Steven Schwartz wrote:

>Bill(Y) writes about two Australian COMMERCIAL classical stations in Sydney
>and Brisbane...

Surely you're describing the community, not-for-profit, station 2MBS
(and its cousins in Brisbane, 4MBS and in Melbourne 7(?)MBS)?

If I remember correctly from my recent visit to 4MBS in Brisbane,
the stations were the first FM stereo stations in Australia, and run
under their community broadcasting legislation, which gives them quite
high-powered transmitters, and a remit to serve a particular section of the
community in a unique way, thus resulting in a free licence to transmit.

MBS is, I think, "Music Broadcasting Society", and the stations run almost
entirely on volunteers.  Almost everyone you hear on air, engineering,
producing, etc., is unpaid.  Only managers and one or two other staff are
paid at all.  The music selection is organised across the station, and
includes very eclectic pieces (often played in full) together with more
mainstream repertoire.  The stations pay royalties on the music they
broadcast, if the particular pieces requires they be paid.

The Brisbane figures are remarkably high; the share of classical-music
audience is something like 60% to the ABC (state-run classical network),
and 40% to 4MBS.  The stations in Melbourne and Sydney don't do quite so
well, but are still strong in terms of absolute numbers.

They carry commercials (for "sponsors"), and encourage sponsorship from
their listeners (buy the programme guide, sponsor programmes or events).
Editorially, they do much to support live music and music education, by
running music appreciation classes, holding concerts (and broadcasting
some), organising listener expeditions to musical events or locations.
As Gary Thorpe, manager of 4MBS told me, he thinks that "the heart (of
the staff) is in the right place".

Generally, the presentation isn't quite like BBC Radio 3, but the music
they play is just amazing.

John Hayward-Warburton
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