Free FM
From Pinkboard Wiki
| Free-FM | |
|---|---|
| City | Sydney |
| Type | Radio |
| Started | June 1997 |
| Ceased | March 2000 |
| President | Greg O'Connor |
| Secretary | Daniel Floyd |
| Treasurer | Morgan Williams |
Free-FM was an aspirant gay & lesbian radio station operated by Sydney Gay and Lesbian Broadcasters Incorporated from 1997 through to 2000. They operated out of studios in Broadway in Sydney. Prior to licence hearings by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (now the Australian Communications and Media Authority) in 2001, they ran seven one month "test broadcasts".
Grant Gilles acted as station manager for the first broadcast with Craig Payne taking over the role for all subsequent broadcasts.
Free FM was one of seventeen license applicants (including Out FM) vying for three high power Community FM broadcast licenses.
Test Broadcasts
- Broadcast #1 - June 9th 1997 - July 8th 1997
- Broadcast #2 - December 6th 1997 to January 4th 1998
- Broadcast #3 - May 17th 1998 to June 26th 1998
- Broadcast #4 - November 16th 1998 to December 15th 1998
- Broadcast #5 - February 22nd 1999 to 23rd March 1999
- Broadcast #6 - November 1st 1999 to November 30th 1999
- Broadcast #7 - March 2nd 2000 to March 31st 2000
Celebrity Spa
Every Friday evening during many of the test broadcasts, an Outside Broadcast was organised on Oxford Street. It was usually outside the shop window of "Frontier Aviators" on the corner of Palmer St, or Cafe 191 at Taylor Square. The programme went live to air in the drive-time slot, which meant lots of exposure from passing traffic on their way home from work. On-air requests for passing traffic to blast their horns always received a huge response up and down Oxford Street.
Presenters, Kevin Daly and Paul Bensemann would invite special guests to join them in the spa while there are interviewed. The guests were usually prominent members of the community, band members or touring DJ's. Not all of the guests were willing to take the plunge, some preferring to sit on the edge and just get their feet wet. (The spa was heated.)
