Alpine Radio 92.5 FM

History

2006

1 September '06 – Alpine Radio appointed its first Part-time paid Station Manager with Mary Smith gaining the appointment. Mary is contracted to work 10 hours (Monday to Friday) on a consultancy fee basis. She will also earn commissions on sponsorships sourced.

1 June '06 – Alpine Radio received a Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF) Training Grant to conduct accredited training for presenters. Four broadcasting modules will be offered in the TAFE Certificate II in Broadcasting to 15 presenters in the second half of '06. Our training co-ordinator Bill Sutton is co-ordinating the training program with assistance from Dorothy Morrison and Cathy Gunn.

26 January '06 – Alpine Radio was awarded the Alpine Shire 2005 Community Organisation of the Year. The station was presented with the award at the Australian Day ceremony held in the Swimming Pool gardens.

2005

5/6 November '05 – Alpine Radio hosted the 2005 AGM, management meeting, presentations and associated activities for the Southern Community Media Association (SCMA) . Eight community stations were represented. On the Sunday morning the delegates had a tour of Falls Creek, the Bogong High Plains and Alpine National Park on the Sunday morning finishing with a BBQ at Bogong Village.

21 October '05 – The station held its first Sponsors Party for all past and current sponsors at the station. This was an opportunity for sponsors to meet the current committee, look over the station and to voice a sponsorship of their own.

18 October '05 – The station conducted its first Satellite test broacast at 9:30pm using the ComRadSat program "Smoky Dawson's Country Showcase."

20 September '05 – The station received a grant from the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF) for a Digital Delivery Network Player . This will be placed in the main studio and combined with the satellite will enable us to record programs from other sources and play them later to fit in with our porgram schedule.

4 July '05 –  A Community Radio Satellite (ComRadSat) dish was erected on the roof of the station. The station is working towards getting a satellite receiver/decoder, audio balancing amplifier and Digital Delivery Network Player (computer) that will allow online ordering, automated recording of Community Radio Satellite (ComRadSat) programs for later replay. The system will allow Alpine Radio to greatly diversify its programming schedule and offer many excellent programs not otherwise available to a small community like ours.  

7 February '05 — Alpine Radio conducted its first official Listener Survey targeting all mail boxes in Mt Beauty and all post office boxes in Mt Beauty, Tawonga South and Tawonga. A distribution of 1,100 households. Survey closes on Saturday 19 February '05.

1 February '05 – Alpine Radio was issued with its Permanent Broadcasting Licence by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) after 18 months of broadcasting on a temporary licence. The ABA and the ACA have amalgamated and are now called the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

26 January '05 — Our president Mary C Smith was awared the Alpine Shire Local Achiever Award for 2005 at the Australia Day Ceremony conducted in the Swimming Pool gardens at Mount Beauty.

2004

1 November '04 — Alpine Radio was awarded the Alpine Shire Business & Tourism Judges Encouragement Award for 2004

20 October '04 — The station submitted an Application for a Permanent Licence to the Australian Broadcasting Authority. If all is in order we should be allocated the licence in February '05.

9 October '04 — The station had been using a secondhand link transmitter and receiver but this was causing problems so a new link and receiver were purchased for a cost of $4,800. This was installed and our reception and sound has improved beyond our expectations. It is a credit to our technical officer Rob O'Connor that we have such a good sound in the Valley.

8 October '04 — Alpine Radio's Youth Presenters received an Alpine Shire Youth Council Award for recognition and outstanding achievement in the Category of Community Involvement – Group. Congratulations to Annelei O'Connor, Simone Short, Mindy Stewart, Alice Bellingham, Sean Ryan, Latham Deans and Lee Schmaeger the youth presenters involved and to Angela Toniolo our youth committee convenor.

2 October '04 — The first presenters meeting was held since the station was moved to its new location. A specially prepared Presenter's Kit including a re-edited Presenters' Handbook was distributed to better inform presenters of station procedures, policies, guidelines and to assist them to improve their presentation skills.

31 July '04 — The station was officially opened at a social function attended by members, sponsors and supporters at the new location (Alpine Discovery Centre Precinct on the Kiewa Valley Highway - Mount Beauty) by Alpine Shire CEO Doug Sharp. Doug was representing the Mayor Julie Carroll who was unable to attend.

10 July '04 — The station installed a computer automation system that allows presenters to play all genres of music via the computer and MJM Solutions software called the MJM Player. Programs can be automated to play music, station IDs, sponsorships, CFA, SES, Health and Police messages for any period of time. Presenters can plan their programs using a networked computer in the office, save them and play them later on the studio computer.

26 June '04 — In the week leading up to this day heaps of renovation work was done at the new site to get it to an occupiable level. The station was then moved from 26 Hollonds St Mount Beauty to our new home at the Alpine Discovery Centre Precinct. The mast from the roof was relocated the next day and the transmitter made operational at its new location 4km north of Mount Beauty at the Bogong Estate on Tuesday 29 June '04.

26 May '04 — A telephone/talkback unit was installed in the main studio and used for the first time allowing presenters to do on-air interviews over the telephone. Thanks to our sponsors of this unit: Dr Bill Sykes-MP for Benalla, Mt Beauty Medical Centre & the Bogong Outdoor Education Centre and to our station technicians who installed the unit – Rob O'Connor & Dick Puttyfoot.

4 May '04 — The Alpine Shire announced that we had been successful with our application to gain occupancy of the old Kangaroo Hoppet Office next to the Alpine Discover Centre. We will be relocating the station from 26 Hollonds St to the new location in early July '04. This means Alpine Radio will have a permanent home. We are grateful to the Shire for the ongoing support.

2 May '04 — The transmitting mast from Mt Beauty Secondary College was relocated 4km north of town to the Bogong Estate on the corner of Mountain Creek Rd and Damms Rd. Thanks to Don and Bill Tynan for their generous offer to allow us to place the transmitting mast on their property. This will be used to re-transmit the signal from our new studio at the Alpine Discovery Centre Precinct to better improve the reception in Tawonga, Dederang, Bogong Village and Falls Creek. This is part of work in progress and the project is planned to be completed by early July '04.

2003

23 August '03 — The station conducted its first broadcast from a rented shop at 26 Hollonds Street (main street) Mount Beauty.

2002

25 July '02 — A Temporary Community Broadcasting Licence (TCBL) was allocated by the Australian Broadcasting Authority. Throughout 2002/03 regular mock street broadcasts, sessions at the local Country Club and general fundraising kept the project public. Bryan Pickthall and Mary Smith worked tirelessly with station promotion and fundraising during this period.

2001

15 November '01 — The organisation was incorporated as ' Kiewa Valley Community Radio Association Inc.' and would broadcast as 'Alpine Radio 92.5 FM.'

7 August '01 — The community radio project was initiated by Mary Smith who called a public meeting to gauge community support. A steering committee was formed to follow through with the process. The initial committee comprised: Ken Reid (president), Isla Macleod (vice president), Paul L'Huillier (secretary), Bryan Pickthall (treasurer), Mary Smith (media & public releations), David Bower and Luke Addinsall.