1503 2BS Gold

1503 2BS Gold
City Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
Branding 1503 2BS Gold
Frequency 1503 kHz AM
First air date 1 January 1937[1]
Power 5 kilowatts
Class Commercial
Transmitter coordinates Coordinates: 33°24′57″S 149°34′45″E / 33.4157°S 149.5793°E / -33.4157; 149.5793
Callsign meaning BathurSt
Owner Bathurst Broadcasters Pty Ltd
Sister stations B-Rock 99.3FM
Website 2bs.com.au

1503 2BS Gold is a local radio station located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, broadcasting on 1503 kHz.

It is owned by Bathurst Broadcasters Pty. Ltd., who also owns sister station B-Rock 99.3FM. It was previously owned by the London Times Mirror, and by Australian Consolidated Press.

History

The station began broadcasting on 1 January 1937.[2] Prior to that, a station owned by the Mockler Brothers, with the call sign 2MK, had existed in Bathurst, first broadcasting on 31 October 1925.[3] 2BS was not always the intended call sign - 2BX was also considered. A station located at Meadow Lane, which was to serve both Bathurst and Lithgow, was also projected to start in 1925 with the call letters 2LE. That station never eventuated.

In the 1950s it was discovered that 2BS's signal was interfering at night with the signal of Melbourne station 3AK. That forced 3AK to become a daytime-only station, having previously been an overnight station.[4] The problem was fixed in the 1960s by switching to directional antennas, which led to 3AK commencing 24-hour transmission. At that time, Australian Consolidated Press (ACP) owned both stations. In 1969, ACP sold 2BS to Ron Camplin, who continues to own the station today.

2BS is an adult contemporary station with a prime target audience of 25+, playing music from the 1950s onwards. Its Breakfast and Drive programs are produced locally, with other programs being networked: Ray Hadley, Alan Jones, Chris Smith, Ross Greenwood and the Continuous Call Team from 2GB Sydney, as well as the syndicated program My Generation from WSFM.

2BS recently opened FM repeater stations in the surrounding towns of Blayney, Oberon and Sofala.

While 2BS has been promoting itself as a rarity being one of the few remaining locally owned commercial broadcasters in Australia, however radio industry website Radioinfo sources say a sale of 2BS and BRock Bathurst is imminent, with the most likely buyer thought to be Southern Cross Austereo [5], this sale however has not gone ahead and the station remains under the ownership of Ron and Stephanie Camplin.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "OFFICIAL OPENING". The National Advocate. Bathurst, NSW: National Library of Australia. 2 January 1937. p. 2. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "OFFICIAL OPENING". The National Advocate. Bathurst, NSW: National Library of Australia. 2 January 1937. p. 2. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "BROADCASTING STATION". The Bathurst Times. NSW: National Library of Australia. 30 October 1925. p. 2. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Radio promise to RSL denied 'DOUBLE-DEAL' TILT ANGERS MR. MENZIES". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 26 December 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  5. ↑ https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/ownership-speculation-continues-bathurst-2bs-seeks-switch-fm
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