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While the “First” will always and forever be the first, it was SWRFM’s second test broadcast which really defined it as a force in media which has remained to this day.
While the aim of SWR’s second test was still “fun,” now it was no longer something we could expect to go quietly into the night afterwards. This time, the community had really taken ownership of their radio station.
SWRFM’s second test was really it’s first – The first time a REAL COMMUNITY OWNED station broadcast in Blacktown. And the first with a real broadcast panel, designed from scratch and constructed in only three months…
The SWRFM Second test ran for 9 days starting on a Saturday and ending on the following Sunday night. The first shift started on a Saturday morning, with broadcast commencing shortly before crossover to another live broadcast from Mt Druitt Marketown using the ubiquitous SWRFM $0.25 “crossbar” analog broadcast line, delivering full bandwidth audio over a standard dial up telephone line:
Another Crossbar O/B would take place later that same day at the (now long gone) Mt Druitt “Astro Cinemas” complex. Featuring Jeff Lawson, even today it’s a barrel of laughs to listen to – and grass roots community radio at it’s very best…
The second test also featured another “First” – SWRFM’s first live sports broadcast. This historic recording is relevant, considering the importance of live sports broadcasting at SWRFM today. This is a 1 hour sample of a broadcast direct from Homebush Bay.
The following is a grab bag of daily programs from the second test. Lucky dip!
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