User's guide to Auckland's airwaves

By ALAN PERROTT

Over the past 18 months, more than a dozen low-powered FM (LPFM) stations have sprouted in Auckland, in what has been likened to a Wild West-style stampede.

The growing number of stations - in part driven by rising advertising revenue - means the city's 1.2 million-odd residents can now scan across almost 50 FM stations, from ratings monster NewstalkZB to boutique Radio Chomsky.

In comparison, New York, with a population of more than 19 million, has 43 FM stations, and 7 million Londoners have to make do with just 36.

The growth has caused problems. When nine inner-city stations stubbornly tried to squeeze into eight available frequencies, turf battles erupted - leading to the creation of an incorporated society that will represent the stations and provide a forum to resolve disputes.

Although the stations' small 500mW transmitters can only broadcast over a 10km radius, anger about overlapping signals risked escalating to a point where the Government might have been tempted to introduce tighter regulations.

A similar policy of open access to radio in France was dumped after inter-station warring ended in gunfights.

"There's been a lot of tension between a few stations," said Peter Casey, chairman of the society and a founder of Julia 107.5FM, which broadcasts from Karangahape Rd.

"But we're getting it sorted out. People are talking and I'm really encouraged by everyone's willingness to work together.

"These are all people with a passion for what they are doing."

The LPFM scene is largely unregulated. If you find a free slot outside the 88.6FM to 106.6FM frequencies set aside for the full-power stations, you can register it free of charge, and as long as you do not go for more than seven days without a signal, identify yourself every three hours and stay within the power output limits, you can pretty much do, play and say what you like.

Tough competition is not limited to the small fry. This year, the first two commercial frequencies to be made available in Auckland since 1998 were snapped up at auction by CanWest and The Radio Network for more than $6 million each.

Due to the demand, the Radio Spectrum Management Group, which administers the country's airwaves, is investigating further frequencies between those already occupied by the big stations, and two others have been set aside for the proposed national youth and Maori networks.

"There has been a huge scrap for elbow room," said Auckland University of Technology radio and media lecturer Andrew Dubber. "Last time I counted there were over 60 radio stations in Auckland, which is just absurd."

Following months of tracking the skirmishing on his blogsite The Wireless, Mr Dubber helped to create the LPFM society by assembling everyone in one room with a neutral lawyer and leaving them to it.

Jamie Connor, the 24-year-old founder of Fleet FM, is hopeful the resulting group will let everyone get back to playing music rather than fighting.

His station, which started life in a mate's bedroom, is about to celebrate its first birthday and begins streaming online this weekend.

"I guess Auckland has gone through the growing pains because the more people who started up, the more people who saw that they could to it as well.

"But it is awesome - really cool. Even if only one person is listening, it just blows me away ... and once we're online we're going out to the world. It's totally wicked."