MUSWELLBROOK UPPER HUNTER TRANSLATOR SERVICE

WHAT’S TAKING SO LONG?

This is a good question and deserves an equally good answer. Rhema FM Newcastle  in conjunction with the Christian community of the Upper Hunter have had a dream to bring Christian radio to the region for quite some time now to deliver Christian programming.

Here’s what the journey looks like to-date:

• March 17th 2006 Form B12 application submitted to the Australian Communications & Media Authority
• May 2nd 2006 Rhema writes to the authority advising no formal response received to-date
• May 10th 2006, authority advises that they are busy finding additional frequencies around the nation for ABC radio national and that this will be completed by the end of 2006.
• January 10th, 2007 Rhema writes and queries the progress of our application.
• January 15th, 2007 Rhema writes to the authority again.
• April 27th, 2007 Rhema sends submission containing ‘Letters of Support’.
• May 10th, 2007 John Marks General Manager of Rhema FM meets with the authority to discuss our application progress.
• June 18th, 2007 The Assistant Manager of the authority’s Licensing and Allocations division advises the search nationwide for additional ABC national radio frequencies is drawing to a close and that applications held from around Australia for variation to license area plans will be dealt with in order of receipt including Rhema Newcastle.
• July 25th, 2007 Rhema FM sends out a special “Upper Hunter” Newsletter.
• September 18th, 2007 John Marks writes again to the authority.
• September 24th, 2007 No response has been received so another letter is sent.
• September 24th, 2007 an apology is received from the authority and we are advised that a formal response will be given by 28th September 2007.
• October 3rd, 2007 An email is sent to the authority by John Marks advising that still to-date no response has been received to our letter dated September 18th, 2007.
• October 9th, 2007 the authority writes and apologises again and advises that a response is currently being worked on and should be received by Rhema FM very soon.
• October 12, 2007 Letter received from the Authority stating no further advices can be given until ACMA concludes identifying available frequencies around the nation for ABC News Radio.
• October 29th, 2007 Rhema FM contacts ACMA Technical Department Canberra to pursue the matter from a different angle.  Rhema writes to ACMA again.
• November 13th, 2007 Rhema receives a letter from ACMA dated 9th November 2007 in response to our letter of 29th October and  reiterates that ACMA cannot consider Rhema’s application for the Upper Hunter until such times as the authority has completed the allocation of additional ABC National News radio services.
• November 4th 2007, Rhema FM telephones the Licensing section of ACMA in response to an article in the authority’s monthly magazine regarding a Moss Vale NSW community broadcaster being granted changes to enable it to increase its licence area coverage for its broadcast. Rhema FM was advised that the Upper Hunter region is a far more complicated  scenario than the Southern Highlands of NSW and regrettably nothing more  can be done until this whole ABC issued has concluded which should have been concluded by December 2006 and is running very behind.
• July 1st, 2008. Given that the last response from the Authority was November 2007 Rhema FM again contacted ACMA Sydney given further recent developments that RPH radio (radio For Print Handicapped) Sydney was granted a translator service in Newcastle on FM 100.5  and 3CH community radio Victoria was granted technical changes to improve its coverage into the Macedon ranges Shire area also that 92.5 FM Moss Vale was granted changes and Rhema FM Newcastle still await the processing of its application dated March 2006. A Licensing Manager from the Authority stated he would look into this immediately.
  
• July 15th , 2008 A telephone call was received from the Manager of the Licensing section of the authority we spoke to on 1/7/08 who advised that he had followed-up why things had taken so very long for Rhema FM’s B12 application dated March 2006. An apology was given and it was stated that he would now give his personal attention to this with a view to providing Rhema FM Newcastle with a response by September 2008.
  
• July 25th, 2008 Rhema FM decided to write to the Authority and confirming its advices of July 15th 2008 for the record.
  
• August 4th, 2008 A letter is received from ABC Radio National advising that it is now conducting test broadcasts on frequency of  104.9MHz (FM) . This is an exciting development as far as Rhema FM is concerned as this potentially leaves clear the way for the frequency of  107.3MHz to be available for Rhema FM.

This brings you up-to-date with our journey for you and the Upper Hunter region. Please continue to pray and believe God despite the delays so far.

John Marks
General Manager
Rhema FM Newcastle