HuttNZ

Its been a while since I updated on Hutt Radios progress. This project has developed over the last 4 months from their requests for announcers to their first public meeting and earlier developments .

But I am happy to release the latest news following their early hard work and funding issues:

Hutt Radio, the new community station now on 106.1 FM,
hopefully has most of  the inevitable teething problems solved.
The Trustees are pleased to finally have BBC World on-air,
24 hours a day. Technically, this is the “test broadcast” phase.
It won’t be too long before some live local content is inserted
on a regular basis, in partnership with the BBC World Service.

Current coverage is the whole of the Hutt Valley from the
southern end of Upper Hutt, right down the valley to Petone.
Until the Trust can afford to site the transmitter on a hilltop,
some areas in the Western Hills will be unable to pick it up.

The transmission is from a NaeNae rooftop. FM radio is a
“line of sight” signal, so houses tucked behind a bit of hillside
won’t receive it. Nor will steel-reinforced concrete buildings.
Cars with Japanese radios will need to insert an expander.
Hutt Radio should eventually cover the entire Hutt Region.

via Hutt Radio

Congratulations all around to those involved as the continuing hard work is paying dividends. I look forward with interest to their continuing development in 2010.

Network radio is the current business model but I for one would like to see Hutt Radio succeed if only to provide a conduit for local voices, that seems to have been lost in the drive for commercial success.

As a sidebar the development of this community asset piqued my interest in the history around earlier radio broadcasting in the Hutt Valley (does anyone remember KIX FM?) but also similar activities already underway.

Several other broadcasters exist in this area that I have uncovered (albeit LPFM and/or internet based) which while limited in their range and coverage show the desire of others to express themselves via broadcasting. Whilst not all about community some show interest, and with the desire to broadcast on a network basis by the bigger radio stations the role of a community station servicing only the Hutt community is novel in todays world.

Visiting the NZ LPFM website provides insight into a list of 29 stations within Wellington of which 7 are in the Hutt region. Registration is voluntary and there could be more, but does show the diversity of people wishing to pursue their avenue of broadcasting, some with local content.

My chance to plug two that I have listened to (and know they are around) and like

Grant of the The Cheese is also on Twitter as http://twitter.com/zollymonsta

These guys are also on YouTube

No doubt they have other social media addresses and I apologise if they are not your best avenues or are out of date.

Does anyone else have any favourites that are out there?