The Hellenic Radio (Australia) is a

Greek language Greek ( el, label= Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy ( Calabria and Salento), southe ...

radio station based in

Marrickville Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marrickville is located south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the largest suburb in the Inner West Council local gove ...

, which broadcasts its programs in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. It began operating officially as a Greek radio program in 1983 through the 2NBC STEREO FM community radio station. Today the Hellenic Radio is broadcast in Sydney on the 1683 kHz AM frequency and in Melbourne on 1422 kHz. Shows such as Skai 100.3 and RIK Triton are rebroadcast, as well as local programs. The Hellenic radio station also advertises community news and events. The station is owned and operated by Kostas Nikolis. It aims to continue to develop and preserve the Hellenic language, culture and community amongst the Australian Hellenic community today.

History

The introduction of non-English Australian radio was inspired by the influx of

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...

of ethnic communities to Australia after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, post-1945. The Hellenic Radio (Australia) was established during June 1975 as a 2NBC Greek community segment, for non-English speaking Australians. Its formation came a decade after the

Australian Broadcasting Control Board The Australian Broadcasting Control Board was an Australian government agency formed in 1949 whose main roles were to regulate commercial radio and television broadcasting. It was also the introducer and regulator for FM broadcasting. The agency ...

had approved for 10% of Australian radio broadcasting time to be in non-English languages. On the 16th of March 1983, the Hellenic Radio station formally began operating as a Greek radio program under the 2NBC STEREO FM community radio station. The stations

broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting beg ...

is conducted through its Sydney and Melbourne studios using locally owned

radio transmitters In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...

as well as through satellites.

Radio Frequency

Broadcasting was originally conducted for the first few years of operations as a 24-hour radio station using the 67kHz sub carrier operating on LF ( Low Frequency) on the Australian radio-frequency spectrum. In the following years the Hellenic Radio (Australia) station shifted to VHF (

Very High Frequency Very high frequency (VHF) is the ITU designation for the range of radio frequency electromagnetic waves ( radio waves) from 30 to 300 megahertz (MHz), with corresponding wavelengths of ten meters to one meter. Frequencies immediately below VH ...

) under the release of HI-BAND FM (150-170MHz) from the Australian Communication Authority. From 1996, the Hellenic Radio (Australia) continues to utilise HI-BAND FM, in addition to the MF (

Medium Frequency Medium frequency (MF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies (RF) in the range of 300 kilohertz (kHz) to 3 megahertz (MHz). Part of this band is the medium wave (MW) AM broadcast band. The MF band is also known as the ...

) of 1,683kHz MW to broadcast its programs.

Current

Currently in Australia, the ethnic radio broadcasting sector continues to align with the expanding ethnic landscape seeing an average airtime for ethnic radio stations in Australia at around 2,000 hours per week, including over 100 languages. Today, with the use of broadcasting channels, the Hellenic Radio (Australia) has broadcast to around 85% of Australia. Particularly from the Sydney studio where radio broadcasting coverage reaches an approximate radius distance of 100km into the surrounding areas. Currently, in addition to the station being broadcast using radio-frequency channels, the Hellenic Radio is also accessible online on the
1683 Greek Radio
website.

Programming

The Hellenic Radio (Australia) is broadcast in the

. It has a simple format of programming for its Monday to Sunday, 24-hour broadcasting. The station caters to the interests of the community which it targets, the Greek Australiancommunity. The Hellenic Radio broadcasting is centred on Greek music, spanning from traditional

Greek folk music Greek traditional music (Greek: παραδοσιακή μουσική, "traditional music"; also δημοτικά τραγούδια, "folk songs") includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the Uni ...

all the way to contemporary Greek music. In addition, the station also provides coverage for local, national and international news in addition to community issues. And is a wide platform for advertisements both locally and internationally.

Rebroadcasting

Programs are also rebroadcast on the Hellenic Radio (Australia). For example, Skai 100.3 radio which broadcasts Greek news, sports, culture and comedy, in addition to RIK Triton which provides information and entertainment in both the

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

and Greek.

Program Contributions

The Hellenic Radio (Australia) utilised its programming for its advertising and running of the Emergency Relief Fund Fire Appeal radio-marathon in February 2020, which raised over $25,000 for Australian bushfire relief.

"We call upon all Hellenism, known for its charity, to contribute to this effort, with its mighty, noble donation, to support our fellow humans affected by the recent deadly and devastating fires”.

Additionally, its radio programs in 2021, provided the Greek non-English speaking audience in Australia to provide assistance and guidance surrounding the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

with Dr Nicholas Lelos. The radio station is also a contributor towards the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.

Programs

Radio

The Sydney and Melbourne broadcasts on the 1683kHz AM day and night frequencies include the popular programs: * 'Η ΕΚΠΟΜΠΗ' - "GREEKS TODAY" *'Η ΕΚΠΟΜΠΗ' - "ΟRDER OF AHEPA" *'Η ΕΚΠΟΜΠΗ ΤΑ ΑΙΓΑΙΟΠΕΛΑΓΙΤΙΚΑ' *'Η ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ' *'Η ΩΡΑ ΤΗΣ ΛΗΜΝΟΥ' *'ΘΡΗΣΚΕΥΤΙΚΟ ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ' *'ΚΕΦΙ ΚΑΙ ΜΠΑΛΑ' *'ΛΑΙΚΑ' *΄ΛΙΓΟ ΑΠ ΟΛΑ' *'ΜΑΓΚΑΖΙΝΟ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΗΣ ΥΛΗΣ' *'ΜΟΥΣΙΚΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΡΑΓΟΥΔΙΑ' *'ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΘΡΗΣΚΕΥΤΙΚΟΥ ΠΕΡΙΕΧΟΜΕΝΟΥ' *'ΡΙΚ ΤΡΙΤΟ ΜΠΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ' * 'ΤΟ ΔΙΚΟ ΜΟΥ ΚΑΡΑΒΑΝΙ' *'ΧΟΡΕΨΤΕ ΓΙΑΤΙ ΧΑΝΟΜΑΣΤΕ'

News Media

The 24/7 radio provides news on current Greek and Australian politics, sports and economics from popular newspapers:

Politics

* ' Η ΑΥΓΗ' * ' Η ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΤΩΝ ΣΥΝΤΑΚΤΩΝ' * ' Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ' * 'On Time' * ' ΡΙΖΟΣΠΑΣΤΗΣ' * ' ΤΑ ΝΕΑ'

Sports

* 'ΑΘΛΗΤΙΚΗ ΩΡΑ' * 'METROSPORT' * 'ΠΑΤΡΙΣ Sport' * 'SportDAY' * 'FORZA Plus' * 'ΦΩΣ ΤΩΝ ΣΠΟΡ'

Business & Economics

* 'ΔΗΜΟΠΡΑΣΙΑΚΗ ΑΘΗΝΩΝ' * 'ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΣ ΔΗΜΟΠΡΑΣΙΩΝ' * ' Η ΝΑΥΤΕΜΠΟΡΙΚΗ' * ' ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΗ' * 'ONE VOICE'

Hellensim in Australia

The Hellenic Radio commenced during the second period of Greek community broadcasting in Australia, seeking to preserve and upkeep the Greek language, culture and community through the radio programs.

"The Greek Australian generations... threatened even more unless their language is preserved as an important bridge not only in communication but in keeping their culture alive."

The station assists in connecting Australian Greek communities and maintaining identity, language and culture. Along with this, the radio is generated generally towards more of the older Hellenic generation age groups, however not limited to these.

"Greek music is of various kinds of forms and is as celebrated as much as the country's history... It is a big part of greek culture and usually comes in the form of either greek traditional music intended for dancing to at parties and festivals, or as byzantine music which is used more in ceremonial occasions and religious contexts."

Programs on the 1683am station aid both the non-English speaking Greeks and English-speaking Greeks in Australia to maintain community, particularly through the hosting and advertising of local (Sydney and Melbourne) Greek events.

References

External links

* {{coord missing, New South Wales Cypriot Australian Greek-Australian culture in Sydney Greek-language radio stations Radio stations in Sydney Radio stations in Melbourne Radio stations established in 1983 Ethnic radio stations in Australia