In early 1998, a small group of passionate volunteers met with the intention of starting a Community Radio station in the Coonamble Shire. From that meeting, a committee of volunteers was formed and withe the help of various local organisations, and a generous Crime Prevention Grant, the seeds of what would become Coonamble’s very own station started to grow.
In October 1998, MTM FM’s first transmission went to air, from our first studio located in Tooloon Street. In 2015, the station was then relocated to its present location in Maule Street. Our signal was broadcast from the Esssential Energy tower initially, but when the decision was made that this tower was no longer safe for technicians to access for maintainence, an alternative needed to be found.
In 2017, our committee decided that rather than rely on access to other sites, a transmission tower would be best located in our Maule Street compound, therefore giving us governance over our own infrastructure, and allowing for access in case of maintanence. Much planning went into the process of this development and in 2020, with the aid of a generous grant from the Community Broadcasting Foundation, our new tower was constructed and commisioned.
In early 2022, again with the aid of a generous grant from the Community Broadcasting Foundation, further infrastructure improvements were made with the addition of a generator. This helps us to be able to broadcast during times of power outages and disaster.
An absolute army of volunteers, from our early stages in 1998, right through to today, are what has kept MTM FM able to broadcast through the hard times, and the good times, and to all those involved…THANK YOU.
