The ABC, which has been broadcasting on AM for more than a century, has moved to a brand new FM frequency in Perth in a move bosses believe is due to a transmission failure.
ABC Radio Perth currently broadcasts on the FM band on 102.5, but the old 720 AM channel is due to be switched off completely in late April.
Station manager Daniel Benda said the changes would “significantly improve the listening experience.”
“Perth radio listeners will be well aware of the drawbacks of AM radio transmission in the metropolitan area where there is a lot of electrical interference,” she says.
ABC presenter Joe Trilling on air from ABC Studios. (ABC News: Kenneth Pong)
Benda said FM offers “a richness and clarity that was not possible on the AM band.”
The switch to FM comes after ABC Radio Perth has broadcast on the AM band for 102 years.
ABC Radio Perth, originally branded 6WF, was founded by Westral Farmers (now Wesfarmers) and has been broadcasting since June 1924.
The station has undergone several frequency changes over the years and has been transmitted into the air via a large transmitting tower in the bush area of Hamersley since the 1930s.
The switch is part of a series of changes announced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority to the FM bands, with ABC Radio National moving to FM 103.3 from 8.10am and News Radio starting simulcasting on FM 104.1.
NewsRadio will continue to broadcast at 5:85 a.m. to meet its obligation under federal law to broadcast Congressional proceedings on medium wave.
The switch to 102.5 FM will not affect ABC Radio’s local services, which continue to broadcast on the AM band, or the station’s digital or television services.
Dive into the world of ABC Radio Perth with seven videos from ABC reporter Pip Waller explaining the switch to FM.
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