Broadcast area Upper Hunter Website ABC Upper Hunter | Format Talk | |
Frequency 1044 kHz AM and 105.7 mHz FM Upper Hunter
101.9 mHz FM Merriwa
96.9 mHz FM Murrurundi First air date 1964 (as relay of 2NC)
1990 (local programs commenced) Owner Australian Broadcasting Corporation | ||
ABC Upper Hunter (call sign: 2UH) is an Australian radio station. It is the Upper Hunter service of the ABC Local Radio network, and serves Muswellbrook and surrounding areas.
Contents
History
ABC Upper Hunter commenced as a local relay of Newcastle's 2NC (now 1233 ABC Newcastle) in 1964. While there was some local information on the station, the reporter responsible was based in Newcastle. It wasn't until 1990 when a local office of the ABC was established in the Upper Hunter, basing itself in Market Lane Muswellbrook. Mike Pritchard joined the broadcaster from the Scone Advocate newspaper, and has been the station's rural reporter ever since, even acting as the lone employee in the region on occasion. In 1997, the station moved to its current facilities in Brook Street.
Throughout 2009, the station's programming went on hiatus while the studios were upgraded with digital equipment. Rural programming came from ABC New England North West, while local news and other programming continued to originate from ABC Newcastle. Regular programming resumed mid-year once the upgrade was complete.
Frequencies
ABC Upper Hunter transmits on both the AM and FM bands from four transmitter sites in the Upper Hunter.
The main AM signal, with the callsign 2UH (as in Upper Hunter), operates on 1044 kHz, and reaches most of the Upper Hunter. This signal is transmitted from the Broadcast Australia site on Sandy Creek Road just outside Muswellbrook.
The station relays its programs on the FM band from three transmitter sites, all using the callsign 2HVR (as in Hunter Valley Radio).
Programming
The station produces local programming for both its local frequencies and for Newcastle's ABC Radio National frequency.
Two rural reports are produced, one for the Lower Hunter and transmitted on the Radio National frequency at 5.30am weekday mornings and infrequently podcast online. The second is an Upper Hunter-focused report, and airs at 6.35am on ABC Upper Hunter's local frequencies following a news bulletin from the Muswellbrook studios.
A local breakfast program follows at 7.00am with another news bulletin transmitted at 7.30am before crossing to the network for the national news and AM.
The station opts out of lunchtime programming from 1233 ABC Newcastle to carry The Country Hour at 12.00pm, followed by The World Today on a one-hour delay at 1.00pm. A Hunter-based news bulletin is aired during the Country Hour at 12.30pm from the Newcastle studios. This is simulcast on the Newcastle Radio National frequency.
Outside of these times, the station carries ABC Newcastle and national programming, including Newcastle Knights and Newcastle Jets games, provided other sports coverage (such as cricket) does not force local sports coverage onto the Newcastle ABC NewsRadio frequency (incidentally, the former frequency of fellow Muswellbrook station 2NM).
Radio National program Late Night Live often originates from these studios, as presenter Phillip Adams and his partner Patrice Newell own an organic farm in the area.
In mid-2009, the station launched a new hour-long program called Upper Hunter Weekend, which previews events in the Upper Hunter for the coming weekend. It airs Friday mornings at 11am, and is hosted by Silas Moss and Niav Owens.