For people like Warrnambool’s Bryan Mair, Vision Australia Radio is an important way to keep up with local news.
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Mr Mair is among the listeners looking forward to Vision Australia Radio’s switch from 94.5 FM to 3YB’s current frequency, 882 AM, at noon on Monday.
The swap will allow Vision Australia to expand its reach to more south-west listeners who are blind or have low vision.
Mr Mair, has age-related macular degeneration that prevents him from reading. He said Vision Australia Radio was an important lifeline.
“We get bulletins six days a week and I don’t like to miss them because I get an array of news,” he said.
“I know the district from Portland, Hamilton and back to Camperdown, and you always get a good smattering of news from The Standard and all the other papers.
“I get the FM signal all right, but I know there are a lot of people that can’t get Vision Australia Radio at home, so hopefully they will get to listen on 882 AM.”
Vision Australia Radio has broadcast from Warrnambool for more than 15 years, with 37 volunteers producing seven hours of local content each week.
Vision Australia chief executive officer Ron Hooton says the AM switch would expand the listening area.
“This is an opportunity for 3YB to reach different audiences with a better sound and for us to give more people in the blind and low-vision community access to information. If we add 100 kilometres to our reach, that’s fantastic for our clients,” he said.
“Our feedback tells us these programs can be the difference between feeling isolated or not.”
3YB is providing a $25,000 donation to Vision Australia’s Warrnambool branch as part of the frequency swap.
