1992, community broadcasting was introduced to indicate this category to avoid confusion. Armidale is a small country town with a population of 25, 000, and home to the University of New England (UNE) with some 4, 000 students. The history of nonprofit local radio broadcasting in Armidale dates back to 1970, when UNE started a campus radio on the AM band with a wireless telegraphy license rather than a radio broadcasting license. The station named itself Radio UNE (RUNE) and was one of the first campus radio services in Australia. Through the 1970s as the social demand for accessible "public broadcasting" grew in Australia, people involved in RUNE started to seek possibilities to establish a "public" radio station in Armidale, taking advantage of the experience of RUNE. In 1976, a new "public" radio license was issued to 2ARM, which then shared most broadcasting facilities with RUNE. Since 1979, 2ARM has occupied its own studios and facilities in corners of Armidale City Hall buildings and fully separated from RUNE. 2ARM enjoyed a financially healthy period during the 1980s, but its budget gradually shrank in the 1990s, mainly as the result of sliced federal funding to community stations. Meanwhile, RUNE switched transmission to the FM band in 1986 and renamed itself TUNE! FM. As the new Broadcasting Act of 1992 established HPON as a new category of broadcasting, TUNE! FM applied for a narrowcasting licence in 1994, started narrowcasting service by 1995, and its transmission power was raised to 10 W in 1999, sufficiently strong to cover the most populated area of the city. Community-category stations are designed to serve a specific audience community, and 2ARM has been expected to serve general geographic communities of Armidale. In reality, however, 2 ARM mostly targets the relatively elderly population. The presence of RUNE/TUNE! FM cast shadows on the service of 2ARM. On the other hand, TUNE! FM is a rare example of nonprofit narrowcasting services under the present system. While the other HPON in Armidale is mostly devoted to racing information, TUNE! FM practically functions as community radio for young people in Armidale. In reality, 2ARM and TUNE! FM are slightly different from the typical examples of the categories to which they belong, reflecting the needs and conditions of the locality they serve.