ABC Great Southern

ABC Great Southern is an ABC Local Radio station based in Albany. The station broadcasts to the Great Southern and parts of the Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia. This includes the towns of Albany, Denmark, Katanning and Narrogin.

The station began broadcasting as 6WA in 1936. It was originally built solely as a retransmission facility, relaying 6WF from Perth to the greater southwest area of the state. At the time it was most powerful transmitter and had the tallest antenna in Australia. New studios were opened in the town of Wagin in 2003 to provide local programs.

In 1992, manager of regional stations Tom Murrell, launched a new morning current affairs program focussing on Great Southern issues and presented by Sarah Knight, which was broadcast from 9am to 11am, and complemented the Great Southern breakfast program presented by Bill McCutcheon.[1]

In early 2014, the station formerly called ABC South Coast and Great Southern was renamed ABC Great Southern, based in newly renovated offices in Albany. Previously, the 558am Great Southern band had been a relay of what was broadcast from Albany.

Local programs include Great Southern-specific breakfast and mornings programs, hosted by Andrew Collins and John Cecil respectively. ABC Great Southern also carries the Regional Drive program, which is broadcast by all ABC stations in WA outside of Perth.

When local programs are not broadcast the station is a relay of 720 ABC Perth.

6WA broadcasts on 558 kHz and is a 50,000 watt transmitter located at Minding, 15 km west of Wagin. Its signal is received in Perth, much of the Wheatbelt, Great Southern and parts of the South West. The service also broadcasts on 630 kHz from 6AL, a 5,000 watt transmitter at Albany, which is heard along the South Coast from Ravensthorpe in the east to near Walpole in the west.