3SER
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| 3SER FM Casey Radio | |
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| Broadcast area | City of Casey City of Greater Dandenong |
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| Slogan | "Sound of the South-East" and "Casey Radio" |
| First air date | 1983 |
| Frequency | 97.7MHz |
| Format | Community, Ethnic, Sport, Religion, Music, Youth and School |
| Power | 400 W |
| Owner | South Eastern Radio Association |
| Website | www.3ser.org.au |
97.7 FM 3SER is a non-commercial community radio station which caters to the south-east of Melbourne, Australia, an area which includes the City of Casey and the City of Greater Dandenong. Their aim is to "inform and entertain the people of Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs".
3SER helps tomorrow's media workers gain invaluable experience today, and provides new presenters with all the necessary training. 3SER FM would not survive without the work of its dedicated volunteers.
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[edit] History
3SER FM began in 1983 as Market City Radio, where test transmissions were carried out from Dandenong to the south-eastern region of Melbourne. They first moved to Fountain Gate Shopping Centre in 1987, when the station's name was changed to South Eastern Radio (3SER). Test transmissions were conducted four times a year (a week each time), and continued until a full time licence was granted in May 1991. The station commenced full time broadcasting in July 1991, and was officially opened by Marj Cottle, Fred Harrison and Wendy Morgan on 30 September 1991. The studios were moved to another location at the Fountain Gate Shopping Centre in the early 1990s. However circumstances dictated that more stable premises be sought, and in the mid-1990s the station relocated to a self-funded location at Princes Highway, Narre Warren. 3SER commenced transmission from their new premises in Cranbourne near Casey Indoor Leisure Complex and the Cranbourne Library on 21 September 2002.
[edit] Location
The stations current premises along Berwick-Cranbourne Road have been supplied without charge in a joint agreement by the City of Casey and 3SER management. The agreement specifies that 3SER is to be promoted as "Casey Radio". The logo has also been modified to include the word. Previously, the studios were at Princes Highway, Narre Warren and Fountain Gate Shopping Centre, Narre Warren.
[edit] Programming
3SER is perhaps mostly known for its wide variety of shows. This list includes a diverse range of ethnic programming, ranging from German to Greek, Mandarin to Cantonese, Vietnamese to Mauritian, Serbian to Hindi and Cambodian. 3SER FM also caters to a wide range of music tastes. John David's (J.D.) runs a show called Country Style, which consists of country music. Russell Hanby and entertainer Tommy Carter run three shows called Jazz As You Like It, Monday Live and You Must Remember This and consists of Australian Jazz. Peter Bluemel also runs a number of programmes which include easy-listening and German music. Henry Grosseck runs a talk show where he interviews guests about life and education issues. Lisa Laetitia and Margaret Hemopo play the latest in music from New Zealand and feature celebrity guests, interviews and giveaways. Another popular programme is the Fishing Show, and has been on the 3SER airwaves for over ten years. Ely Kelsch brings the hottest and latest Latin music from the Latin Billboard charts. 3SER FM has a religious program run by the Berwick Anglican Church. Weekends on 3SER usually consists of mostly of sports commentary from AFL and VFL football, District Cricket, Basketball, Netball and Soccer. There are two youth programmes run by Hyacinth Godfrey and Berwick Lodge Primary School during the week. Samantha and Glenn provide all the news and opportunities offered by the Chisholm Institute. 3SER airs Deadly Sounds, a national weekly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music program. This station also plays a large selection of music from retro to modern, rock to rockabilly and the best music from the 1950s to now.
[edit] Broadcasting
3SER has long experienced problems with its transmitter during intense heat over summer. To address the problem, Telstra has replaced the ageing tower in exchange for allowing the telco to keep its equipment there. This has improved the security around the site and improved the station's signal.
3SER has also invested in online broadcasting; however, it was temporarily switched off in 2006 due to complaints of annoying interference and frequent dropouts. It was hoped that the introduction of streaming would improve the quality of the broadcasts, and attract listeners to ethnic programmes. The problem has now been fixed and the streaming broadcasts are now more reliable.
[edit] Funding
Casey Radio receives most of its funding from organisations like the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia and the Community Broadcasting Foundation, sponsorship/membership fees and donations.
[edit] Australian Music
3SER FM is committed to meeting a specified quota of Australian music. This does not affect ethnic programmes, and presenters are still able to choose music which corresponds with the shows format.
[edit] News
Hourly news broadcasts are from the satellite service, National Radio News provided by Charles Sturt University.
