Today FM – Dargaville
Celebrating over 75 Years of Popular Kiwi Radio
Music to the ears of mature radio listeners
© Northland Local News.
Brent and Alison Robertson enjoy the music being played on the Dargaville airwaves but feel there is room for a station that provides real nostalgia.
“I knew what I wanted to do but I wasn’t sure how I’d get the right gear, like a transmitter, and I wanted to provide something for the more senior generation who like nostalgia,” Brent says.
The Robertsons wanted to provide music for people aged 50 plus – music from the 1930s, 40s, 50s, country and gospel – so Today FM was born.
The station broadcasts on 106.7 FM frequency.
“We find we are covering between a five and 10-kilometre range from our base, four kilometres west of Dargaville,” says Brent.
The Robertsons live on a hill 44 metres above sea level and on clear days Toka Toka to the south, Tangiteroria to the east and south of Te Kopuru in the west can tune in to Today FM.
The Robertsons say they are doing their radio project in stages with a long-term ambition to set up a station in Dargaville.
Brent has been involved in community radio before. His station runs on a computer-operated electronic music delivery system.
“It has a programme set up to run itself during the day and yet we are able to jump on and go live talking to listeners if we want to.”
The Robertsons say their radio station is different from others in the district. Today FM listener numbers are thought to be between 40 and 50 and Brent says there are indications the audience is growing.
“We used to start broadcasting at 8.30am but we were getting complaints from various early bird listeners that we weren’t starting early enough, so we now start at 6.30am,” says Alison.
The couple keep the music playing until 10.30pm, but plan eventually to run 24 hours a day.
“We would like to take the opportunity to thank our listeners for their support and for their tips on what they would like to hear,” says Brent.
The couple want people to keep talking to them about the music they want to hear.
© Northland Local News, May 19 2007.
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