22 November 1999

New community radio licence for Port Macquarie

The Australian Broadcasting Authority has allocated a new community radio licence for Port Macquarie, New South Wales.

The licence was allocated to Mid North Coast Christian Broadcasters Inc. to operate a service on 99.9 MHz on the FM band. The licence will be effective from 1 December 1999.

"The proposed service will add to the range and diversity of services in the Port Macquarie region," said Professor David Flint, ABA Chairman. "The applicant satisfied the ABA that it would meet the existing and perceived future needs of the general community of the Port Macquarie licence area."

The ABA has allocated this licence after a process of consultation with the people of the local community to seek their views on what additional broadcasting services were needed in their area.

The ABA received two applications for the new community radio licence. One was from Mid North Coast Christian Broadcasters Inc. (Radio Rhema) and the other from Mid North Coast Indigenous Broadcasters Association Aboriginal Corporation (MNCIB). Radio Rhema seeks to represent the Christian community of Port Macquarie while MNCIB represents the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of the area.

The licence was awarded to Radio Rhema as the ABA concluded that Radio Rhema had better established a need for its proposed service than MNCIB and that the proposed Radio Rhema service had demonstrated a greater capacity to provide a community radio broadcasting service than MNCIB.

The ABA also took into account the fact that Port Macquarie community radio station 2WAY FM currently broadcasts a total of four hours per week of programming aimed at the indigenous community. In contrast, 2WAY broadcast only one hour per week of Christian programming.

In a separate decision, the ABA decided today to allocate a community radio broadcasting licence to MNCIB in Taree, NSW today. There were two applicants for the Taree licence, MNCIB and Manning Great Lakes Christian Broadcasters Inc. Every allocation is made on a case by case basis depending on the particular needs of the community to be served and the relative merits of the applicants.

To contact the new licensee, please call Mr Ian Worby, Public Officer, Radio Rhema, on (02) 6584 1246 or fax number (02) 6584 9388.

BACKGROUNDER

Port Macquarie region

The Port Macquarie area is currently served by the ABC and SBS national television services, and three commercial television services, NEN, NBN and NRN. In addition to the ABC radio services; 2KP, 2MRR (both regional radio), 2ABCRN (Radio National), 2JJJ and 2ABCFM (Fine Music), there are two commercial services; 2 ROX from Kempsey and 2MC from Kempsey and a generalist community radio service 2WAY FM.

A third commercial radio licence to serve Kempsey/ Port Macquarie was recently made available by the ABA using frequencies 106.7 MHz and 100.7 MHz respectively and a licence for an open narrowcasting service providing racing and betting information was also made available on frequency 92.7 MHz.

Community licence allocation

Part 6 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 provides for the allocation of community broadcasting licences.

The ABA uses a merit based allocation process where applicants compete on the basis of merit for the licence. The process includes opportunity for the public to comment on applications received.

The ABA must also have regard to:

(a) the extent to which the proposed service would meet the existing and perceived future needs of the community within the licence area of the proposed service; and

(b) the nature and diversity of the interests of that community; and

(c) the nature and diversity of other broadcasting services (including national broadcasting services) available within that licence area; and

(d) the capacity of the applicant to provide the proposed service; and

(e) the undesirability of one person being in a position to exercise control of more than one community broadcasting licence that is a broadcasting services bands licence in the same licence area; and

(f) the undesirability of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory or a political party being in a position to exercise control of a community broadcasting licence.

The Minister may also give directions to the ABA to give priority to a particular community interest or interests.

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