3YB and Vision Australia swap radio bands

“It’s an exciting time,” says 3YB’s Peter Headen.
 

At midday, today 3YB shifts to 94.5 on the FM band while Vision Australia Radio moves to 882 AM where 3YB has spent the past 87 years.

In a win-win arrangement, between the two broadcast entities, the new home for 3YB on FM will provide a better listening experience for music lovers while Vision Australia Radio will expand its broadcast area on the AM dial.

The switch is one of the biggest changes in the history of 3YB, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1931 and General Manager Peter Headen says it’s the right move at the right time.

“It’s an exciting time,” Mr Headen said. “People like listening to music on 3YB and they will enjoy the better-quality signal, while for Vision Australia the AM signal will take their service into Portland, Colac, Hamilton and surrounds.”

The new 94.5-3YB FM will have a strong focus on 70s-90s music and will cover the same broadcast area as Coast FM. “What we’re doing now on 882 will essentially be transferred to 94.5FM; it will just sound better,” Mr Headen said.

3YB, part of the Ace Radio Network, is also supporting Vision Australia with a $25,000 donation to the Warrnambool branch.

Vision Australia Radio has been bringing news to the Warrnambool region for more than 15 years, with 37 volunteers producing seven hours of local content each week based on articles from regional newspapers.

Vision Australia Chief Executive Officer Ron Hooton said the move to AM radio would expand the station’s listening area, reducing isolation for people in rural areas. “We’ve got two organisations working together to make it better for the community. This is an opportunity for 3YB to reach different audiences with a better sound and for us to give more people in the blind and low vision community access to information. If we can add 100km to our reach, that’s fantastic for our clients.”

Mr Hooton said Vision Australia Radio’s daily news service gave people direct communication with the outside world. “Our feedback tells us that the program can be the difference between feeling isolated or not,” he said.

Tags: | | | |