Pulzar FM is an independent radio station based in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It broadcasts on 100.9 FM, and targets at a youth demographic with a slight male bias, focusing on playing a wide range of the many different genres of dance & electronic music (EDM).

History

Pulzar FM was founded by entrepreneurs Andrew Poulsen and Jason Akehurst in October 1999. It broadcast as a Low Power FM station on several frequencies in Christchurch but most notably 88.7FM from its foundation in 1999 until November 2007 when the station went into hiatus. During the latter years of broadcast the station broadcast shows by international acts such as Matt Darey, Agnelli & Nelson, and Solarstone. During 2008 the station founders won and purchased a full power FM frequency in Christchurch and the station resumed broadcast on 105.7FM on 18 April 2009. The relaunched station's format was more pop-oriented than in earlier years. At 5pm on Wednesday, 7 December 2011, Pulzar FM went off the air due to financial difficulties and the ongoing cost of running. This was mostly due to after effects of the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. Pulzar FM returned on 19 October 2012 with Jason Akehurst broadcasting for the first hour at mid-day. The first song to play was Monarch by Shapeshifter. The Sleepless4ChildCancer Marathon then began later that day, 75 hours with Snap Campbell and Georgina Stylianou. The official Record attempt kicked off (after an earlier false start) at 10pm on Friday on 105.7 Pulzar FM and ran through to 1am on Tuesday morning beating the previous record of 73 hours. Pulzar FM then returned to a similar format to before the December 2011 shutdown, but with Andy Poulsen on the Morning Energy show and Snap Campbell on the drive home. In 2018, Pulzar FM moved in to the NZME (New Zealand Media & Entertainment) Building in Christchurch after a joint agreement was signed with the company to provide the station with equipment and a brand new studio. The station lives on as a live, local and independent radio station. In January 2020, Pulzar FM switched from 105.7FM to 93.3FM due to a lack of interest from advertisers. The station also broadcasts on 100.9FM since 28 September 2020.

Shows

The Pulzar FM breakfast show, 'The Morning Grind', was hosted by station co-owner Andy 'Pulzar' Poulsen from relaunch on 105.7FM on 18 April 2009 until local breakfast radio duo, Josh Armstrong and Gordon Findlater, took the slot in June 2009. The pair introduced a number of unique features for the show including their 'Bad Parenting Update', 'Cafe Giveaway' and 'Pulzar Doctors' segments. The show joined with the national Family Planning organization for a segment that was named 'Sperm Fest

Josh, Gordon, Andy and afternoon drive host Lyndon Hunter had tests to figure out who had the highest sperm count. The segment helped to promote sexual health among Christchurch youth. The Morning Grind was later hosted by Gordon Findlater and Will Appelb

After the return of Pulzar FM in October 2012, the Breakfast show 'Morning Energy' was hosted by Andy Poulsen and the drive home show by Snap Campbell. The Hot 30 Countdown wit
Leyla Hutchison
also returned on 27 October, with Gangnam Style voted as Number 1 on the countdown. Pulzar FM is the NZ home for shows by a number of the world's top international DJ's, including Tiësto's Club Life, Tiësto's ''Club Life'', Armin van Buuren's ''

A State of Trance ''A State of Trance'' (often abbreviated as ASOT) is a Dutch trance radio show hosted by Armin van Buuren and co-producer Ruben de Ronde that first aired in June 2001. It is aired weekly every Thursday at 20:00 (CET) and 14:00 (EST). As of Jan ...

'', Nicole Moudaber's ''In The Mood'',

Solarstone Richard Mowatt, commonly known by his stage name Solarstone (formerly spelled Solar Stone), is an Irish trance DJ and producer based in Wales. The music project Solarstone was founded as a trio, and also used the pseudonyms Young Parisians, Liq ...

's ''Pure Trance Radio'',

John Digweed Thomas John Digweed (born 1 January 1967) is a British DJ and record producer. ''DJ Magazine'' voted him World No 1 DJ in 2001. As well as achieving success as a solo act, he has collaborated with Sasha as Sasha & John Digweed, and with Nick M ...

's ''Transitions'', Mark Knight's ''Toolroom'',

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mass ...

's ''Planet Perfecto'',

Nicky Romero Nick Rotteveel (; born January 6, 1989), professionally known as Nicky Romero or Monocule, is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer from Amerongen, Utrecht Province. He has worked with, and received support from DJs, such as Tiësto, Fedde l ...

's ''Protocol Radio'',

Adam Beyer Adam Beyer (born 15 May 1976 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish techno producer and DJ. He is the founder of Drumcode Records, and is one of several Swedish techno artists to emerge in the mid-1990s, along with Cari Lekebusch and Jesper Dahlbäc ...

's ''Drumcode Live'',

Alison Wonderland Alexandra Margo Sholler (born 27 September 1986), known professionally as Alison Wonderland, is an Australian electronic dance music producer, DJ, and singer. Her debut album, ''Run'', was released on 20 March 2015, which peaked at No. 6 ...

's ''Radio Wonderland'',

Sister Bliss Ayalah Deborah Bentovim (born 30 December 1970), better known by her stage name Sister Bliss, is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter. In the studio, she is best known for her work with Rollo Armstrong as one half of the pr ...

' ''In Session'', and ''UMF Radio''. The Breakfast show is currently called the "Banging Breakfast" and has been hosted by Mike Nicholas since 2016 alongside co-hosts Hannah Smith (2016–17) and Ella McLeod (2017-18). The show's features include Fresh Cuts in Focus (sponsored by NZ on Air), Entertainment News, Tabasco or Truth and the Yes or No Game. Special guests have included Darude, Kings, Truth, Maya Payne, Skymachine and

Urzila Carlson Urzila Carlson (born 15 February 1976) is a South African born New Zealand comedian and actress, known for her stand-up performances as well as her appearances on television programs in both New Zealand and Australia. Carlson is a regular panelli ...

References

External links

Pulzar FM
(official website) {{coord missing, New Zealand Radio stations in Christchurch