1079 Life

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:44): I rise to inform the chamber of something that operates in their midst that they may not be aware of; that is, an FM radio station in Adelaide that has existed for a number of years. I had the privilege of visiting the station last week, on Thursday I think it was. I went out there for a luncheon and a tour of the station, where they showed me through the radio station itself but, most interestingly, through the production rooms and the 'On air' rooms, as they call them.

They took the opportunity to explain to the small group I was with how the computer screen in front of the radio announcer actually works and how it flashes red at a certain time, if the song is coming toward an end and those sort of things. It was very interesting. The station I am talking about is 1079 Life. Members may or may not be aware of the station, which has been operating for some time. This year, I understand, they are celebrating their 25^th year of operation in Adelaide. They have quite an extended reach, some 295,000 listeners, and about 120,000 listeners each and every week who tune in for an average of 7.8 hours a week. So it is quite a substantial exposure to a large number of South Australians on a weekly basis.

I was interviewed by the station on Sunday evening just passed, at about 8.15 or so, for about 15 minutes, by the announcers who some members in this chamber will know: Pastors Paul and Laureen Newsham, who have a program on the station every Sunday night. They also interviewed the newly-elected Premier, the Hon. Steven Marshall, the member for Dunstan, last week as well, and I understand that the Hon. John Dawkins was also interviewed by the station in recent weeks regarding his work in suicide prevention, which is something new to the heart of Pastors Paul and Laureen that they featured on that program.

It is a very active station. It was formerly known as Altamira FM—people may have heard of it under that banner—and then it changed its name, I think, a number of years later in 1998, according to my notes, to Life FM, and the new banner 1079 Life was adopted just a couple of years ago in 2016. They have quite an extensive reach, some 295,000 listeners each and every month.

The station is heavily involved in community work and has done some things that I believe are worth mentioning to the chamber. They assist over 2,000 community groups every year with promotions, publicity and support, many of which they do at no cost to that organisation. As a community station they see themselves as having an obligation to assist community groups, whether they be secular or religious, to advertise on the station. Many have done so at no cost whatsoever to the organisation, which has assisted them run their programs and reach out to the community.

It undertakes appeals on behalf of other charities quite regularly. They are involved in Feed the Hungry, a well-known program, and enough funds were raised to feed over 6,000 refugee children for a month through that program. They simulcast nightly with Adelaide's 9News, so if you happen to be in your vehicle at 6pm you can switch on 1079 Life (which is 107.9 on the FM band) and you will hear a simulcast of Adelaide's 9News.

It is the only station, I should point out, that broadcasts SANFL games each week. It was not that long ago, members in this chamber would remember, that SANFL games were covered by most of the commercial stations. FIVEaa stands out as covering the SANFL for many years, as did the ABC. My understanding is that 1079 Life is now the only station that covers SANFL games each and every week.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: It does a great job.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: It does a great job, I agree. It has been recognised in the community through many awards. Very briefly, in 2017 it won the South Australian Community Broadcasting award for the best interview, the best sports broadcast and the best youth contribution. The station has also been a real training ground for a number of almost household names in South Australia, including Brenton Ragless and Kate Collins, who have worked at the station on a volunteer and also a paid basis, I understand, over the years. The station has used that learning and the equipment that it has there to run training courses in media and radio.

There is much else I could say, sir, but my time, unfortunately, has expired, but I would say that this is a great asset to South Australia and one that I encourage members to listen to.