Hawkesbury Radio, is an Internet radio station situated in the Hawkesbury Area.

Hawkesbury Radio
Broadcast areaHawkesbury, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Programming
FormatMixed
Ownership
OwnerHawkesbury Radio Communications Cooperative Society Limited
History
First air date
circa 1978
Former call signs
2VTR
Former names
Hawkesbury Radio 89.9
Former frequencies
89.9 MHz FM
Links
WebsiteOfficial website

The station is staffed by volunteers Hawkesbury Radio was the only Community Radio Station in Australia to have Broadcast rights of NRL which featured Penrith Panthers NRL matches, from 1997 to 2009. In 2016 the station gained broadcast rights to Western Sydney Wanderers A-League matches as well as W-League, National Youth League and FFA Cup matches involving the Wanderers[1]

Hawkesbury Radio began in 1978 with a test broadcast, gaining its full licence in 1982, one of the first local community radio licences granted. The station broadcast out of a tiny condemned building, which housed the studio and transmitter on Fitzgerald Street Windsor for many years, before moving to its current site in 1992 in an adjacent building. Hawkesbury Radio originally broadcast on 89.7 MHz, but moved to the frequency of 89.9 MHz in December 1999.[2] In November 2022, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) denied Hawkesbury Radio the licence & they switched over to internet-only broadcasting.

Loss of licence

edit

In August 2017, the ACMA decided not to renew Hawkesbury Radio's full-time community broadcaster licence following many years of non-compliance with licence conditions including maintaining/ensuring community participation.[3]

Programming

edit

Hawkesbury Radio uses an AOR mix during the daytime hours. Outside of these hours, there are specialist programs such as bluegrass, country and western music. The station also has sports programs [4] on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.[5]

Sports coverage

edit

For 20 years it has broadcast various live events from calling Penrith Panthers NRL Matches from 1997-2009[6] and the club's reserve grade matches, to covering Windsor Wolves Ron Massey Cup Matches. Plus finals matches in NSWRL Competitions.

From 2016, the station has become the community radio partner of the Western Sydney Wanderers, with all A-League games covered on radio and all home games of the W-League and Youth League games online. The station also broadcasts the National Premier Leagues NSW competition each week in divisions 1, 2 & 3.[7]

In addition the station became the first in Australia to broadcast a World Rugby Sevens Series event in broadcasting all three days of the 2017 Sydney Sevens,[8] and the station also broadcasts at least one game a week in the Shute Shield Sydney club rugby competition[9] after broadcasting Penrith Emus games from 2001-2003.[10]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Local radio to cover every Wanderers match". Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Around the station". Hawkesbury Radio. 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  3. ^ "Two community stations not renewed in ACMA re-licencing process". RadioInfo Australia. 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Call to Arms". Penrith Swans. 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  5. ^ "Hawkesbury Radio at Careflight" (PDF). Careflight. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  6. ^ "Hawkesbury Radio's sports coverage | radioinfo.com.au". www.radioinfo.com.au. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Hawkesbury Radio to stream live PS4 NPL matches weekly". nswpl.com.au. March 2017.
  8. ^ "Sydney Sevens coverage on Hawkesbury Radio | radioinfo.com.au". www.radioinfo.com.au. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  9. ^ "2017 Shute Shield matches to be broadcast live on radio | Rugby News". www.rugbynews.net.au. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Hawkesbury Radio's sports coverage | radioinfo.com.au". www.radioinfo.com.au. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
edit