 | |
| Broadcast area | Hawkesbury,Sydney, NSW, Australia |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Format | Mixed |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Hawkesbury Radio Communications Cooperative Society Limited |
| History | |
First air date | circa 1978 |
Former call signs | 2VTR |
Former names | Hawkesbury Radio 89.9 |
Former frequencies | 89.9MHzFM |
| Links | |
| Website | Official website |
Hawkesbury Radio, is aRadio station which broadcasts via theInternet and is situated in theHawkesbury Area.
The station is staffed byvolunteers Hawkesbury Radio was the onlyCommunity Radio Station in Australia to have Broadcast rights ofNRL which featuredPenrith PanthersNRL matches, from 1997 to 2009. In 2016 the station gained broadcast rights toWestern Sydney WanderersA-League matches as well asW-League,National Youth League andFFA Cup matches involving the Wanderers[1]
Hawkesbury Radio began in 1978 with a test broadcast, gaining its full licence in 1982, one of the first local community radio licences granted. The station broadcast out of a tiny condemned building, which housed the studio and transmitter on Fitzgerald StreetWindsor for many years, before moving to its current site in 1992 in an adjacent building. Hawkesbury Radio originally broadcast on 89.7 MHz, but moved to the frequency of 89.9 MHz in December 1999.[2] In November 2022, theAustralian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) denied Hawkesbury Radio the licence & they switched over to internet-only broadcasting.
In August 2017, the ACMA decided not to renew Hawkesbury Radio's full-time community broadcaster licence following many years of non-compliance with licence conditions including maintaining/ensuring community participation.[3]
Hawkesbury Radio uses anAOR mix during the daytime hours. Outside of these hours, there are specialist programs such asbluegrass, country and western music. The station also has sports programs[4] on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.[5]
For 20 years it has broadcast various live events from callingPenrith PanthersNRL Matches from 1997-2009[6] and the club's reserve grade matches, to covering Windsor Wolves Ron Massey Cup Matches. Plus finals matches in NSWRL Competitions.
From 2016, the station has become the community radio partner of theWestern Sydney Wanderers, with all A-League games covered on radio and all home games of the W-League and Youth League games online. The station also broadcasts theNational Premier Leagues NSW competition each week in divisions 1, 2 & 3.[7]
In addition the station became the first in Australia to broadcast aWorld Rugby Sevens Series event in broadcasting all three days of the2017 Sydney Sevens,[8] and the station also broadcasts at least one game a week in theShute Shield Sydney club rugby competition[9] after broadcasting Penrith Emus games from 2001-2003.[10]