RTV Theory and Practice - Special Issue

ever got FM radio. Reluctantly , the government granted the ABC and one public broadcaster a licence to broadcast on FH in 1975 but the first commercial FH station , 3EON-FH in Melbourne , only began broađcasting on July 11, 1 980. 2 1 ) The first public broadcasting station, the station of the University of Adelaide, came on air in 1972. in 1974, 2MBS-FM and 3MBS-FM began broađcasting fine music in Sydney anđ Melbourne . Of particular interest was the opening of Melbourne's 3CR-AM in 1975 because this station is run by the Community Radio Federation anđ was establisheđ on the principle that a radio frequency can be used for all Kinđs of purposes , not just for music and news . 3CR has become a station beset with many problems, mainly caused by poiitical comments. Public broadcasting spread quickly and in 1974 the Public Broadcasting Association of Australia was formed and quickly became a major pressure group. Ву 1979, 27 public broadcasting licences were in existence, today there are almost 70. The movement is largely volunteer-based which brings the usual problems of amateurish , sometimes outright bad radio. Only about 300 people are paid in public broadcasting against app . 20,000 volunteers , budgets range from S9OOO to $500,000. Funds are often acquired by issuing subscriptions . The movement serves various community groups the way no other broadcaster , commercial or national, can . In cities , it serves special interest groups , in the country , it serves everybođy - anđ in turn gets input from almost everybody. And the community obviously listens . Particularly in country areas , the community stations often have more listeners that the ABC Regional program. In Perth , °ne public broađcasting station attracts more listeners than both ABC AM stations . 22 ) public Broadcasting had helped greatly to demystify radio in Australia . The signs are ail set for the movement to spread even further , particulariy at a time when radio broadcasting епјоуз a higher profile in the community than ever before . COMMERCIAL RADIO Whatever we can say about the ABC , SBS or public broađcasting , the fact remains that Australia's radio scene is đominated by the commercial broadcasters , big business enterprises which have massive ups and downs , mainly because their formats are achieved by trial and error. The oldest сотрапу , the Austraiian Broadcasting Сотрапу , owned privately by the Albet family , owns 7 AM and 1 FM station anđ has recently signed up 27 stations to relay its news and miđnight-to-dawn music services . H °yts Media Ltd. reaches 1 1 mio. of the country's 16,2 mio. inhabitants and 70 7. of Australia's under-30s listen to its programs. 23 ) On the other hand , 6MM is a station on the West coast of Western Australia run entirely by members of the iocal

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