Waiheke Radio
Encyclopedia
Waiheke Radio is a not-for-profit, non-commercial Community radio
service on Waiheke Island
. The station offers the facilities, advice, training and technical support for individuals and groups to create and broadcast their own media and radio programmes. Waiheke's population has distinct and diverse needs and interests arising from the island's geographical isolation, mix of rural and suburban lifestyle, and broad demographic range and is arguably not well served by radio transmitted solely from Auckland
.
Many of the trustees and DJs were originally volunteers with the now defunct Beach FM
. That station's loss of lease on its broadcasting premises and subsequent loss of its frequency 99.4 in New Zealand's frequency tender process left the island without a radio broadcaster and created the opportunity for the development of a not-for-profit community station on the island. The Waiheke Community Radio Trust attended the August 2008 spectrum auction and was bidding on the 99.4 frequency which eventually sold for $380,000, putting it well out of the trust's reach. The successful bidder was World TV Limited
, a company that runs a number of Asian language TV and radio stations.
The $380,000 paid for the frequency was the second highest sum paid for any frequency in the country in this auction round. The last Waiheke Island frequency auctioned, in 2003, also went for a very large sum, $378,000. The effect of the high prices paid was that Waiheke interests were priced out of the market as there is not sufficient population to support either a commercial or non-commercial operation that had to recover such an amount.
Waiheke Radio made its first live broadcast on Saturday 28 June from 7am to 12pm. The station hosted The Classic Gold Breakfast, a nationally networked Saturday morning breakfast show fronted by veteran broadcaster, Chris Diack who was visiting the island and worked with the Waiheke Radio volunteers to broadcast his breakfast show from the studio in Artworks. The show featured a number of local people, including students from Waiheke Primary School.
The official opening of the radio station was October 25, 2008 and the station is now broadcasting a variety of specialist music and interview style shows.
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...
service on Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, located about from Auckland.The island is the second-largest in the Hauraki Gulf after Great Barrier Island. It is the most populated, with nearly 8,000 permanent residents plus another estimated 3,400 who have second or holiday homes...
. The station offers the facilities, advice, training and technical support for individuals and groups to create and broadcast their own media and radio programmes. Waiheke's population has distinct and diverse needs and interests arising from the island's geographical isolation, mix of rural and suburban lifestyle, and broad demographic range and is arguably not well served by radio transmitted solely from Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
.
History
The Waiheke Community Radio Trust established Waiheke Radio as a not-for-profit, community radio service for Waiheke in 2008 and began broadcasting on two Low Power FM transmitters later that year. One of the transmitters was paid for from a grant from the Waiheke Community Board. A community lease was also secured in the Artworks complex in Oneroa after pressure was put on Auckland city by members of the Waiheke Community board who lobbied for a month-to-month lease to be granted to the trust.Many of the trustees and DJs were originally volunteers with the now defunct Beach FM
Beach FM
Beach Radio was a radio station situated in the Artworks complex in Oneroa on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. It was last owned and operated by long-time Auckland radio personality Barry Jenkin who did a breakfast show on the station, and featured a number of community-based shows...
. That station's loss of lease on its broadcasting premises and subsequent loss of its frequency 99.4 in New Zealand's frequency tender process left the island without a radio broadcaster and created the opportunity for the development of a not-for-profit community station on the island. The Waiheke Community Radio Trust attended the August 2008 spectrum auction and was bidding on the 99.4 frequency which eventually sold for $380,000, putting it well out of the trust's reach. The successful bidder was World TV Limited
World TV Limited
World TV Ltd is a television and radio company in New Zealand. It broadcasts ten television channels and two radio channels 24 hours daily, throughout New Zealand on SKY Network Television...
, a company that runs a number of Asian language TV and radio stations.
The $380,000 paid for the frequency was the second highest sum paid for any frequency in the country in this auction round. The last Waiheke Island frequency auctioned, in 2003, also went for a very large sum, $378,000. The effect of the high prices paid was that Waiheke interests were priced out of the market as there is not sufficient population to support either a commercial or non-commercial operation that had to recover such an amount.
Waiheke Radio made its first live broadcast on Saturday 28 June from 7am to 12pm. The station hosted The Classic Gold Breakfast, a nationally networked Saturday morning breakfast show fronted by veteran broadcaster, Chris Diack who was visiting the island and worked with the Waiheke Radio volunteers to broadcast his breakfast show from the studio in Artworks. The show featured a number of local people, including students from Waiheke Primary School.
The official opening of the radio station was October 25, 2008 and the station is now broadcasting a variety of specialist music and interview style shows.