Birthday for radio station

Press, 18 February 1989, Page 22

Birthday for radio station

The South Island’s only community access radio station is one year old this month. Christchurch’s Plains FM, the second radio station of its kind in the country, began its service to the local c o m m unity on February 29, 1988. It now broadcasts seven days a week — from 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday — and carries more than 30 regular programmes which are produced by community and special interest groups and organisations. To mark the birthday Plains FM is hosting a workshop this Monday and Tuesday evening for individuals and representatives of local organisations who are interested in becoming active supporters of the station or want to make programmes. Plains FM’s first broadcast 12 months ago consisted mainly of fill-music, with a small number of community programmes, and a backgrounder on the concept of community access radio. A year later the station boasts a financial membership of more than 70 groups, organisations and individuals, a pool of more than 50 volunteers and a radio facility which Tony Simons says rivals many commercial FM stations.