ON Monday December 7, local community radio station 104.1 CHY FM launched a new local radio news service. 

“CHY FM saw the need to supply our local area with news and information essential and pertinent to where we live,” said Station Manager Angie Vaughn.

“And it’s also great information for  holiday makers that want to know what’s going on right where they are,” said Ms Vaughan. 

104.1 CHY will broadcast news every week, Monday to Friday, at 7 am, 7.30 am, 8 am, 8.30 am, 9 am, 4.30pm and 6 pm supplied to the station from local news service providers, Air News Media. 

Air News Media is a Coffs-based company that provides locally-based news  services to regional and community radio across Australia. 

Air News Media is owned and operated by Terry Daniel and Leonie Kennedy.

It has a team of reporters throughout the Coffs region, Australia and the globe. 

“The partnership started when I met Terry and Leonie through the Chamber of Commerce. 

“As a community radio station we need to get information out to our community and as sponsorship increased, we could go ahead with it,” Ms Vaughn told News of The Area.

CHY is a community radio station with a youth focus and was started back in 1973 by Salvation Army Pastor Mr John Townsend who saw the need for giving youth a voice in their community and providing them with the confidence that learning radio skills could give.

Most of the current volunteer announcers and producers are under the age of thirty. 

Ms Vaughn said, “I think we will have a really good summer with tourists and people do want to get the local flavor and stories so will tune in to community radios.

“We have a great opportunity to get community information content out there and news is really part of that.”

Angie has worked across many media genres over the years starting her career in Simon Townsend’s Wonder World as a researcher and working on shows such as Burke’s Backyard, The Great Outdoors and The Main Event.

She wants to share her passion for media with others next year through training opportunities to become a part of CHY’s voice in the community.

“We have a new logo and new website about to go live and lots of new things happening in the new year and I hope a lot of people come on board as sponsors,” she said. 

By Sandra MOON