Frequency 89.9 mHz FM Format Mixed | First air date circa 1978 Class Community radio | |
Broadcast area Hawkesbury, Sydney, NSW, Australia Owner Hawkesbury Radio Communications Cooperative Society Limited | ||
Hawkesbury Radio (call sign: 2VTR) is a fully licensed community radio station. Its primary purpose is to serve the residents of the Australian City of Hawkesbury. Hawkesbury Radio broadcasts on the frequency 89.9 FM. The station is staffed by volunteers and broadcasts live non-stop. Hawkesbury Radio was the only Community Radio Station in Australia to have Broadcast rights of NRL which featured Penrith Panthers NRL matches, from 1997 to 2009. In 2016 the station gained broadcast rights to Western Sydney Wanderers A-League matches as well as W-League, National Youth League and FFA Cup matches involving the Wanderers
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History
Hawkesbury Radio began in 1978 with a test broadcast, gaining its full licence in 1982, one of the first local community radio licences granted. The station broadcast out of a tiny building, which housed the studio and transmitter in Fitzgerald Street Windsor for many years, before moving to its current site in 1992 in an adjacent building. Hawkesbury Radio originally broadcast on 89.7 MHz, but moved to its current frequency of 89.9 MHz in December 1999.
Programming
Hawkesbury Radio keeps to a mainly AOR mix during the daytime hours. Outside of these hours, there are specialist programmes such as bluegrass, country and western music. The station also has sports programmes on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Sports Coverage
Hawkesbury Radio has had a strong history of broadcasting sport and still does to this day.
For 20 years it has been the home of Rugby League in the west. from calling Penrith Panthers NRL Matches from 1997-2009 and the clubs reserve grade matches, to covering Windsor Wolves Ron Massey Cup Matches. Plus finals matches in NSWRL Competitions.
From 2016, the station has become the home of the Western Sydney Wanderers, with all A-League games covered on radio and all home games of the W-League and Y-League games online.
The station also has a strong Motorsport history, with LIVE reports on all Supercars meetings on track, plus the Motorsport Program, called Auto Track FM, every Sunday morning for 8AM.
Complementing the Sports Broadcast, is the stations two sports show, Saturday Sports Desk between 7-9 on Saturdays and Sunday Sports Watch, every Sunday Morning from 7AM, With Sports Director Nicholas Kutnjak.