4DDB
Encyclopedia
4DDB is a community radio station operating in Toowoomba, Queensland
, Australia
, transmitting in the FM band at a frequency of 102.7 MHz.
As a community radio
station, 4DDB is a long- standing member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA).
.
in Darling Heights.
throughout Toowoomba, the Darling Downs and Lockyer Valley and listeners report acceptable signals from as far afield as Jandowae
, Gatton
, Warwick
and Crows Nest
.
format of music programming. 4DDB also caters for special- interest groups by programming with dedicated German, Dutch, Filipino, African and Christian programs which air on a weekly basis. Likewise, print-handicapped members of the community benefit from daily news, events, articles, current affairs and weather readings sourced from local and state print media. 4DDB supports a high Australian content policy in its programming and encourages local artists and performers to contribute works for broadcast.
4DDB broadcasts programs of many musical genres including country, pop, rock, jazz, oldtime and folk as well as informational content and community announcements. 4DDB follows a traditional radio broadcasting format including early morning, breakfast, news, lunchtime, 'drive', evening and 'graveyard' slots or shifts.
BBC World Service
is relayed from midnight to 4am daily whilst BBC News
is broadcast during program changes sometimes incorporating the BBC Pips for listener time synchronisation.
found that 4DDB was in breach of its licence conditions by failing to appropriately disclose financial support during live interviews with commercial sponsors. No penalty was issued as this was the first such breach.
In September 2008, the Australian Communications and Media Authority
, investigating in response to two written complaints, again found that 4DDB was operating in breach of its licence conditions specified by Schedule 2 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 by i) broadcasting advertisements without acknowledgment of financial support, ii) exceeding the five minutes per hour limit of sponsorship announcements, and iii) operating the service as part of a profit- making enterprise. ACMA did find however, that the service was adequately representing the community interest. The investigation detailed the complex programming, commercial and financial arrangements and agreements that have been in place between the management committee, presenters and other parties. It also mentions verbal agreements and found that, in practice, 4DDB had effectively sold air time to other parties. The investigation concluded that these breaches of licence conditions were of a serious nature and as such ACMA would pursue compliance measures.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, transmitting in the FM band at a frequency of 102.7 MHz.
History
4DDB was established in the 1970s by a dedicated band of volunteers and radio broadcasting enthusiasts.As a community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station, 4DDB is a long- standing member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA).
Studio
4DDB has its broadcast and production studios, office and meeting complex located in the Toowoomba CBDCentral business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
.
Transmitter
4DDB's stereo FM transmitter is located atop the engineering faculty building at the University of Southern QueenslandUniversity of Southern Queensland
The University of Southern Queensland is based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The institution was established in 1967 as the Queensland Institute of Technology...
in Darling Heights.
Audience
4DDB's signal propagatesRadio propagation
Radio propagation is the behavior of radio waves when they are transmitted, or propagated from one point on the Earth to another, or into various parts of the atmosphere...
throughout Toowoomba, the Darling Downs and Lockyer Valley and listeners report acceptable signals from as far afield as Jandowae
Jandowae, Queensland
Jandowae is a town in southern Queensland, Australia. The town is located west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Jandowae had a population of 784.-History:...
, Gatton
Gatton, Queensland
Gatton is a town and the administrative centre of the Lockyer Valley Local Government Area situated in the Lockyer Valley of South East Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Gatton had a population of 5,295....
, Warwick
Warwick, Queensland
Warwick is a town in Queensland, Australia, lying south-west of Brisbane. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Local Government Area. In 2006 the town of Warwick had a population of 12,562....
and Crows Nest
Crows Nest, Queensland
Crows Nest is a town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located on the New England Highway from the state capital, Brisbane and from the nearby city of Toowoomba within the Toowoomba Region local government area...
.
Programming
As a "generalist" style community broadcaster, 4DDB seeks simply to connect with its audience within the geographic coverage provided by its transmitter primarily through an easy listeningEasy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
format of music programming. 4DDB also caters for special- interest groups by programming with dedicated German, Dutch, Filipino, African and Christian programs which air on a weekly basis. Likewise, print-handicapped members of the community benefit from daily news, events, articles, current affairs and weather readings sourced from local and state print media. 4DDB supports a high Australian content policy in its programming and encourages local artists and performers to contribute works for broadcast.
4DDB broadcasts programs of many musical genres including country, pop, rock, jazz, oldtime and folk as well as informational content and community announcements. 4DDB follows a traditional radio broadcasting format including early morning, breakfast, news, lunchtime, 'drive', evening and 'graveyard' slots or shifts.
BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
is relayed from midnight to 4am daily whilst BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
is broadcast during program changes sometimes incorporating the BBC Pips for listener time synchronisation.
Funding
4DDB is supported financially through subscriptions, sponsorship, donations and grant funding.Licence Breaches
In May 2008, the Australian Communications and Media AuthorityAustralian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio...
found that 4DDB was in breach of its licence conditions by failing to appropriately disclose financial support during live interviews with commercial sponsors. No penalty was issued as this was the first such breach.
In September 2008, the Australian Communications and Media Authority
Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio...
, investigating in response to two written complaints, again found that 4DDB was operating in breach of its licence conditions specified by Schedule 2 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 by i) broadcasting advertisements without acknowledgment of financial support, ii) exceeding the five minutes per hour limit of sponsorship announcements, and iii) operating the service as part of a profit- making enterprise. ACMA did find however, that the service was adequately representing the community interest. The investigation detailed the complex programming, commercial and financial arrangements and agreements that have been in place between the management committee, presenters and other parties. It also mentions verbal agreements and found that, in practice, 4DDB had effectively sold air time to other parties. The investigation concluded that these breaches of licence conditions were of a serious nature and as such ACMA would pursue compliance measures.
External links
- http://4ddb.org.au/ 4DDB FM
- http://www.cbaa.org.au/content.php/2.html Community Broadcasting Association of Australia
- http://acma.gov.au Australian Communications and Media Authority-source-Government of AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...