Vision Radio Network

Infobox Radio station
name = Vision Radio Network


area = Australia
branding = Vision Radio Network
slogan = Connecting Faith to Life
airdate = 1 February, 1999
frequency = Various
format = Christian
power =
erp =
class = Open Narrowcast
owner = United Christian Broadcasters
website = http://www.vision.org.au

Vision Radio Network (formally Vision FM) is a Christian media ministry of United Christian Broadcasters to the people of Australia. UCB's motto is "God reaching people through people", and the radio network is a means to that end. It aims to make Christian Radio available for every Australian. Vision operates on almost 300 licences, mostly low powered services reaching small country towns. It also operates some higher powered FM services and two AM services.

History

Vision began broadcasting from small studios in Springwood, Brisbane on the 1st February 1999. A few years later they moved into larger premises in nearby Underwood to better provide a 24 hour 7 day broadcast to some 300+ relay stations across the nation, plus listeners on the Internet and via satellite.

UCB Australia has been able to acquire over 350 high and low powered open narrowcast licenses and has quickly gone about the task of setting up a national network of relay stations to meet the needs of listeners all over the country. Vision Radio Network reaches listeners in places ranging from Australia's largest cities to regional centres and tiny isolated towns in the bush. Many small to medium sized country towns in Australia have benefited from the cost effective approach of using low powered FM transmitters. Although typically only one to ten watts, they usually give quite adequate residential coverage in small towns, depending on the antenna height above local terrain. The setup cost is very achievable for most communities and the ongoing cost is minimal due to low maintenance equipment with low power consumption - some even use solar power in remote areas.

Expansion

In the twelve months following March 2001 a rapid expansion began, seeing the number of relay stations 'on-air' triple from around 30 to 90. Also in April 2001, UCB Australia introduced Australia's first nation-wide news service from a Christian perspective - UCB News. UCB News is heard across the Vision Radio Network, as well as being accessed by a growing number of community stations who don't have the resources to produce their own news content.

During 2003 UCB had opportunity to secure its first high powered open narrowcast licences, which were soon put on air.

The network quickly reached 150 relay stations by the end of 2003, and in the following year would see its first foray into AM radio sites in Shepparton, Bunbury and Kalgoorlie. Just prior to Christmas 2004 a further 17 High Powered licences were secured to be on air the following year.

Vision's 200th relay station was powered up on Australia Day 2005 at the Central Australian town of Yulara - right next to Uluru (Ayers Rock). It is expected that the 300th station should be on air in September 2007.

External links

* [http://vision.org.au Vision Radio Network website]