1CMS

Australian multilingual community radio station

35°16′32″S 149°5′52″E / 35.27556°S 149.09778°E / -35.27556; 149.09778LinksWebsiteOfficial website

FM 91.1 CMS (callsign 1CMS) is a multilingual community radio station broadcasting to Canberra, in languages other than English, from studios in the suburb of Holder. CMS is a member of the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council (NEMBC) and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA).

The policy of CMS is to encourage all languages to broadcast for at least an hour each week, providing time on an equitable basis. Programming priorities include youth, women and emerging communities.^[3]

History

The EBC (Ethnic Broadcasters Council) as it was then called, started broadcasting by purchasing airtime on community station 2XX. Up to 25 language groups were broadcasting for half an hour each per week during the 1980s. Discontent in the early 1990s saw the EBC and 2XX sever ties with each other. EBC were off the air until August 1992 when they were able to apply for their own test broadcast licence. EBC were back on air on Tuesdays and Fridays using the facilities of ArtSound FM.

In 1999 the EBC received a full-time test licence to broadcast on 103.5 FM. Soon after the on air identity was changed to Canberra Multicultural Service and the frequency moved to the present 91.1 FM. Then an application for a full broadcasting licence was applied for. This was granted on 15 June 2001.^[4]

Current

FM 91.1 CMS now has programming in around 30 languages. The station broadcasts live from the Canberra Multicultural Festival each year. Internet streaming was introduced in 2008.

Programming

As of 2008, the station broadcasts in the following languages:^[5]

Bosnian
Cantonese
Chilean Spanish
Croatian
Cypriot Greek
Dutch
Persian
Belgian Dutch (Flemish)
French
German
Greek
Hindi
Indonesian
Italian
Lao
Macedonian
Mandarin
Motu/Pigin
Polish
Samoan
Serbian
Sinhalese
Slovenian
Spanish
Swiss German
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Tongan
Urdu
Vietnamese

Satellite programming from Deutsche Welle, Radio France International and the National Indigenous Radio Service is also carried.

References

^ "Community Radio Broadcasting Licences" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2007.
^ HAAT estimated from http://www.itu.int/SRTM3/ using EHAAT.
^ "CMS Mission". (CMS Radio). 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
^ Werner Albrecht (19 April 2008). "CMS History". (CMS Radio). Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
^ "CMS Timetable" (PDF). (CMS Radio). 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.