Radio Dunedin
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Radio Dunedin is a radio station, broadcasting from Dunedin on 1305 AM and 99.8 FM. It was the first radio station in New Zealand, and the fifth oldest station in the world (five weeks older than the BBC).[citation needed] It has the second 'largest share of commercial radio listening' in the area.[1]
Radio Dunedin is part of RadioWorks, owned by Canwest, which also operates More FM, The Breeze, The Rock, The Edge, Solid Gold, and Radio Live.
The announcers on air between 6am and 6pm Monday to Friday are employed by RadioWorks. The Otago Radio Association leases air time outside these hours.
The Otago Radio Association is made up of volunteer presenters who operate the station weeknights, weekends and public holidays, providing a variety of programming and personality.
Listeners tune into Radio Dunedin "hits & memories" from Oamaru in the north to Balclutha in the south. The station is aimed at the 40+ age bracket, with a strong community focus, and playing music primarily from the 1950s, 60s and 70s era.
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[edit] History
The station has had a number of call signs since it first went to air in 1922, including DN, 4AB, 4ZB and for many decades 4XD. It has broadcast on 1431 AM and 1305 AM.
Between 1922 and 1990, 4XD was operated by the Otago Radio Association as a non-commercial and voluntarily run radio station. In 1990, Radio Dunedin was set up as a commercial radio station, and a few years later was purchased by Radio Otago Limited which also operated 4XO.
In 1997, the station began simulcasting on 90.2 FM Stereo, but this was for only a brief period before 90.2 FM became "Lite FM" and later Solid Gold. Over a decade passed before Radio Dunedin broadcast again in FM Stereo. Test signals began in mid-April 2008, with the official launch of 99.8 FM on Tuesday 6 May 2008.
Radio Dunedin is still alive and well. It broadcasts locally from Radio Otago House in the central city. This is unique in the modern age of networked radio — many NZ stations are broadcast from a centralised studio in Auckland.
[edit] Controversy
Radio Dunedin, has come into some degree of controversy over what some suggest is appalling treatment of some of its former Top announcers. The most prevalent example of this was long running breakfast host, Colin Lehmann previous host of top rating morning show "Radio Dunedin Breakfast" Lehmanns attempts to retire from the show and move to the afternoons saw him put off the air by station management after his long standing loyatly and revenue spinning performance. Another example was Love Songs after Dark host, Mary Wilson who was suspended over what she suggests were baseless allegations and subject to a great deal of abuse and harassment and discrimination by management and the Otago Radio Association, before leaving the organisationat the end of 2005. More recently popular Brunch on Sunday host, George Burck has also left the station, his departure has widely been attributed to the continuing incompetency of station management.
