Association of Community Access Broadcasters

Association of Community Access Broadcasters
Association of Community Access Broadcasters (ACAB)
Broadcast area New Zealand
First air date 1981
Format Community Radio
Owner Twelve community radio trusts

The Association of Community Access Broadcasters (ACAB), is a group of twelve New Zealand community radio stations. The stations, which were established between 1981 and 2000 and have received government funding since 1989, broadcast community programming and provide facilities, training and on-air time for individuals and community groups to produce the programming.

The ACAB group is a core component of New Zealand On Air's Community Broadcasting Strategy. A government funding pool of approximately $2 million is allocated annually for the eleven stations to produce programming for women, youth, children, ethnic and other minorities and people with disabilities in accordance with section 36(c) of the Broadcasting Act 1989. Individual station funding is allocated on a four-tier system based on audience reach, with each station receiving between $110,000 and $220,000.[1]

In addition to government funding conditions, ACAB stations also have an individual and collective mandate to broadcast programmes for people of a wide range of particular religions, cultures, languages, ages and sexualities. Stations operate independently and locally, making decisions on programming and scheduling by consensus.[2]

Station Frequencies NZ On Air Funding Tier[3] Languages Communities Other programming topics
Planet FM 104.6 MHz Auckland Tier 1 English, Tongan, Arabic, Mandarin, Singhalese, Niuean, Punjabi, Tamil, Cantonese, Khmer, Telegu, Tagalog, Hindi, Nepali, Spanish, Italian, Sikh, Gujarati, Marathi, Afrikaan Tongan, disability, Roman Catholics, Korean, Buddhist, Sri Lankan, Samoan, Punjabi, Ghanaian, Irish, Scientologists, queer, Fijian, Cook Islanders, South Indian, Christian, Zambia, Indonesian, Assyrian, Filipino, Japanese, Croatian, Hare Krishna Bollywood, New Zealand hip hop, mental health, literature, astronomy, environment, health
Community Radio Hamilton 1206 kHz Hamilton

106.7 MHz Hamilton

Tier 2
Radio Kidnappers 1431 kHz Hawke's Bay

104.7 MHz Hawke's Bay

Tier 3
Access Radio Taranaki 104.4 MHz Taranaki
Access Manawatu 999 kHz Manawatu Tier 3
Arrow FM[4] 92.7 MHz Wairarapa Tier 4 Students, Disability, Maori, Carterton Thursdays Cancer, Alcoholism, Democracy Now
Coast Access FM[5] 104.7 MHz Kapiti, Horowhenua Tier 4
Wellington Access Radio 783 kHz Wellington Tier 2
Fresh FM[6] 104.8 MHz Tasman

95.2 MHz Nelson 95.2 MHz Takaka 88.9 MHz Blenheim

Tier 3
Plains FM[7] 96.9 MHz Canterbury Tier 2 English, Arabic, Cook Island Māori, Dutch, Fijian, Filipino, French, German, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Nepalese, Samoan, Taiwanese, Tongan
Toroa Radio[8] 1575 kHz Otago Tier 3
Radio Southland[9] 96.4 MHz Southland Tier 3

References