2WOW
Encyclopedia
Wow FM is a community
radio station
based in St Marys
in Sydney. The station broadcasts to part of Western Sydney
, mainly centered around the City of Penrith
. Wow FM is a volunteer run organisation and is funded through listener support, grants and limited commercial sponsorship.
, rock and roll
, country
, multicultural and Christian programming. Wow FM also broadcasts programs that are presented by special interest groups or in languages other than English
.
In September 2001, 2WOW was a finalist for the Country Radio Station of the Year Award from the Australian Independent Country Music Awards.
In November 2001, WOW FM began broadcasting national news updates produced in Bathurst by media students at Charles Sturt University.
WOW FM added a "Kids Club" feature in February 2002 that allows local primary school students to learn about radio broadcasting and promote their schools. Later that month, the station joined the "Work for the Dole" project by giving thirty unemployed young people the chance to study interviewing, computer skills, and internet broadcasting.
Since then, WOW FM has been a relatively irrelevant force in the Penrith area. Their signal can barely be received in much of Penrith, owing to the fact their transmission tower is pointing east from St Marys.
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
based in St Marys
St Marys, New South Wales
St Marys is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. St Marys is located 45 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith....
in Sydney. The station broadcasts to part of Western Sydney
Western Sydney
Western Sydney is a major region of Sydney, Australia. It has a number of different definitions but one consistently used is the region composed of the 11 councils which until recently were all members of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils:* Auburn Council* Bankstown City Council*...
, mainly centered around the City of Penrith
City of Penrith
The City of Penrith is a Local Government Area in Sydney, located about west of Sydney's central business district.- History :The Municipality of Penrith was incorporated on 12 May 1871 under the Municipalities Act 1858. On 3 March 1890, St Marys was separately incorporated, and on 26 July 1893...
. Wow FM is a volunteer run organisation and is funded through listener support, grants and limited commercial sponsorship.
Programming
The station's current programs cover a range of music styles including adult contemporaryAdult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, multicultural and Christian programming. Wow FM also broadcasts programs that are presented by special interest groups or in languages other than English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
History
In June 2001, "Way Out West (WOW) FM" beat ONE other radio stations for a permanent licence from the Australian Broadcasting Authority. This was due to the perceived need for multicultural programs in the Penrith area, which WOW FM devoted a large proportion of their airtime, despite the fact, only 10% of Penrith LGA residents come from a non-english speaking background.In September 2001, 2WOW was a finalist for the Country Radio Station of the Year Award from the Australian Independent Country Music Awards.
In November 2001, WOW FM began broadcasting national news updates produced in Bathurst by media students at Charles Sturt University.
WOW FM added a "Kids Club" feature in February 2002 that allows local primary school students to learn about radio broadcasting and promote their schools. Later that month, the station joined the "Work for the Dole" project by giving thirty unemployed young people the chance to study interviewing, computer skills, and internet broadcasting.
Since then, WOW FM has been a relatively irrelevant force in the Penrith area. Their signal can barely be received in much of Penrith, owing to the fact their transmission tower is pointing east from St Marys.