New stations for niche markets

TWO new radio stations are launching in Ballarat, bringing country hits and dance tunes to the airwaves.

Managing director at Phaze Broadcasting Michael Matters has been working in radio since he was 14, and launched Phaze FM six years ago.

He said after conducting research, they realised there was a niche market for country and dance music in Ballarat, and Phaze Country and Phaze Dance Floor Radio were born.

“It’s about offering the community more choice than what they have now,” he said.

“Our country station is designed for people that like country music, the idea is to get a foothold in the Ballarat market, then our dance station is for dance people and DJs.”

Phaze Country will broadcast on 87.6FM and Phaze DFR will broadcast on 88.0FM from 1 November.

A not-for-profit broadcaster, Mr Matters said Phaze FM Radio Network operates thanks to the passion of himself and two fellow volunteers.

“It’s a lot of work to not only build a radio station, but also the back-end work; organising tracks the shows, all the equipment,” he said. “There’s a fair amount of time and passion behind it.”

The station raises money through advertising, and Mr Matters said while businesses continue to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is “untapped potential” in terms of advertisers.

“The philosophy we’ve used is some money in our pocket is better than none,” he said.

“We’ve got radio equipment, a broadcast console costs 10 to 15 grand per console and we’ve got two stations, there’s a lot of work that goes on.

“I’ve always loved radio, you can always have some good fun, and that’s primarily what we’re doing this for, it’s not the money aspect.”