NTC Country Music network expands into Canberra and Cooma

In this country music month, the NTC AM country music network has received development approval from The Snowy Mountains Shire Council to construct a 90 meter high radio tower in Jindabyne as part of its next phase of expansion.

NTC also signed contracts on Christmas Eve for the lease of the old 2CC tower in Canberra.

General Manager Kerrie Chalmers told radioinfo: “Canberra and the Cooma/Jindabyne areas are an integral part of our expansion program which will target an estimated quarter of a million people in the combined townships. This estimate should grow to around 300,000 people during the ski season.”

The AM 1620 frequency in the Victorian ski township of Falls Creek is also expected to go to air before the new ski season commences this year, complementing the other new services.

Chalmers says “in the old days they built everything like tanks and when it comes to AM radio we like lots of steel to help our signal strength.

“Our Engineers tell us that this [Canberra] tower was designed and constructed in 1938 by Len Schultz and finally went to air during WW2 when all broadcasters were required to turn their power output right down because of “skywave skip” after dusk – reaching the enemy. An engineers report described it as better designed and built than many of the modern day structures.”

According to Chalmers the Canberra tower is one of the only four freestanding AM radio towers of its kind in Australia.

“In those days they made them to last three hundred years…these days its just about twenty. We are also advised that our coverage of Canberra from this tower (which is twice as high as the original frequency it was designed for) will cover Canberra beautifully.”

Another “major announcement” is expected from NTC “within the next five weeks.”