What's New
BY Jen Seyderhelm April 12, 2024
What's New May 21, 2018
Spirit 1260 Karratha is now on 102.5 FM
Spirit Karratha has made the switch to FM, announcing overnight that they’re doing away with their current 1260 AM frequency.
The station is now broadcasting out of 102.5 FM, but will broadcast on both frequencies for the next 28 days to give listeners a change to transition.
Spirit Radio Karratha Pablo Miller announced the news on Twitter overnight.
https://twitter.com/pablo__miller/status/998337620106141696
ACMA’s justification for FM conversion is flawed and it applies in Karratha.
It’s based on population which is concentrated on towns and not on actually covering the licence area as terrestrial broadcasting is supposed to do.
For the final 28 days, AM 1260 will cover up and down the highways close or beyond the edge of the licence area.
When FM 102.5 goes it alone, coverage won’t get close.
Have you ever driven into a coverage area, picked up a station and noticed how many km/hours it lasts with you? That will now be much less around Karratha and same for many AM/FM conversions.
I know many have their reasons for a negative view of the Super Radio Network, however you can’t argue against them making the right decision to refuse FM conversion for Broken Hill. Same circumstances applied.
The tiny percentage of the population towards the licence area boundary will lose coverage too.
The ABC left thousands of square kilometres and thousands of highway kilometres without broadcast radio by closing shortwave transmission of their local radio program. The AM/FM conversion process is doing the same via commercial radio. Before you think it, no, there is simply no mobile reception to stream.
I think the benefits of AM coverage are over-estimated. I’m not sure if it’s interference or just the quality of AM receivers in cars, but I find when driving in regional areas the FM signals go further than AM. Particularly at night I find AM reception is completely hopeless! Of course it depends how high they can get the FM transmission point but in my experience it covers a wider area in most cases than AM. Let’s not forget also that some electric cars don’t even have AM anymore.