MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Change in the air for local radio stationFollowing the recent government radio frequency auction, Heads 106.4FM and the Wireless FM owner operator, Mark Perry, has successfully won the rights to broadcast from Mangawhai on a full powered frequency. He plans to relocate The Wireless FM, currently running as a low power station on 88.1FM, on to the new frequency. “The response I've had in the past nine months to the Wireless FM format of timeless nostalgic music has been tremendous,” says Perry. “The majority of the listeners in our region are over 55 and they know and love the tunes that are not heard anywhere else. And now more people will be able to enjoy it, he says, as the power will go from the present 1 watt to a hefty 100 watts, meaning there will be no recep-tion problems at all, covering an area from Marsden Cove to Pakiri. The auction of over 180 radio frequencies around the country was held last month by the governments radio spectrum division using the Trade Me platform. “It was a harrowing experience as the clock clicked into the last few minutes of the bidding,” he said. “I knew the big overseas owned networks were keen to get their hands on the frequency, in order to pipe in one of their metro youth brand stations, so I had to go to my budgeted limit in order to make sure it was secured with the local audience in mind, and I'm ec-static I fought off the big boys and won it.” New equipment is being ordered and Perry is hopeful to be on the new frequency early in 2015, also supplying news and sport and some special nostalgic features as well. Messages will be broadcast on air telling people when and where to switch as the launch approaches. The Wireless FM is also now available by streaming via Tune In on digital devices at http://tunein. com/radio/The-Wireless-881FM-s205019/. |
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