The ABA is making more channels available for new and improved services in the NSW South Coast towns of Nowra and Bega.

2ST will get additional FM channels at St Georges Basin and Kangaroo Valley to rectify reception deficiency within its licence area, and a new FM community radio service will be made available in Sanctuary Point. The ABA will call for applications for the new community radio service in the near future.

In Bega The ABA is proposing to extend the licence area of community radio service 2BAR to include the townships of Candelo, Bermagui and Tura Beach. It will also specify the effective radiation power (ERP) of the service at 1 kW, which it considers “an adequate signal to the primary townships in the extended licence area.”

The 2BAR service has operated for two years from a site at Dr Georges Mountain, initially on an ERPof 2 kW. The ERP of the service was lowered to 350 W after a field survey conducted by the ABA showed that this reduced power level was adequate to serve the licence area.

2BAR has requested the ABA extend its licence area to include those townships which received the service when it operated at the higher ERP of 2 kW. 2BAR has shown that some residents in these townships are members of the 2BAR service and there are signficiant community-of-interest ties between Bega and the smaller townships.