Stereo 974

Stereo 974 (call sign: 3WRB) was an Australian community radio station broadcasting to the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. First broadcast in 1978[2] from studios in Braybrook, at the time of closure the station was based in Brooklyn and broadcast a mix of country music and programming in languages other than English (LOTE).[3]

Stereo 974 (3WRB)
Defunct radio station in Melbourne, Victoria
Station logo at close, January 2020
Broadcast areaMelbourne Western Suburbs RA1[1]
FrequencyFM: 97.4 MHz
Programming
Language(s)Multilingual
FormatCommunity radio
Ownership
OwnerWestern Radio Broadcasters Ltd.
History
First air date
1978 (1978)
Last air date
16 January 2020 (2020-01-16)
Call sign meaning
Western Radio Broadcasters
Technical information
Licensing authority
ACMA
ERP200 W

History

Stereo 974 commenced broadcasting as 3WRB, initially covering a broader area; encompassing the Werribee and Melton areas now served by WYN FM and 979fm respectively. Previous committee members include the then-Member for Lalor, Barry Jones MP, who served as chairman between 1980 and 1982.[2]

In December 1990, the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal held a hearing to determine whether additional conditions should be placed on the 3WRB licence, or to suspend the station's licence entirely.[4] Consequently, Western Radio Broadcasters was restructured from a corporation structure to a membership committee, and in 1992 the Tribunal ruled 3WRB would retain its licence,[5] albeit with extra conditions including amendments to the licensee's constitution.[6]

In 1994, Southern Cross Broadcasting, owners of commercial radio stations 3AW and 3MP, sought a Federal Court injunction against 3WRB and 3INR from broadcasting the 1994 AFL season. 3WRB had intended to broadcast games featuring Footscray, as it did in the 1993 season. The injunction was granted, however the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) later ruled that both stations were not in breach of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. In both cases, the broadcast of Australian Football League matches did not constitute a profit-making enterprise, and thus "do[es] not change the nature of the service from community to commercial."[7]

Western Radio Broadcasters was also found to have breached the Broadcasting Services Act and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) Code of Practice on several occasions. In February 1999, the ABA found the station had breached clauses 6.3 and 6.4 of the CBAA code for its handling of a dispute between a presenter and the committee of management.[8] The station was also found in breach of its community radio licence for broadcasting advertisements during episodes of its Vietnamese language program in April and May 2000 and July 2001.[9][10]

In 1991, following the Coode Island fire, the station established an emergency warning system.[11] In 2010, the station signed a memorandum of understanding and was certified as an official emergency broadcaster in its Melbourne West licence area.[12][13]

Closure

On 16 January 2020 the station ceased broadcasting. Management declined to comment to the Star Weekly, with the newspaper reporting that a lack of funding may have made the station financially nonviable.[14] Trade publication Radioinfo was told a general meeting of the station's members had been informed the station's site was to be redeveloped, and that the organisation "couldn't survive the costs of a relocation".[15]

Programming (at time of closure)

At the time of closure, programming was presented by volunteer presenters. English language programs included country music shows and the long-running Let It Be Beatles, which had aired on the station since 1992.[16] LOTE programming was produced in languages including Vietnamese, Spanish, Maltese, Sudanese Arabic, Sinhalese and Ethiopian. Funding for these programs was made available by the Community Broadcasting Foundation.[17]

Awards

Stereo 974 had won several awards from the Southern Community Media Association, which incorporates community broadcasters from regional and suburban Australia.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2009 Stereo 974 Best In House Production of a Sweeper Won[18]
Stereo 974 Best In House Production of a Local Music Program Won[18]
Stereo 974 Best In House Production of a Station ID Nominated[18]
Stereo 974 Best In House Production of a Sponsorship Announcement Nominated[18]
2013 Stereo 974 Best In House Production of a Sweeper or Station ID Won[19]
Stereo 974 Best In House Production of a Community Service Announcement Won[19]
Bob Taylor Best Program – Music Won[19]
Bob Taylor Best Interview Nominated[20]
Dave Dawson Best Program – Non Music Nominated[20]
Stereo 974 Best In House Production of a Show Promo Nominated[20]
Stereo 974 Best Local News Nominated[20]
2015 Stereo 974 Best In House Production of a Show Promo Won[21]

References
  1. "MELBOURNE WEST RA1" (PDF). Australian Communications and Media Authority. 2012.
  2. "Melbourne community station flooded". Radioinfo.com.au. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  3. "Program Grid". Stereo 974. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  4. Australian Broadcasting Tribunal: Annual Report 1990-91 (PDF) (Report). Australian Broadcasting Tribunal. 1991. p. 30. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  5. Australian Broadcasting Tribunal: Annual Report 1991-92 (PDF) (Report). Australian Broadcasting Tribunal. 1992. p. 32. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  6. Australian Broadcasting Tribunal: Report on activities 1992 (PDF) (Report). Australian Broadcasting Tribunal. 1993. p. 28. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  7. "AFL football broadcasts on community radio" (PDF). ABA Update. Australian Broadcasting Authority.
  8. "3WRB Melbourne denial of access and conflict resolution". ABA Update (PDF) (Report). Australian Broadcasting Authority. February 1999. p. 21. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  9. "3WRB - Melbourne: Broadcasting advertisements and sponsorship influencing programming". ABA Update (PDF) (Report). Australian Broadcasting Authority. April 2001. pp. 20–21. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  10. "3WRB - Melbourne: Sponsorship announcements in breach of licence conditions". ABA Update (PDF) (Report). Australian Broadcasting Authority. 2002. p. 18. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  11. "STEREO 974 GM Rod Boyd named Brimbank Council Citizen of the Year". Radioinfo.com.au. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  12. "MELBOURNE WEST RA1" (PDF). Australian Communications and Media Authority. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016.
  13. "More community stations become Emergency Broadcasters in lead up to CBAA Conference". Radioinfo.com.au. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  14. Papworth, Tate (16 January 2020). "Community loses its voice". Star Weekly. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  15. "3WRB Stereo974 closes its doors after 41 years broadcasting in Sunshine". Radioinfo.com.au. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  16. "Let it Be Beatles show on Stereo 974 been around longer than the band". Radioinfo.com.au. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  17. "Volunteer training at 3WRB". Community Broadcasting Foundation. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  18. "STEREO 974 – SCOOPS THE POOL AT SOUTHERN COMMUNITY MEDIA ASSOCIATION AWARDS". Stereo 974. 16 April 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  19. "SCMA award winners announced". Radioinfo.com.au. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  20. "X award finalists announced". Radioinfo.com.au. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  21. "SCMA Conference and X Award winners". Radioinfo.com.au. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2020.

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